So you want to be an actor?

Topics include: drama school, auditioning and finding an agent

A couple of hours treading the boards, a life of glitz and glamour and time spent leaping from one showbiz party to the next may seem very appealing.

But the reality of life as an actor can be very different.

So who better than two experts in their craft - Prunella Scales and husband Timothy West - to tell it how it really is.

They've teamed up to write a short guide for aspiring actors which is full of dos and don'ts, and practical advice.

Prunella Scales and Timothy West were our guests in the Breakfast studio this morning

Writing alternate paragraphs, the couple tackle subjects such as applying to drama school, auditioning, television work, finding an agent, how to survive a long West End run.

It's called So you want to be an actor?, and we've picked out some of the key points to help you, and give a flavour of the book.

Tips for budding actors

Pick your training place carefully

Pick an audition piece others don't know by heart and prepare properly - will you be in a small room or big auditorium?

Practice and perhaps dress the part (Tim looked scruffy once when auditioning to be a village idiot)

Market yourself properly: get good photos done, make sure you read others entries in Spotlight so casting directors get a good idea of you

Think about where and when a piece was written so you 'hear' the words properly and practice accents

Keep working - not just television or plays but voiceovers, commercials and keep up with skills like fencing, and horse riding

Practice being in character - Tim played Stalin who had a withered arm and he realised he'd taken his practicing a bit far when he kept trying to open a bottle of wine at home with one hand.

Be proficient in all media, and don't get typecast.