A WORDSLEY actress is enjoying strutting her stuff on a top TV show just months after graduating from drama school.

Esther Smith is currently starring in new BBC1 comedy drama Material Girl.

Running on Thursday nights at 8pm - the show follows young fashion designer Ali Redcliffe and her battles against scheming and snobby fellow fashionistas as she tries to make it to the top in the competitive business.

Esther, who went to Stourbridge’s King Edward VI College before landing a place at the Guildford School of Acting, plays Trish - an uber-cool, confident and bright wannabe designer/receptionist/office-gofer at Ali's Brick Lane studio.

Esther, aged 23, who now lives in London, said: “I feel very lucky to have got it - but it’s not easy, I’ve really worked for it.”

The six-part series, which reportedly cost £6m to make, stars Being Human actress Lenora Crichlow as fashion star Ali, as well as TV darling Dervla Kirwan, American actor Michael Landes (The New Adventures of Superman) with guest appearances by the likes of Dynasty star Stephanie Beacham.

Despite rubbing shoulders with some of TV’s top names - former Summerhill School student Esther still has a soft spot for Stourbridge, where she used to attend dance classes at The Davies School of Dance.

She was also a popular member of the town’s pantomime company for around ten years - and even made it back to see their recent production of Dick Whittington at the town hall, as sister Rachel is still a member of the group.

Esther said: “I do miss Stourbridge, the panto group’s a nice little community and it’s where I started out; I feel like I owe them a lot.”

With the penultimate episode of Material Girl set to air on Thursday February 11 at 8pm Esther is hoping programme-makers will get the thumbs-up for a second season.

She’s also looking forward to reprising her role in Tim Crouch’s stage play The Author - which enjoyed a successful run at London’s Royal Court Theatre in October - as a nationwide tour is being planned for 2010.