A TALENTED young female film director hopes to make her name with a romantic comedy set in Worcester and featuring an all-star British cast working alongside city actors.

'In a Year' starts filming in the city this month and contains some big names from the world of British films and comedy shows including Ewan Macintosh from The Office, Samantha White from The World's End and Harry Eden from Flashbacks of a Fool.

The plot revolves around a radio station project where DJ (Ewan Macintosh) offers listeners one last wish before the end of the year, bringing strangers together with some hilarious, tear-jerking and often heart-warming results.

The film will be directed by 21-year-old University of Worcester student Nicole Pott of St John's Worcester and is written by fellow student Elle Smart who writes under the pen name Eleanor Catherine Smart.

Harry Eden and Samantha White applied for their roles through IMDb Pro while Miss Pott met Ewan Macintosh over the summer on a film shoot and they kept in touch on Facebook ahead of filming in Worcester.

The film should showcase some of Worcester's landmarks, including the Cathedral, city coffee shops and the University of Worcester.

Filming is scheduled to start on Saturday, November 29 and is expected to finish in March next year ready for the premiere in January 2016, hopefully at an independent cinema, possibly in Worcester, although details have yet to be finalised. At around 100 minutes long, the movie will be Miss Pott's first feature length film after directing a 30 minute film called 'The Spaces Between' about the pitfalls of a long-distance relationship.

Miss Pott, who admires the work of Drake Doremus ("Like Crazy) and Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction", "Django Unchained"), said: "I have never worked with big names and it was a surprise when people applied but now I'm quite used to the idea."

Because of the film's tight budget she is not able to pay the actors and online crowd funding will help cover costs. The budget so far is around £1,300 but she is hoping they can raise £6,000 towards the costs. Costs have been kept down by using local actors from Worcester and elsewhere in the West Midlands although some applied from the US for a role.

Miss Pott, originally from New Mills in Derbyshire, is studying digital film production and screen writing at the University of Worcester but the film is work on top of her existing studies.

She said of the film: "I would say it is a romantic comedy but not a typical romantic comedy. I would say it is a really heart-warming film. When I read the script I almost cried. Everyone who watches it will meet these characters who are trapped in their own lives. They are living happy lives but, inside, they're all wanting to do something more with their lives. I have always been interested in romance but it is the human side of romance. It's not lovey-dovey all the time. Bad things do happen."

Miss Pott, who has ambitions to write and direct her own films, said: "Directing is a hard career to get into. It is very male-dominated although it is changing. I'm not saying Hollywood is my place or anything but I would love to work in Hollywood but I am also very into the British industry."

Worcester is becoming a popular location for filming with Gheluvelt Park, off Barbourne Road, Worcester, used during the filming of The Black Prince which features Bollywood icons Satinder Sartaaj and Shabana Azmi alongside musician and actor David Essex and Jason Flemyng and Rupert Everett. The film, directed by Kavi Raz, tells the story of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last king of the state of Punjab and his exile to England where he befriends Queen Victoria.