Girl lands TV role
A NINE-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl has landed a role in a gritty TV drama documenting British people travelling to Syria to join Islamic State (IS).
Nerys Stocks, from Aberdare, will appear in Channel 4’s Crossing the Border, a programme by Bafta-winning director Peter Kosminsky.
Her mum and “unpaid PA” Carrieann said she was “so proud” of her daughter.
“She enjoys it so much and when she is in front of the camera she’s in her element,” she said. “She’s really sensible, bright and confident and able to deal with tough issues like this.”
A release date is yet to be confirmed, but Crossing the Border will air this year. It is being directed by Kosminsky, whose BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall, about the rise of Thomas Cromwell, won two Baftas last year.
The programme follows an intensive year of research, and will feature four hour-long episodes following the experiences of four British men and women who leave the UK to join IS in Raqqah, Syria.
Beth Willis, who is commissioning the drama, described it as “a fascinating fictional story that sheds light on an unknown and unimaginable world. This is a deeply authentic drama through which we are able to question and confront an incredibly complex, divisive and urgent global issue”.
Closer to home, Nerys recently starred in Tenby Dinosaur Park’s YouTube comedyhorror mini-movie Ting Ting Arrives, in which she played a young superhero who fearlessly stands up to a rampaging dinosaur and saves the world from destruction.
Nerys was chosen for the lead role after director Tim Barrett saw a video of her street dancing at Aberdare railway station. She was selected from hundreds of hopefuls, and has gone on to appear in numerous short films and stage productions. Tim called her an “inspiration”. He added: “She’s so lovely, so charming, an absolute joy to work with and unbelievably is still only nine. Amazing! We were very, very lucky indeed to get her for our little film.”
Carrieann said: “She loves it so much, bless her. She filmed a music video on the weekend and didn’t complain once about the cold. I, on the other hand..!”
Her next performance will see Nerys in Stardreams Musical Theatre’s production of the Railway Children in May at the Pontypool and Blaenavon Heritage Railway.