Aspiring Yorkshire actor says 'age is no barrier' as she stars in Bill Bailey's BBC show Bring The Drama

Hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bailey, the aim of Bring the Drama is to open up the world of screen drama to people who have always dreamt of becoming professional actors but have never had the opportunity.

The eight aspiring actors are mentored over six weeks by renowned casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry, who has cast shows including Bridgerton, Gangs of London, Ghosts and Broadchurch.

In each episode, the aspiring actors are welcomed onto some of the real-life sets from celebrated UK dramas such as Peaky Blinders, EastEnders and Silent Witness and tasked with working together to recreate iconic scenes with real scripts, real cameras and real-time pressures that professional actors face.

As they gain experience in different forms of screen acting they are given advice and guidance from a host of established actors including Natalie Cassidy (EastEnders), Genesis Lynea (Silent Witness, Champion), Charles Venn (Casualty, Dream Team), Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey, You) and Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty, The Rig).

67-year-old Janice Sampson is an aspiring actor from Sheffield who initially thought she “would be too old”, but eventually went “bugger it” and decided to give it a go.

Janice explained her acting journey started when she joined a film and TV writing class which led to regular casting in group-written scripts. Initially hesitant, she gained confidence and enjoyment, leading to an 'acting on film' class.

Although Janice always dreamed of acting she said many different aspects of life put a halt to her plans. She said: “What held me back when I started the journey into both writing and acting was that I had responsibilities, children, bills to pay and a job.”

Then a classmate invited her to join an amateur dramatic group, sparking the creation of her own theatre company. Janice successfully staged plays she wrote and expanded her acting through Sheffield Peoples Theatre, participating in amateur and paid productions.

Talking about being on the show she said: “Filming the series was brilliant. A massive learning curve, so many memories and a bunch of truly wonderful people to experience it with.

"The biggest thing that I have taken from the show is that my age is no barrier, I just need to relax, not put too much pressure on myself which I felt I did sometimes on the show."

Following the confidence Bring the Drama gave Janice she said she’d love to be in Doctor Who, a soap, a comedy, a crime drama or even on Loose Women. She added: “In fact, there isn't much I would discount.”