30055/3PUPILS at a Trowbridge school were starstruck when a Casualty actor made a surprise appearance in their drama lesson.

Will Thorp, who plays Paul 'Woody' Joyner in the hit BBC series, surprised students by turning up at St Augustine's Catholic College on Friday.

The actor, himself a former pupil at the school, worked with the Year 11 drama group and gave them ideas for their exams.

Their teacher Victoria Trebilcock kept the visit a secret because his wife is due to give birth to their first baby, meaning he was not sure whether he would make it to the school.

She said: "The students were really polite and courteous but they were just starstruck. You could hear them whispering 'it's that bloke from Casualty'."

She said many of the students were also keen to get his autograph.

Mr Thorp's father, Michael Thorp, is the chaplain at St Augustine's.