Ellie Taylor-Roberts, one of the emerging stars of the Warminster drama scene, hit the big time recently when she starred in the film ‘The Perfect Date’, produced by ITV.

Ellie regularly attends drama workshops run by ITV and hit the jackpot when she was called for an audition by the director, Paul Dudbridge, who attended the workshop in order to cast a short film. One of several youngsters who were called for audition, Ellie was delighted to secure the part of Jess, the 9-year-old daughter of the family around which the film revolves. As its title suggests, the film concerns a date – but it was not Ellie but her screen father, a widower, who was on the date – with one of Ellie’s teachers (again, not her real-life teachers!).

The twenty-minute film was shot over four days in the February half-term of 2007 and Ellie describes it as “an exciting experience”. Unusually, the Taylor-Roberts family even volunteered their home in Sutton Veny as a film set in which many of the family scenes were shot. In March of this year, the film received its premiere on the big screen at Longwell Green Vue cinema near Bristol. Supported by several Warminster friends and all her family, Ellie was there in the packed auditorium to see herself on screen – an experience she describes as “amazing”. Since then the director has asked Ellie to introduce two of his short films which are to be shown on television. If all goes to plan, she should be making her television debut at around 11.30 pm on Christmas Eve!