LOCAL acting talent Elliot Baxter gets a big career break this week when he makes his TV debut in one of the BBC’s top dramas.

The former Queen Katherine School stud-ent plays young Niall Wallace in tonight’s epis- ode of Silent Witness, being screened at 9pm.

The 16-year-old Kendal- ian plays the young vers- ion of the main charac-ter in several flashback sequences, and origin-ally auditioned for the part via video.

“I found out that I’d got the part when I was on the National Youth Theatre course last summer,” said Elliot.

“I was shocked, but really excited.”

In a Lonely Place is a two-part storyline that concludes tomorrow night, and was filmed in Dundee, Scotland.

“I had my own trailer with my name on the door,” added Elliot. “It was pretty cool.”

Elliot said he was a bit nervous about seeing himself for the first time on the television. “It was my first TV job and I want it to go well.

“It’s a bit surreal to think I’m going to be on TV.”

Elliot said he was grat- eful to those who had helped him pur-sue a career in acting, esp- ecially, Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society.

Elliot said: “I used to watch them as a child.

“When I was older I joined them. That’s what got me into acting.

“I’m very grateful to BATS for everything they did.

“Also Helen Noble of Tread (his agent). “I couldn’t have got the part in Silent Witness without Helen.”

One of the region’s most gifted young actors, Elliot is studying drama at Kendal College, and last summer landed one of 400 places with the National Youth Theatre for a summer workshop in London, which enabled him to become a fully-fledged member of the prestigious youth theatre.

For the sec-ond year run-ning, in 2013 he was also successful in gaining a place on a Youth Music Theatre UK project, chosen to perform in the BBC’s musical film Vanishing Point.

Elliot said his older sister, Emily, was also a big influence.

He will share the stage with his 18-year-old sibling in Kendal College’s Accrington Pals, which is staged at The Box, in March.

Elliot plays Tom, one of the lead roles.

Silent Witness stars Emilia Fox as Doctor Nikki Alexander, and David Caves as Jack Hodgson.

The show regularly draws audiences of more than seven million in the UK, and reaches viewers across the globe, including fans in Denmark, Sweden, Austr-alia, the Far East and Latin America.

The series, about a team of forensic pathologists and their investigations into various crimes, was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective in Nottingham, and has been running since 1996.