Former member stars alongside Adrian Dunbar in ITV Crime Drama RIDLEY

CYT STAFF MEMBER ZAK DOUGLAS STARS IN EPISODE 2 OF ITV’S RIDLEY AS KIT MCKELLAN

A former member of Wolverhampton’s Central Youth Theatre stars in ITV’s drama Ridley on Sunday 4^th September. Zak Douglas from Fordhouses will be playing the role of Kit Mckellen in episode 2 of the new series starring Line of Duty favourite Adrian Dunbar. Zak stars alongside Bronagh Waugh, Terence Maynard, Georgie Glen and Julie Graham.

Adrian Dunbar earned legions of devoted fans for his powerhouse performance in Line of Duty but now he’s stepping into a very different police officer role for ITV’s Ridley. The new drama stars Dunbar as ex-detective inspector Alex Ridley, who is brought back from retirement to serve as a consultant on a complex murder case.

Zak is a former member of Central Youth Theatre, having joined at the age of 17. During his time at the youth theatre, he performed in a variety of productions as well as travelling internationally to youth theatre festivals in Italy, Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

Since completing an apprenticeship at CYT back in 2015 Zak is now a longstanding member of staff with the organisation, directing performances and leading workshops with young people aged 8-25 years. Zak has pursued a career as a professional actor, securing roles in ITV’s The Larkins, Vera and Ricky Gervais’s critically acclaimed Netflix series After Life. He is currently filming abroad for an highly anticipated crime drama, due to be released next year.

Zak comments ‘CYT has been such a huge part of my life and has helped me as a performer. I love that I’m able to work with young people and share the skills I’ve learnt as a jobbing actor.’

Holly Parry, CEO of Central Youth Theatre commented ‘We’re absolutely thrilled for Zak. He’s such a hard-working actor and is always travelling across the country to work on a variety of both stage and screen jobs. He’s a fantastic role model to our young members. We know that this is only the beginning for Zak and we can’t wait to see what’s next.’

Central Youth Theatre is Wolverhampton’s longest running youth theatre with 2023 marking their 40^th anniversary. Many of their alumni have forged professional careers in the creative sector such as lighting designers, stage managers and film set decorators. CYT starts back for a new term on Sunday 11^th September and are currently welcoming new members aged 8-25 years.