FOR actress Sarah Manners, a job in Birmingham is always a boon as it means she can stay in the best digs possible – her parents’ house.

Sarah, who grew up in Harborne and whose family still live in the city, will be back in Birmingham next month in the charity show Survive! Seven Lives – One Journey alongside fellow cast members Linda Robson, Hannah Waterman and Les Dennis.

And 35-year-old Sarah, who now lives in London, is looking forward to a bit of TLC.

“Acting is hard. It isn’t all glamorous,” she says. “When you are rehearsing and trying to learn your lines and getting your roots done, it is really nice to know that you are going home at the end of the day. You can call home and ask your mum to put some dinner in the oven.

“Normally when I am working, I am in different towns or cities and staying in digs and you don’t get any of that. My room is still my room and it is always nice to go back there.”

Sarah’s family will also be in the audience for Survive! when it is staged at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre on September 30.

“They always come and see me when I am in a show and I never feel nervous they are there as I know they are my biggest fans and will always like what I do,” she laughs.

Former Blue Coat and King Edward’s Handsworth pupil Sarah says her parents have always supported her aim to be an actress.

“I think it was because I was always so passionate about it,” she says. “I always did the school plays and I was chosen to do a summer school for drama.

“The only time I did wonder if I wouldn’t get there was when I was doing my A-levels and applying for drama schools. I applied to six and the first two turned me down. That was a bit of a knock-back but then I got a recall from LAMDA and was offered places by Central and Mountview.