A FORMER Ryde High School pupil and art director for the BBC hopes to inspire young Islanders to aim for careers in the arts.

Susie Herbert-Light, 38, from Ryde, has just finished shooting a one-off Christmas comedy special starring Stephen Merchant, of The Office, and Asim Chaudry who played Chabuddy G in hit mockumentary, People Just Do Nothing.

Susie is also a successful interior designer and stylist behind the Isle of Wight and London-based Herbert-Light studio, she's worked on huge commercial and charity campaigns for well-known brands, including British Airways, and is regularly sent off to shoot on location, managing huge budgets and even larger teams of people.

Now, she would like to get the word out to young people, in the hopes of guiding them to find their way into creative lines of work.

"I think it's important to show there are other things out there," said Susie.

"When I'm working in television, I don't see many people from state schools or with similar backgrounds to mine.

"When I was at school, it didn't feel like we were encouraged enough to pursue careers that were a bit left field.

"I don't think schools provide the right information about the large range of different things people can do.

"For example, I didn’t know what an art director was when I was at school. Or a buyer or dresser. People can also be a carpenter on TV, or an electrician. The art department teams are huge.

"It is an incredibly tough industry to get into, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

"Basically, I just want to get the message out there to kids who have thought about working in TV, film or any artistic field, that it is possible if you pursue it."

The show, 'Click & Collect' will air tomorrow (Monday, Christmas Eve) on BBC One at 9pm, and features Merchant and Chaudry as two mismatched neighbours driving 300 miles to pick up a 'Sparklehoof', the one toy that will make a little girl’s Christmas dreams come true.