A producer from Rayne is overwhelmed by the support from Essex superstars who have backed her new film.

Donna Taylor, who co-founded DT films alongside Robin Plummer, has just finished writing her “labour of love”- a film she has called Dragged Up Dirty.

The film, which follows the story of a woman dragged into a world of drugs and prostitution, has received support from certain famous faces for its brave theme.

The cast list includes BAFTA nominated soap star Kierston Wareing, actor Nick Moran who starred in Harry Potter, actor Nick Nevern who has starred in EastEnders and Shameless, Vicki Michelle who is well-known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in 'Allo 'Allo!, and Steve Collins, an ex world champion boxer.

Miss Taylor, who has just finished the trailer and is excited to start filming, said: “The support has just been amazing, it’s really lovely.

“When you hear the real stories the messages really hit home, I’m really passionate about this and lots of people want to get involved because of the ethos behind it.”

She got the idea for the film, which was directed by the established Sacha Bennett, from how she and friends dealt with a troubled past.

She said: “I was lucky to not take the wrong path when things were going bad for me and this is my way of helping others who have not made the right choices.

“I am so humbled, the actors have told me to never give up and it’s just been amazing- I have become friends with these people. “Although it isn’t entirely based on my story, there are some deep roots. It was emotional and quite heart wrenching at times.”

Miss Taylor, 42, has toured various schools in the area, encouraging children from many different backgrounds to get involved in the arts.

She said: “We want to try and contribute to society through film and include as many marginalised groups as possible.

“We want to use films as a tool to help people.”

The film is being made alongside a documentary called Changing Lives, for which the trailer on YouTube has had more than 100,000 views.

The documentary, which is in six parts, shows brave people sharing their journeys and explaining how they have turned their lives around.

The company’s thought-provoking films have helped create a fanbase of more than 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, and their channel has had more than 23million views.