Budding actors set for starring roles in new Alan Bennett film

Alan Bennett, one of the UK's best-loved dramatists, wrote plays The History Boys and The Madness of George III

Young actors are being offered the chance to star in a new film by Leeds playwright and author Alan Bennett.

The feature film is set in a Yorkshire market town during World War One, a casting call said.

Robert Sterne Casting said young people between the ages of 17-20 who were "native to Yorkshire" were needed for the production's "major roles".

Filming would take place in Yorkshire from early May, a spokesperson said, with the film due for release in 2026.

In the casting call, shared widely on social media, the company said: "These are terrific leading roles and we require both male and female actors who are confident and with a good sense of humour."

It said applicants must have completed their GCSEs, with auditions open to both professional and non-professional actors of all ethnicities.

The firm set 22 March as the deadline for sending in video submissions.

Bennett, one of the UK's best-loved dramatists, wrote plays The History Boys and The Madness of George III and created the TV series Talking Heads.