A TALENTED Redditch teenager proved to be one of the "favourite things" of judges on a new television programme.

Nicolette Morgan, 17, impressed the panel of experts during her audition for the sought-after part of Maria Von Trapp in a West End version of The Sound of Music but eventually lost out because she was too young.

The nationwide auditions will be the feature of new BBC One reality TV show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria, hosted by funnyman Graham Norton.

Nicolette, a sixth form student at Arrow Vale High School and a member of the Musicmaker arts group, attended the first round of auditions in Cardiff after hearing about the search for a star on the radio.

She impressed judges with her rendition of No Business Like Showbusiness and two other songs and then was asked to attend further auditions in London.

Down to the final 200, Nicolette performed in front of voice coach Zoe Tyler, show producer David Ian and charismatic West End star John Barrowman, who were all suitably impressed.

However, as a friend of the wannabe show-stopper explained, Nicolette was just a little bit too young to take up the role.

"They were looking for someone aged between 17 and 25 and Nicolette is only just 17 so they said she was a little bit young for what they were looking for," she said.

"But it certainly has not put her off following her dreams of becoming a star, if anything it has made her more determined."

The show will start on Saturday.