A FORMER Holmfirth student is set to star in a major new TV drama.
Jessica Gunning, 25, will play Orla in the acclaimed new BBC Two drama White Heat, which starts next week.
It follows the interwoven lives of seven individuals from the Sixties to the present day.
And it is a major step forward for Jessica, whose previous TV credits include Doctor Who, Mutual Friends and Law & Order UK.
The former Holmfirth High School student studied at the Rose Bruford school at the National Theatre and graduated in 2007.
The new six-part drama, which has been described as a London version of Our Friends In The North, kicks off in swinging 1965 when seven students move in together and ends in the present day when they get back in touch following the death of one of their number.
In a partly autobiographical account from the pen of writer Paula Milne, the action moves forward and back throughout the decades, examining the lives, loves and friendships of the characters amid the backdrop of landmark events such as the death of Winston Churchill, the rule of Margaret Thatcher and the arrival of HIV.
And, apart from the modern-day scenes in which some well-known faces such as Juliet Stevenson and Michael Kitchen take on the roles, the housemates are played by the same seven actors, all rising stars in their own right.
Jessica said: “Orla comes from a big family in Belfast who are quite poor and she’s come over to do psychology.
“She’s eager to please, so she becomes the fixer in the house. But it’s to her detriment because she gets a bit overlooked sometimes.
“She tries to be part of the scene – Charlotte and Lilly are very stylish – but she’s not used to being around glamorous people. So although she tries, she’s also very practical.
“We find out Orla’s brother is involved in something criminal and comes over to ask for help.
“She has a real predicament in terms of what to do, she doesn’t want to put the housemates in danger, so it’s a tough time.”
A recurring theme of the drama is that each of the characters has to age or appear younger for different episodes, which proved a challenge for them and the make-up artists.
Jessica said: “The first day I played my character when she was 41, then 19 then in her 20s.
“I didn’t know what was going on! It was only subtle though, and we put PVA glue underneath the eye to give us lines.”
The older Orla is played by Sorcha Cusack.
White Heat begins on BBC Two on Thursday March 8.
