I brought a special friend along for my teddyvision debut
Madison, 6 lands role for her furry pal
A six-year-old girl battling a challenging health condition has made her TV acting debut starring alongside Martin Compston.
And little Madison Green – who attends hospital weekly for vital treatment – even made sure her teddy Peggy got a part too.
The UK Theatre School student was chosen to appear in the hit TV thriller The Nest after a successful audition. Madison, who lives in Glasgow’s Blairdardie area, stars as Frankie, screen daughter of the drama’s character James, played by actor James Harkness. Madison appears in episodes two, three and four of the five-part BBC1 drama series. The young star suffers from a rare muscle disease – juvenile dermatomyositis, which affects about three children in every million per year.
The autoimmune disease can cause skin rashes and inflammation.
Notre Dame Primary pupil Madison attends the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for regular treatments. Mum Linzi said her TV assignment was a great distraction for Madison. She added: “Madison decided to take along her teddy Peggy on the first day of f ilming. Peggy goes everywhere with Madison – it’s her comforter, especially when she’s in hospital. “I think the production crew liked the fact that teddy came too and so they ended up working Peggy into the script and she even got a mention. “It was a really nice surprise for her to know Peggy was included in the final edit.
“Madison has a real passion for acting so when this opportunity came her way she just threw herself into it with enthusiasm. It was also fascinating for her to see behind the scenes of how a TV drama is made.
“Because it’s shown after the watershed, the drama isn’t suitable for a six-year-old so we’ve been very selective about the bits she can watch herself in.
“Like most parents, I was proud as punch when word came through that she’d won the part.”
Performing runs in Madison’s fami ly. Her big sister Paige, 10, recently starred in an award-winning ad produced for charity Children 1st as part of its Give a Smile Back campaign.
Madison’s other sister Kaydey, eight, and brother Lucas, four, also attend the UK Theatre School.
The school, in Glasgow’s West Regent Street, gives underprivileged chi ldren and young people scholarships to train in the performing arts.
School principal Lizanne Lambie Thomson said: “When our students are successful in landing these parts, they always do a great job as being ambassadors for the school and Madison is no exception.
“A TV debut is a big deal for any actor – and even more so when you’re just six – but Madison took it all in her stride. She’s an enthusiastic and hard-working student and all her tutors were chuffed to bits when we learned she’d landed the part.”