Workshops for a musical based on hit movie Billy Elliot begin in London next week.

Actors will work with the film's director Stephen Daldry on developing the show, which has songs by Sir Elton John.

Original writer Lee Hall, from Newcastle, has penned the lyrics and is working on the script of the £4.5m Billy Elliot The Musical.

The film, about a miner's son who trains secretly to be a ballet dancer, was a big success in cinemas in Britain and the US. It made a star of Jamie Bell, the Billingham teenager who played the title role.

The producers face finding another talented youngster to take the demanding leading role.

Three North-East actors - Trevor Fox, Charlie Hardwick and Joe Caffrey - are among those taking part in the workshops

"I've heard the songs with Sir Elton singing them. They're very good, very catchy," said Mr Fox.

"Lee has plotted out the major characters. They're going to work on that at the workshops to see how well they work with the music."

Sir Elton fell in love with the film after seeing it at the Cannes Film Festival and "had to be escorted out in floods of tears".

The musical will be more political, emphasising the backdrop of the miners' strike.

"I think it's the best thing I have done for the stage," Sir Elton has said. "I always write from the lyrics, and Lee has written a great story about hardship, anger and love."

Billy Elliot The Musical is likely to be staged at London's Old Vic Theatre.

The musical is still in the early stages, and producers are unwilling to predict when it might open.