Young Hucknall acting star celebrates birthday in the Nottingham stage spotlight

Lauren Tanner turned 10 on November 1 but thoughts of partying had to be put to one side while she continued with the third high-profile acting job she has landed this year already.

A product of the Nottingham Television Workshop, Lauren has already appeared in two plays on BBC Radio 4 this year – The Rainbow and Cov – and is now treading the boards alongside League of Gentleman star Mark Gatiss in Charles Dickens’ festive classic A Christmas Carol.

Her mum Janine said: “It’s been an incredibly exciting year and she’s absolutely loving being on stage right now, it’s as if she’s just found her way in life."

One major aspect for Lauren of being in A Christmas Carol is singing solo for the first time.

Janine said: “She was a bit nervous about it at first but she’s really taken it in her stride and she’s playing all the boy parts – so she’s playing about six different characters – but she’s loving it.

"Acting and performing is what she wants to do now because she’s only had these three parts to date as she’s been with the Television Worksop since she was about seven.

"But as I always say to people, they found her, she didn’t apply to join that, they went to her school and auditioned her, I didn’t even know they were going, and the next thing I knew I got a letter saying she had passed the audition and would she like to join, so off she went.

For now, A Christmas Carol is the last thing in the diary for Lauren but with the likes of Mark Gatiss now knowing all about her talent, Janine hopes it won’t be long before the next project arrives.

She said: “We’re hoping something will come along in the new year and she gets on so well with the rest of the cast on stage, she’s got a fantastic relationship with everyone and I’m really pleased about that because there’s a chance something else could come along as result of being with them.