A NORTH-East actor who appeared in hit BBC drama Bodyguard visited a college to talk to pupils about a career in the industry.

Richard Riddell, from Ryhope, near Sunderland, visited East Durham College to talk to creative industries students.

Mr Riddell, who played detective Tom Fenton in Bodyguard, and has also had roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and E4 drama Misfits, spent about half an hour answering questions.

A spokesperson for the college, in Peterlee, said: “When hearing that Richard was returning to the North-East, East Durham College thought it would be a great opportunity for our talented creative industries students to see how far they can go in acting by having Richard come in to talk with them.

“Students had many questions for the actor, ranging from his favourite, and least favourite, roles to how he got his start in the acting business.”

Mr Riddell said: “I would say, if acting is something you really want to do you absolutely have to go for it.

“It’s just remembering that there will be a lot of rejections and you shouldn’t be deterred by that. You should remember that you still have value and you’ve got to go for it.”

“It sounds quite generic – but that’s one of the most important things to remember.”

Bodyguard also featured from East Durham College student Gina McKee, who played Commander as Anne Sampson in the drama, which was watched by about eight million people.