Meet Maisie Sean Bean's co-star in new TV series Game of Thrones

A pupil at Norton Hill School, Midsomer Norton is starring alongside Sean Bean in a major new TV series.

Maisie Williams, 13, grew up dreaming of one day seeing her face on giant billboards, this week that dream became a reality when the first posters advertising the show appeared across the UK.

Maisie had wowed talent scouts with her performance skills landing herself the central role of 11-year-old Arya Stark, a tomboy who flouts convention and authority, in Game of Thrones which premieres in America on April 17.

The series is based on George R R Martin's popular fantasy book series A Song of Fire and Ice and is set in a mythical kingdom where an epic battle for power is taking place. It is due to air in the UK soon.

Maisie said: "My first love is dancing and I have been a member of the Sue Hill School of Dance for a while and enjoy it so much. I was encouraged by Sue to take part in a showcase in France where a number of VIPs from the entertainment industry were watching in the audience. From that audition I got an agent who put me forward for this role.

"First we filmed a pilot episode to see if HBO in America liked it and they did so we went on to film the whole series."

Filming began in June last year with Maisie travelling between locations in Northern Ireland, Malta and Morocco.

The dedicated teenager went to great lengths to ensure she captured the character perfectly, even learning to sword fight with her left hand despite being right handed.

She said: "My character is a real tomboy and sword fighting is important. They also asked me to learn to ride a horse but I haven't had to do that yet.

"Everyone I worked with was really nice. Sean Bean seemed quite shy when he wasn't acting, he was usually sat reading a book but was so friendly and helpful whenever I spoke to him. I think he is a great role model for young actors. Everything he did was just right and worked perfectly for his character."

The young actress said she was surprised to see her face on giant posters in Bristol and Bath.

She said: "A friend of my mum's rang to say she had seen the posters so we went down to have a look and to take my picture in front of it. My friends have been really supportive. They find it all just as strange as I do!"