A little bit of grit.

After a happy and lazy middle class weekend entertaining my in laws over Easter, on Tuesday morning I was pushed head first into the inner city grit and realism that is the Aylesbury estate.

The uniquely gorgeous Charlotte Benstead, a university friend of Richard's, runs a fantastic charity community project called Inspire based in the crypt of St Peters Church in Liverpool Grove just off the Walworth Road. It caters for all elements of the community both young and old with a huge variety of classes, projects and events. Bordering as it does the huge horrendous Aylesbury estate, soon to be demolished as city planners see the errors of their ways, it provides a welcome beacon of light and hope for many in the area. Inspire has a drama group, Real Drama, based there and this is who I have just spent the week working with. My friend and colleague Daisy Douglas was at the helm with me, and we found ourselves facing ten South East London kids ranging from 17 to 23 all with aspirations to do something in acting. the week was themed around auditions and we were helping them choose pieces to do in auditions, - I persuaded the casting director Matt Western to come along and give them a mock audition and on the Saturday evening the speeches, some movement and some songs were woven into a forty minute entertainment for friends and family.

It's a world away from the middle class white kids who come to the National Youth Theatre, not that their aspirations are any less.You just feel that for these guys, things really will be that bit harder. They were the most pleasant smiling group of young people it was possible to meet. The older guys had a strange old world courtesy about them. Inner city black youth is not my forte - the good thing about the past week is that I have learnt something as well. About what drama, dreams and hopes can do for people, and how we must allow them to nurse their dreams in a realistic environment, and give them every chance to have a go. In a world where most peoples idea of auditions is that gleaned form the world of "X Factor" it came as a surprise to most of the young people that people who run auditions can be nice and on their side. They want to find the right people. This was something it took me a long while to learn until I sat on the other side of the table for the first time when I started directing.

Tv programmes are tv programmes and as such made to entertain. Personally I'd like to see all the Dorothy's sent into the forest for 24 hours armed combat and see which one emerged alive- she then really would deserve the part and it would be slightly more painless than toothy adolescent young woman murdering classic songs on a weekly basis as Lord Lloyd Webber drools along while his nurse has a night off.

After a long Saturday we had a show which was received by friends and family in a loud and appreciative fashion last night. As we said our good byes and daisy and Charlotte and I headed off for a welcome curry, there was just a bit of a glow - a smug feeling that for once acting had done some good. Shown them a way forward, and even if they don't become the worlds greatest actors, they'll be better people for what hey did last week.

Surely that is what it's all about