A young performer who reached the last 20 in a BBC talent show has set her sights on a career in musical theatre.

Briony Price, 17, was among 6,000 young hopefuls who auditioned for How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

The flagship BBC1 show is searching for a talented amateur to play nun Maria in Andrew Lloyd Webber's forthcoming West End production of The Sound of Music.

In the first show of the series Briony, a pupil at Newlands School, Seaford, was turned away by judges but insisted on auditioning for a second time before she was eventually given the nod. After that she was among 20 contestants put through intensive singing, acting and dancing training before being interviewed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Briony, whose father Oliver is headteacher at Newlands, said: "It was an incredible experience. I have always wanted to be a performer but this show has made me even hungrier."

Briony has been performing since she was a small child and singing since she was ten years old.

The talented teenager will spend the next year auditioning for musical theatre colleges and added: "If this show runs again next year I will be up there like a shot."