A BUDDING actress from the North-East has been chosen from 12,000 applicants in a search for talent by BBC chiefs.

Cheryl Dixon, of Newcastle, is one of 30 people set to be given roles in shows such as EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City, it was announced yesterday.

Those chosen could be seen on screens as early as next year once they have been cast into specific roles. Applicants to the BBC Acting Up scheme were whittled down at regional auditions to 200 who attended a final session in London, where it had been intended to choose just ten to be awarded contracts.

But Mal Young, controller of drama series, said: ''The calibre of talent that we have seen throughout the country has been fantastic. It was such a tough decision to decide on the final ten contracts, that we made the decision to give out 30.

''With so many popular drama series being produced for BBC1 each year, we were delighted to find such excellent acting talent.''

The Acting Up scheme was launched earlier this year as part of BBC Talent. The winners will receive details of their roles by March.