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Local actress wins role in internet soap
A HOME-GROWN future Judi Dench has landed the leading part in an internet soap.
Rachel Hyde-Harvey from Orlingbury, has been given the main part in Bebo drama Sofia's Diary.
The programme hit the headlines earlier this year as the UK's first interactive soap.
Broadcast on social networking site Bebo, it allows viewers to decide what happens in the show by voting between two pre-recorded endings.
The 21-year-old now appears in front of a worldwide audience of five million.
Rachel said: "What I find heartwarming is the sense of empathy from people watching it.
"It's all had a really positive impact. I think people can really relate to the show and my character."
Rachel started acting at school but got her big break when she won a scholarship at London's prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Since leaving at 16, Rachel has had a glittering professional career.
One of her first roles was in Holby City, where she played a woman being abused by her stepfather. She also starred in The Bill.
She was then in Soho play Bad'nuff and spent six weeks in Barcelona filming I Dream, which was produced by television guru Simon Fuller.
Rachel said: "I have enjoyed TV. It's more fast paced than theatre but then theatre is more gruelling as you can be doing the same thing for months.
"It can be a cut-throat industry but as long as you've got a good reputation and are pleasant to work with, it opens doors."
In September last year, under 21-year-olds were encouraged to audition for Sofia's Diary by posting videos on Bebo.
Candidates were then invited to London for live auditions, where Rachel stood out.
She now plays 17-year-old Sofia, who is forced to move to London to live with her father and stepmother after causing an incident in a chemistry lab back home in Stockport.
The programme follows Sofia as she tries to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.
Rachel believes this helps the programme relate to a young audience, who go through similar experiences when they go to university.
However Rachel has a demanding schedule, often filming for 13-hours, six days a week. She also has lots of lines to learn because she appears in every scene.
However Rachel has mastered a technique to remember the script.
She said: "I learn the lines as I go along. I don't go home after a long day and learn 30 pages of lines for the next day. I take it in stages and learn lines just before the start of the scene."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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