My name is Camilla Marie Beeput and I have just joined the cast of Peep Show, the Bafta award winning critically acclaimed television comedy series on Channel 4. I am an actor, singer-songwriter, and an aspiring writer. I’ve officially been in the entertainment industry for 8 years, but I’ve been singing and writing my own music for about 12. My first professional gig was a television show on the BBC called Fame Academy. I was one of 12 musicians chosen through gruelling audition processes, to appear on the show. It involved us all living and working together as we competed for a record contract while being filmed 24 hours a day. It was intense and I was just starting out so I was very naïve and vulnerable. Each week culminated in a live performance on BBC One, which was filmed at Shepperton Studios. This, and the live National tour, was the highlight of the experience for me because I found it so exhilarating to perform in front of people.

Fame Academy was a surreal experience but it provided me with a platform to show case my raw talent. A director saw me on the show and thought that I would be perfect to play Maria in his production of Westside Story at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester. I auditioned for it and I got the part. Before Fame Academy I had had no professional experience and no formal training, I had no idea what to expect. It was a frightening and challenging experience for me, particularly the rehearsals, however once I got on stage I felt like I was home. I played Maria for 3 months at Leicester over the Christmas of 2002 to February 2003 and it was sensational. It was the most incredible experience of my life. But I was still very young and I was unsure about what to do next, you see music had been my focus until now. I had always loved acting at school, and for work experience I worked at The New London Theatre that was home to CATS at the time – which was a dream come true, I got to watch the show every night and work in all the different departments, it was magical! But, for some reason, I did not think that I could make a career out of acting despite my drama teacher telling me “I think you should act!” which has always stuck with me. I lacked direction and a mentor.

After Westside Story I signed with an acting agent and started going up for jobs, and – to my surprise - getting them! I landed a regular part in Footballer’s Wives, and a part in The Bill. I then landed the lead role in a West End Musical called Daddy Cool, which was based on the music of Boney M. It was during the West End run of the show that I fell out with my long-term music producer. It had been tumultuous relationship that I had poured money into over 3 years and when it fell a part I realised that I was completely drained and suffering from depression. Thankfully Daddy Cool went on tour to Berlin for 4 months and I went with it. It was a cathartic experience and I felt free again. But I couldn’t stay out of the recording studio. I met a couple of German producers and recorded a few tracks with them – it was great!

As soon as I came back to London I landed a supporting lead role in the West End musical, Bad Girls. After that I decided that I wanted to focus on straight acting, although I love musical theatre I didn’t want to get pigeon holed as a musical theatre actor. So I made a conscious decision to move into straight acting. I was determined. I even turned down work in other musicals.

It took me 6 months but eventually I got a great part in a sitcom on Channel 4 called Plus One. Ironically I played a wannabe singer. It was only one episode but it was a great episode and I learned so much. I then decided that I wanted to do a straight play. And a few months later I landed the part of Shun in the Young Vic’s production of In The Red and Brown Water by Tarrel Alvin MacCraney. It was during that production that I knew that I wanted to be a great actor, and that it is what I have always wanted. I felt a little intimidated around the cast members who were all trained actors but I overcame that by learning from them and reading as much literature on the craft of acting as possible. I had always participated in acting workshops at places like the Actor’s Centre in Covent Garden or the Old Vic’s New Voices programme between and even during jobs but now I crammed them in even more and I saw as much theatre as I possibly could, as much as I could possibly afford to that is! I engrossed myself in the world of theatre.

The following year was a difficult one; the recession hit the acting industry hard. I was out of work and I had to move back in with my parents. Luckily I fell in love with a great guy, an actor I had met during In The Red and Brown Water, and he was a wonderful distraction! And he was working so it meant that I could bask in his success for a while before I got my next gig.

My next gig was a regular part in a new sitcom for BBC3 called Lunch Monkeys. It was my first regular comedy role and it was great! I worked with a fantastic director called Matt Lipsey. I got the job just after Easter and I found out later through my agent that Matt had fought for me to get the part over other more established actors. It was a great experience and I learned a lot from my fellow actors about comedy. Sadly it was over all too quickly and I was back in the doldrums of the recession again.

Luckily, music came back into my life. I was asked to feature on an album project called “Blame The Music” by one of the greatest Drum and Bass DJs in the world, DJ Blame. Through that project I was able to perform at the O2 Festival in Hyde Park, which was incredible! It literally blew my mind! I also got to do a “Live Lounge” performance for Radio One, which was recorded live from the infamous Maida Vale studios in West London.

In November I went to New York with my boyfriend who was doing a play on Broadway, a play that had transferred from the West End. I met some great people while I was out there and decided to go back for pilot season the following year. I stayed on a friend’s couch and I hustled my way into castings and meetings (only in New York can you get away with that). It was amazing and I made some invaluable connections. It was also great for boosting my confidence because I managed to get some brilliant feedback from casting directors and a real taste for the industry out there.

I came back to London completely revived. 2 months later I landed “Push” a docu-style television drama for Fiver about Fashionistas in East London and then, as I was filming that, I got Peep Show. Thankfully I was able to film both simultaneously. It was brilliant I had to two jobs at once! And because they were so completely different in every way I was really kept on my toes. Filming Peep Show was a fantastic experience and I had an amazing time. It’s my biggest role to date and I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Watch this space………….