TEENAGER Katy McGowan has always liked dogs.
But never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be co-starring with one in her television debut!
Katy, 13, a student at Oscars College of Performance Arts, Fitzwilliam Street, Huddersfield, takes the lead in a new children's TV comedy series, Barking, starting this month.
She will play the character of Jezza, an only child, whose life is thrown into disarray when her single parent mum remarries and her stepfather gives her a dog to cheer her up. However, Georgie, the Mancunian Mongrel, is not your average pet!
Katy is the daughter of Mike and Maggie McGowan, of Gledholt.
She is a pupil at All Saints School, Bradley Bar.
Proud dad Mike said: "Katy has loved every moment working on Barking.
"She has been away from home for the past 13 weeks, filming at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, only returning on a weekend.
"She has had her own tutor to keep up with her schoolwork.
Mr McGowan, who runs his own design company Point2Creative, added: "She was a dancer when she was a little girl and loves the theatre.
"She has really enjoyed this, her first TV role, and is hoping for more."
Katy has been a student at Oscars for five years and has appeared in numerous productions, including The Land Of No Colour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Sound of Music at Huddersfield's Lawrence Batley Theatre and this year was in a short film at the Bradford Film Festival.
Oscars principal Paula Danholm said: "When Katy arrived at Oscars at the age of eight, I told her father that she would go far.
"She has just started her journey and she has the potential to be not just a good actress, but a great one."
Katy's canine co-star, Georgie, is voiced by actor Will Mellor, who has starred in Casualty.
Georgie is a dog with a special secret - but the programme makers are not giving away too much yet.
The show, which is expected to run until Christmas, is to go out on CiTV.
The first episode will be screened on Thursday, October 28 at 4.30pm.
