NORTHERN actor Kevin Whately returned to the County Durham town where acting transformed his life and saw how it is helping young inmates.

On Monday, the star of Auf Wiedersehen Pet and Inspector Morse, visited Deerbolt Young Offenders' Institute, near Barnard Castle, to open a drama studio in memory of Sammy Johnson, a fellow Northern actor.

The inmates screened footage of them reciting excerpts from Shakespeare's plays and also performed a live sketch written by an inmate.

Mr Whately, a former pupil of Barnard Castle School, said: "I was a very shy kid at school but acting completely transformed my life.

"This studio will give the lads the chance and the space to express themselves and hopefully help them to do much better in life.

"It is great that someone is taking an interest in them and they are learning about co-operation, and through improvisation how your actions can affect other people.

"They seem very confident but I guess you have to be to survive in prison. I was particularly moved by the video performances of Caliban and Shylock."

The studio has been named in memory of Sammy "Ronnie" Johnson, who was in Spender alongside North-East actor Jimmy Nail.

Mr Johnson was 50 when he died of a heart attack in 1998. As a young man, he spent time in prison, but his life was transformed after playing in a blues band and becoming an actor.

Mr Whately said: "Ronnie was someone who lit up the screen. He was an inspiration to us. He never wrote anyone off and always encouraged people."

During a question and answer session, one inmate asked if criminals could have a career in acting.

"Ronnie spent some time in prison, as did Jimmy Nail," said Mr Whately.

"I would work alongside anybody. In acting, and, especially in the theatre, everybody is accepted for who they are and for what they are doing, not for their past. That is the great thing about the profession."

Michael McNally, a former actor and television presenter, has been running the performing arts course for 18 months.

After initially operating with no resources and being moved from classroom to classroom, a former welding workshop was turned into the performance studio.

Mr McNally said: "I really didn't know if drama would be well received by the students, many of whom had never fitted into an educational environment and had in fact been excluded from at an early age.

"I was astonished to find how responsive they were to being given status through improvisation and how much they opened up when they felt trust in a safe environment.

"Sammy Johnson was my closest friend and he helped everyone, even the underdog. I now feel I've found my vocation.

"I've seen amazing transitions going on here and the course has had a positive impact on offenders and their behaviour."

The inmates work towards a qualification in drama and are taught various skills including improvisation, camera acting and technical processes.

The course aims to achieve dignity and develop empathy, confidence, communication skills, team ethics and sometimes hidden talent.

Inmate Andrew Stanley, 20, said he had been on the course for three weeks.

"I've done work on the technical side with the cameras and editing, and also some improvisation work. Mr McNally doesn't judge you and takes you as you are."

Fellow inmate Trevor Rippington, 19, added: "I've been on the course for four weeks and I think it's brilliant.

"It is not like other classes where you are in a classroom and they just tell you what to do. The course gives you self confidence and the ability to talk to each other."