A KNUTSFORD star has told the Guardian that she has achieved her ‘dream role’ as Truly Scrumptious in the stage adaptation of children’s classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Charlotte Wakefield, 26, a former Knutsford Academy student, stars alongside Jason Manford, Claire Sweeney and Phil Jupitus in the stage show- which is showing at The Lowry Theatre in Salford until January 15.

After leaving school during her A Levels, Charlotte gambled on a career in acting and said that she is ‘very fortunate’ that it has paid off ever since.

“It was a whirlwind,” she said in a recent interview. “I auditioned for it last year, but they decided to go in a different direction, a different look and a different age so it was given to another person. When the recasting came around I wasn’t available, and when they did the third casting they just asked me if I would like to do it.”

Charlotte opened her leg of the tour in Edinburgh, before travelling with the company to Glasgow and Woking before the tour made its way back up to Salford.

She added: “It’s like coming home for me, especially over Christmas. I can be with my family during the festive season which barely ever happens. So taking the role was a no-brainer.

“And Truly Scrumptious was always one of my dream roles. It’s also a brilliant production of the show, it’s its own production- so it is different than the one at the Palladium.

“It is different than anything I have ever done before. Working with comedians is a whole different experience, it is a lot of fun.”

Charlotte, who was cast in An Angel for May at 17, has never attended drama school after she was scooped up by her agent 12 years ago- the pair have worked together ever since.

“Within six months of telling her I could sing, I was opening my first show on the West End,” she said. “Since then I have two Lawrence Olivier nominations. It’s been a very interesting decade.”

Charlotte’s co-star, Phill Jupitus, also spoke to the Guardian about the show in which he plays Lord Scrumptious and Baron Bomburst.

But he admitted that he has never seen the original 1967 film starring Dick van Dyke.

"When you have a show that people are more than familiar with I think it’s quite important to do it your way," he said. "So I have not seen the film and I don’t plan to see it until I finish in this job.

"Even as a kid I didn't see the film. My mum very big on taking me to see Disney but not so much the live action stuff.

"I have seen a little bit of Gert Frobe, who played the Baron on YouTube, but he's much older than me and he was properly European wasn't he?

"Let’s face it, it is a big daft show about an invented country so you can get to muck about.

"And that’s the essence of this job. If you can tap into that part of your brain that takes you back to when you were a kid and you used to play and use your imagination, you're halfway there."

He may not have seen the movie, but having toured the UK in the musical, Phill has been totally seduced by the story of the madcap inventor and his flying car.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is quite a traditional show in a way," he said. "But it's dynamite. It's got everything there that you need."

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Lowry, Salford Quays, until Sunday, January 15. Details from 0843 208 6000