A young student in The Borough of Redbridge has proven himself an upcoming star. Charlie Layburn is a 15 year old student living in Wanstead who has a passion that is popular among young people: Charlie loves acting.


Charlie has always loved drama, and auditions for every school play. His drama teacher encouraged him to audition for the film How I Live Now based on the novel by Meg Rosoff. He then received a call-back for the part of Joe, the adopted younger brother of the male lead role. Although Charlie was unsuccessful in the audition, the producers said there was no doubt that he had the potential to pursue this line of work.


A few months later the same agency offered Charlie the opportunity to audition for the young Martin Freeman in At World's End, the next Edgar Wright movie following Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. During the audition, Charlie and three other boys were asked to improvise conversations in the circumstances of a pub crawl. Charlie then received yet another call-back. Once again, Charlie, along with the other five remaining contestants improvised together under the watchful eye of Edgar Wright, the English film and television director and writer, most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Sadly, through this very exacting audition process, Charlie was not offered the part. However, the gifted student has not allowed this experience to discourage him. On the contrary, Charlie is using the recent turn of events to spur him on and make him even more determined to reach his dream. In light of this, Charlie will soon be auditioning for the National Youth Theatre.


Charlie offered his advice for anyone wanting to be successful as an actor. ‘I would encourage anyone enthused by acting to take every opportunity they can to play characters, whether in school plays or clubs outside of school. I also feel it is important to balance this with academics and other extra-curricular activities so that if your dream of becoming an actor doesn't work out, you can still strive to do well by obtaining good qualifications.’


Sam Hawkins, who teaches Charlie drama at Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green voiced his opinions regarding Charlie’s skills. ‘Charlie is a prodigious talent, his role in the upcoming musical ‘Guys & Dolls’ is pivotal and his singing voice almost outshines his acting skill. His GCSE assessed performances have been exemplary and his role in House Drama was exceptional. He is planning to audition or The National Youth Theatre in January and I wish him every success in all his performance endeavours.’


The area around Redbridge has seen many former residents rise to fame. Jonathan Ross, the much loved TV and Radio Presenter, was born in Leytonstone. Broadcaster Noel Edmonds, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1, was the son of a headmaster who worked in Hainault; Noel also attended Brentwood School. The national treasure, Tony Robinson, who is known for his work as an actor, amateur archaeologist, TV presenter, comedian and political activist, attended Wanstead High School in his teenage years. And modern TV and radio sensation, Jessie J, was born in Chadwell Heath. Many people do not realise how often such accredited stars have originated from relatively humble backgrounds. With a wealth of good schools, facilities and opportunities in general, it does not come as a surprise that Redbridge has watched, starry-eyed, while so many of our former residents rise to fame.