A BRIGHT young actor from Derby has claimed he will win a Bafta.
Ambitious Nick Preston features in the new BBC war drama Our Girl, which follows the story of an Army medic in Afghanistan and begins tomorrow on BBC One.
Nick, of Allenton, plays soldier Mansfield Mike, a troubled teenager who joined the Army to escape problems at home.
His role follows parts in the first series of The Village, a BBC period drama set in the Derbyshire Peaks, and Channel 4's My Mad Fat Diary.
The ex-Chellaston Academy student said he was enjoying the early days of his career and hoped to build on his success.
The 18-year-old said: "I don't think I will ever be content until I die and people are still watching my work – that's the ambition. I'm consistently planning for the future.
"I will win a Bafta, I'm sure of it. I'm going to work really hard."
Nick and the cast of My Girl, which stars former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, travelled to South Africa for filming.
Experiencing another country and culture, as well as gaining more screen time, was something he said he would never forget. And Nick said he also developed a great deal of respect for those who served in Afghanistan after getting a taste of the rigorous training they undertake.
He said: "To see the sunset out there was amazing. Filming was very hard though. It is 40C heat and you're wearing full army kit. It was very intense but what was I going to expect? To be put through those paces was amazing.
"The guys out in Afghanistan have it so much harder than we did. It's much more real for them and I really respect them."
The cast spent time training at the Army barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, before travelling to South Africa to film.
Away from the screen, Nick lives with his mum Sharron Donnelly, 40, and sister Bethany, nine.
He learnt his acting trade under Ian Smith at the Nottingham Television Workshop and said one thing he had taken from both his mother and Mr Smith, and applied to his acting, was to be empathetic.
"That's what a lot of acting is," Nick said. "My mum always taught me to have good manners, to be polite and to listen to people.
"By watching people you can see how their emotions control their behaviour and that is what I try to show in my acting."
Sharron, a family support manager for Derby County Council, said she was looking forward to watching her son in his latest TV role.
She said: "I'm very proud and excited about the programme starting.
"Nick has always been a little character from a very early age so I'm not surprised at how well he is doing."
The first episode of Our Girl is on BBC One tomorrow at 9pm.
