Daniel on move from Telford cafe to star in London opera

Daniel Bowker is currently working at his mother's coffee shop, but will soon be taking the stage in Mozart's classic Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Opera House.

The 39-year-old actor has taken on a series of roles, but while "resting" he helps out at Hathaway's in Wellington Civic Centre.

And he is now preparing for one of his biggest challenges yet as he joins the cast of the David McVicar production at the world famous London theatre next month.

Daniel, who attended the Lord Silkin School in Stirchley, has been acting since he was six years old. But after a knock to his confidence at an audition when he was just 15 he decided to give up acting.

But five years ago he rediscovered his passion and has attended The Birmingham School of Acting at Millennium Point.

Getting roles in TV shows such as Shameless and Apparitions helped increase his confidence and he realised this was what he wanted to do.

Daniel had doubts about whether to attend an audition for the Marriage of Figaro, but said he managed to impress during improvised sessions.

He said: "When I was being offered roles that were more than just an extra, I thought I've obviously got something here, I'm going to go for it.

"At first I wasn't interested. I've never really been into opera. I have done stage work before at university but I swore I would never do it again.

"I've been spending more time doing film, at least then you can do more than one take.

"When this call came in I wasn't really sure if this was for me. I don't know why but I thought: 'Why not, I'll give it a shot'."

Daniel will be relocating to London for his time in the Marriage of Figaro. Rehearsals begin on August 27 and he is set to appear in at least six shows at the iconic Covent Garden theatre.

"I will be travelling down on the day rehearsals start and, due to the tight schedule, I will have to relocate to London so it's definitely out of my comfort zone," he said. "All I know so far is that I will be playing two roles, the footman and the groom.

"I won't know anything else until I'm in London.

"Nerves haven't hit yet as I've done a lot of stage work before.

"I've been watching past performances of the play on YouTube and I know I will have to complete a lot of voice training. I can sing but I am definitely not a singer so this is totally new experience for me."

"My close friends and family have always supported in my dreams and I owe a lot to them, especially my mum and my uncle."

Daniel recently returned from Lithuania where he was working alongside Vinnie Jones in crime film Redirected, which is due to be released next year.

He spent a lot of time with Vinnie working on the film and has kept in contact with him, adding: "I really learned a lot from Vinnie. He is a genuine down to earth guy. I spent over a month on set and got to know him well.

"He was just one of the boys and would often come out with us. You could never put your hands in your pockets when he was around though, he was very generous."

Since returning home he has been keeping busy in the cafe as well as sometimes working as a doorman at Pussycats in Wellington and as a personal trainer, until a surprise call from his agent about the opera changed everything.

The Marriage of Figaro is one of Mozart's most infectious comedies and will be performed in Italian with English subtitles. It begins on September 16.