Talented Darren Fawthrop has walked into a top West End show just weeks after graduating from dance school.

The 22-year-old has landed a role in an acclaimed production of Beauty and the Beast at London's Dominion Theatre.

Amazingly, Darren was only able to go ahead with his showbiz career thanks to the Telegraph & Argus.

Three years ago he almost had to turn down a coveted place to study theatre and dance at the London Studio Centre because Bradford Council had not awarded a discretionary grant to cover his course costs and living expenses.

But the Council had a change of heart after the T&A highlighted his plight.

And Darren says he is now delighted to have landed such a plum part so soon after completing his degree.

"It's a really good show and a great part to get. We haven't got much time to rehearse before we go on at the end of October and it's very exciting," said Darren, who lived in Undercliffe before going to London and is a former pupil of Hanson Upper School.

"I am in the ensemble and have lots of costume changes and I also get to do a duet when I am a salt pot on stage with a pepper pot."

After doing two years at the London Studio Centre, Darren completed his final year at the Millennium Dance 2000 college.

He then landed the Beauty and the Beast role within weeks of graduating after being spotted on a course for international choreographers in the summer.

This production of Beauty and the Beast has been running for a year already and has won an Olivier award for Best New Musical.

Darren is one of a handful of new cast members joining this autumn until it finishes its run next April. He then hopes to get an audition for Cats.

Darren's family plan to travel to London to see him in the show in a few weeks.

His mum Edwina Jones said: "He's done extremely well, to say that we didn't think he was going to get a grant to go to college.

"He didn't want us to go and see him at the start of the run because he would be nervous so we're going nearer to Christmas time. I'm really proud of him."

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