A BUDDING actor from Welwyn Garden City has landed his first professional role in a West End musical at the tender age of five, making him the youngest member of the cast in the show's history.

Little Logan Shearer of Knightsfield beat off hundreds of young talents auditioning for the part of the small boy in the latest run of Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre in Victoria Street, London.

Set in the North East of England in the mid 1980's, Billy Elliot is a tale, written by Lee Hall, about a young boy who pursues his love of Ballet in secret to avoid disapproval from his struggling family. The year one pupil at Panshangar's Springmead Primary school, whose debut on the big stage was on Friday, said: “My favourite part is when I have to say a really bad word. I can only say it on stage though mum says, but when I say it, the audience laughs a lot.”

For Logan, the production will be his biggest acting project yet, but the young lad is no stranger to the spotlight having already appeared in two TV commercials.

His mum Teresa, who was gushing with pride as she sat among the audience on Logan's opening night, said: “We are all so proud of Logan. He was a bit sheepish in the beginning but he loves it now and he's keen to learn how to ballet dance like Billy Elliot. He's loving every second, he's even waking up thinking about it at the moment.

"His first night was scary. I couldn't settle untill I saw him on stage. He tripped up a bit as he went on but no one saw - we are so very proud of him."

Logan landed the dream part through an acting agency run by his stage school, Top Hat at Monks Walk School in Welwyn Garden City, where he has been a student for just over a year.

The young lad will be performing to a packed audience around three times a week from now until November, although he will share the character with three other young boys including fellow drama student Morgan Heath, 7, from Cheshunt.

A group of 45 friends and family members including Logan's two sisters Morgan, 13, and Lana, 11, and his brother finley, nine, will be cheering him on from the stalls on July 9.

Warren Bacci, principle of Top Hat Stage School, said: "I feel proud of him and so is everybody at Top Hat. He's always been bright in class and always had something. "He's a cheeky chap and loves his drama and singing.

"We are pleased he's in the show, he's the youngest member of the cast in Billy Elliot history."