TWINS Thomas and Jack Godolphin are giving EastEnders' hardmen Phil and Grant Mitchell a run for their money after landing roles in the BBC soap.

Thomas and Jack have entered the world of showbusiness at the tender age of six months, taking it in turns to play Bianca Butcher's son Liam.

The tots share the role between them in case one or the other becomes grumpy and needs a screen break.

Proud mum Jo-Anne, 24, believes it could be the start of a glittering career for them in the programme.

And the cast have already taken a shine to their new co-stars.

Hectic

Jo-Anne, of South Way, North Bersted, Bognor, said: "Everyone loves the twins, especially Patsy Palmer, who plays Bianca.

"They are all very lovely, normal people and just great with the babies.

"We were filming in Southend recently and they acted as stress-relievers - when things got hectic everyone would go to hold the babies and calm down."

Thomas and Jack's big break came by accident.

Jo-Anne explained: "My husband Mike and I had no intention of doing anything like this, but we heard through a friend the show was looking for a pair of children to play Bianca's new baby."

"It was a bit of a long shot because neither of them are redheads like Bianca, but they offered it to us so we accepted.

"They wanted twins because children of this age can only work for 40 days a year and for a maximum of three hours a day.

"It also means if one gets fretful or tired they can swap them over and nobody will know the difference."

The pair have already made a number of appearances, are due to be seen on the nation's TV screens again tonight.

Jo-Anne, who has been a fan of the soap ever since it began, acts as a chaperon for the pair during filming and has met the entire cast since her first day on the set six weeks ago.

Being able to regularly visit the set of EastEnders has also done wonders for Jo-Anne's social life.

Future

She said: "I usually take either my mother or Mike but there's always someone else who wants to come with me - I can't think why!"

The money Thomas and Jack are earning is being put into a bank account for their future.

Mike and Jo-Anne are also recording episodes of the soap in which they appear for when they grow up.

Jo-Anne said: "I don't know if they will have careers in the soap, but everyone calls them Phil and Grant and they could be tomorrow's stars."

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