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A ¹ú²úÊÓƵ student met celebrities and royalty at a special reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the film and television industry.

Alannah Southerton, who stars in the film Lollipop, which recently premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, was invited as a guest of His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, Chancellor of the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ.

 

The event was hosted by His Majesty the King to mark 100 years of the Film and TV Charity, of which he is patron.

 

The actor Damian Lewis, star of Wolf Hall and Band of Brothers, was among the attendees of the reception, as were Floella Benjamin, Dame Eileen Atkins, Fiona Bruce, and Fearne Cotton, to name just a few.

 

Alannah said: “I met Lenny Henry, Claudia Winkleman, Steven Moffat, Nina Gold, and I had conversations with people about the importance of perseverance and bravery in the film and tv industry.”

 

She added: “I’ve already been in contact with people I met at the event since then and these chances for future acting opportunities are a dream for any early career actor.”

 

She continued: “I felt so proud to be wearing my ¹ú²úÊÓƵ name tag and I will never forget the support and kindness I was shown and I’m incredibly grateful.”

 

The event happened to fall on Alannah’s 24^th birthday, giving her the chance to celebrate in style as she mixed with Oscar and BAFTA winning directors, actors and producers.

 

She said: “It was definitely the most memorable day of my life. Not everyone gets to celebrate their birthday with the King!”

 

She added: “It was fantastic to meet the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Edinburgh: they were both so friendly and supportive.

 

“Being there gave me the opportunity to be free to network in a room with people at the peak of their careers, and that level of prestige is unheard of for actors starting out. It allowed me to see that these big names are real people and are friendly, open creatives in a field we all love.”

 

Alannah studies English Literature and Film Studies at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ; if you’d like to find out more about opportunities to study at Worcester visit worcester.ac.uk/study.

For information on courses at ¹ú²úÊÓƵ visit or for application enquiries, telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk