AN ORDINARY schoolboy was propelled into stardom when BBC One's adaptation of Cider With Rosie was screened on Sunday.

Archie Cox, 15, played the lead role of protagonist Laurie ‘Lol’ Lee in the author’s famous memoir about life in Slad.

The plot followed the boy as he tumbled through rural life – sometimes idyllic and sometimes tough – after the First World War.

To people who know him, Archie may have seemed like an unusual choice for the part as he has had no professional training, has never been to the theatre and had only appeared in one other production – a minor part in a primary school play.

But that was director Philippa Lowthorpe’s plan as she combed Gloucestershire schools for untrained and untapped talent.

Archie, who lives in South Cerney near Cirencester, was put through his paces in a series of workshops but did not find out until the final audition that he was in the running for the lead role.

“It’s been really hectic but really good,” Archie said.

“My mates have been supportive but have been giving me a bit of banter too.

“They saw the trailer where there’s one intimate moment with Rosie and they gave me a bit of stick.”

Archie, now in Year 11 at Cirencester Deer Park School, said: “When I first started I wasn’t that confident and I said ‘this is too tough and too embarrassing’.

"My acting tutor said ‘I’ve got an exercise for you’ and put me in a room on my own with really loud music. Then he said ‘just dance’.

"It was the weirdest thing.

“Everyone was really nice and I still talk to some of the people. No one was snobby or stuck up,” he said.

Archie is now considering studying English and drama – that is if he can keep the agents at bay.

“I’ve had a bit of interest from agents but I want them to see me act before I talk to them,” he said.

“If I was offered a really big Hollywood movie I’d probably take it, but I’d still want to finish my studies so I have something to fall back on.”

Proud mum Claire said: “I’ve seen it three times already and I’ve cried every time.”

Despite the rigours of filming, Archie continued his studying with the help of a tutor.

One thing he did not study was the original 1959 book or the later adaptations because he did not want to have “any preconceptions” about how others portrayed the character.

Proud mother Claire spent almost every day on set during the six weeks of rehearsals and filming.

“I’ve seen the adaptation three times already and I’ve cried every time,” she said.

She said: “It’s so emotional because it’s my son on screen. If you’d known Archie before this he was so quiet – it has brought out so much confidence in him."