A HUDDERSFIELD actress is to appear in a West End play with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

Joanne Christie, 24, will play the love interest of Daniel, 17, in Peter Shaffer's play Equus at the Gielgud Theatre in London for five months, starting next February.

Joanna, originally from Almondbury, will play teenage stable girl Jill, who has a fling with Radcliffe's character Alan Strang - an odd groomsman who has blinded six horses.

Joanna was one of 308 young actresses who auditioned for the role and was called back four times to test with Radcliffe.

She was finally chosen and signed up to the show on December 6.

Producers said she was picked because of the chemistry between her and Radcliffe.

The two young actors will be playing alongside big names including Richard Griffiths and Jenny Agutter.

Griffiths plays the psychiatrist who examines why Strang carries out his acts of cruelty on the horses. Jenny Agutter, who played Jill in the screen version of Equus 30 years ago, plays a magistrate in the new stage show.

Joanna's mum, Sue Christie, who lives at Armitage Bridge, said she was thrilled.

"We can't believe it. Joanna is over the moon and I am very proud."

Joanna, who trained at Mountview drama school in London, had almost given up on acting when she landed the role.

She had spent the past six months performing Shakespeare plays around India and when she returned, work had dried up.

She took a job in public relations for three months, but did not sever ties with her agent.

The move paid off, as she was told about an audition for a different play.

She attended and though she didn't get the part, she was asked to try out for Equus.

Joanna has appeared on TV several times since graduating from Mountview.

She has been seen in Channel 4 nursing drama No Angels and Holby City.

But her main work has been on stage.

She recently performed in the 24 Hour Plays at the Old Vic in London and has been in Be My Baby at Hull Truck Theatre and Immaculate Conceit at the Lyric in Hammersmith.

Joanna is from a creative family - her mother is a musician and elder brother Luke, 26, is a jazz musician in London.

Joanna herself plays piano and flute and is an alto singer for jazz and blues.

She is also a talented dancer.

* Equus was produced as a film by Sidney Lumet in 1977. Playwright Peter Shaffer wrote the screenplay

* Unlike the play, the film version was placed in a realistic setting, using real horses. Some critics found this objectionable, arguing the spirit of the stage play was lost in the film.

* However, the movie was nominated for several Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Richard Burton), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Firth), and Best Writing and Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.