JAMES Tarpey cannot believe his luck.

He is just 21 and a relatively new face on the screen and yet he has already worked alongside his hero, Simon Pegg, in The World's End.

Now the actor is starring in a primetime Sky comedy with the likes of Father Ted's Ardal O’Hanlon, Cold Feet's John Thomson and Mad Dogs' Jaime Winstone.

James plays Willow in After Hours, a series that was filmed in Lymm in June and July last year. It is currently airing on Monday nights.

"It's obviously an incredible opportunity," he told Weekend.

"I was blown away when they offered me it. I was lost for words to be honest. I couldn’t believe my luck."

James's first audition was almost two years ago in January 2014. Everything then went quiet and he only found out he got the part about four months later.

He added: "At first I didn’t think it had gone my way but when they gave me that second call I was over the moon."

The show sees Lymm re-imagined as a fading northern town called Shankly.

And James's music-obsessed character Willow ends up working for the internet radio station, After Hours, which is broadcast from a narrowboat after he is dumped by his girlfriend.

He said: "It was a lovely character to play because I’ve been through that kind of thing. The script spoke to me at the time.

"I thought that Molly Naylor and John Osborne had written a really special script and after I'd read it I can’t remember going for a job and wanting it as much as that."

The feel-good comedy sees the radio station helping to right wrongs and bring a bit of community spirit back.

James added: "What makes After Hours work is its charm. It is gentle. It isn’t like one of those comedies that hits you with a pun or punchline every five seconds.

"That’s brilliant but this is a different viewing experience. I’d like to think this has a bit more heart.

"One of the other things for me about it was the music. I had that in common with my character as sitting and listening to records is genuinely one of my favourite hobbies.

"On After Hours they've got the Pixies, the Smiths and just some great stuff. I really like that alternative stuff.

"I hadn’t heard much Modest Mouse, which features in the second episode, and listening to that blew me away.

"I ended up with a lot more stuff on my iPod."

The After Hours cast also includes Georgina Campbell as Willow's ex-girlfriend.

She recently won the Best Actress BAFTA for BBC Three's Murdered By My Boyfriend, a chilling story of domestic abuse.

"We were all so happy for her," said James.

"I remember we were filming when her show aired so we all got together and watched it. It was so powerful. She’s an exceptional talent.

"I also got on well with Rob Kendrick and Jaime Winstone was lovely and a great support.

"I learnt loads. Appearing on a big TV production is such an alien job if you’ve not done it before but they’ve been through it.

"All those questions that creep into the back of your mind, they’ve already got the answers."

James, who was inspired to get into comedy by The Mighty Boosh and Peep Show, also got to work with The Royle Family's Craig Cash who was in the director's seat.

He added: "He’s hilarious and brilliant. He has this great ability to visualise what is happening.

"He has this great moment where he puts his head back a bit, shuts his eyes and you can see the cogs whirring. Something great always happens after he’s done that."

That is probably how the cast and crew ended up with an 'octocopter' on set. The gigantic drone was used for aerial shots of Lymm.

"It was like a peek into the future," said James.

"It was a bit terrifying really because it was so big. I’d seen little drones before but I could have hung off the back of this one.

"It had all these lights on and it looked like something from The Terminator. You could imagine it chasing you down the road after curfew."

James had his first opportunity as an actor on the set of The World's End.

He spent three weeks with his heroes Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost and played a young version of Eddie Marsan's character Peter.

James added: "I’d wanted to be an actor for so long and coming out of college and going into that was mind blowing.

"Because we were shooting the montage sequences in the same pub as the older cast the scenes were shot at the same time.

"It made it all the more special to get to hang out with those guys.

"I remember on the first day I went for costume fitting and Simon Pegg came in and gave me a wave. I swallowed my tongue and spoke gibberish because I was so nervous.

"Before you talk to them it can be a bit nerve wracking especially when they are a bit of a hero to you but that goes very quickly because they are all very down to earth."

James also said that being on the cinema screen and on Sky TV has been bizarre for his parents, Thelma and Pat.

He said: "I don’t think they believed I was in After Hours at first. I’m sure they thought I’d gone up to Manchester for two months to party with my friends from uni.

"It has been a bit surreal for them as no one else in my family is in the entertainment industry at all."

- After Hours is on Sky 1 on Mondays at 9.30pm. You can watch the earlier episodes on catch up TV.

DAVID MORGAN