FROM head girl to a head mistress - former Basingstoke schoolgirl and college student Shelley Conn is setting pulses racing in her leading role in one of the hottest shows on the BBC.

Shelley, who attended Cranbourne School and Queen Mary's College, is currently appearing on our screens in the raunchy role of Jessica in the BBC1 Tuesday night drama Mistresses, which follows the tangled love lives of four female friends.

The drama has been a hit with viewers - episodes have pulled in around five million viewers - and Shelley is undoubtedly the actress with the raciest part of the quartet.

And it's not only on the BBC where the 31-year-old is making a big impression on viewers. She also took on the role of Miranda Hill, the press secretary to the Prime Minister, in ITV1's The Palace, which is screening on Monday nights.

In an exclusive interview with The Gazette, Shelley said her love of drama bloomed at her Basingstoke secondary school.

She said: "There was a drama teacher called Diane Creasey who was a massive inspiration to me. I'd always loved drama and been involved in school plays, but she gave me lots of great opportunities."

Shelley's star potential was spotted by The Gazette's "Mr Basingstoke", the late Arthur Attwood, who praised her performance in a review of The Caucasian Chalk Circle in 1991, when she played a peasant girl, Grusha.

Terry Ayres, the school's former headteacher, said: "Shelley was a very rounded person. She contributed to school life and helped other people and her drama work was fabulous.

"Thanks to Di Creasey, we had a number of outstanding shows, most of which were three-night sell-outs."

He added: "As a member of her year and house, Shelley also contributed a lot. She was a brilliant head girl and got the balance of how to hold office and to use it co-operatively."

Shelley moved to Basingstoke with her family when she was nine and attended St John's Church of England Primary School. She then went on to Queen Mary's College after Cranbourne.

After studying a foundation course in drama and A-levels in English literature and history, she took a drama degree at the former Bretton Hall Arts College, in Leeds, followed by a post-graduate degree at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, in London.

As well as television work, appearing in programmes such as Mersey Beat, Casualty and Party Animals, Shelley has also been in many theatre productions and films, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which she played Princess Pondicherry.

And it seems that acting is in her blood, as she is the great niece of Academy Award-nominated British film actress Merle Oberon.

Shelley, whose parents still live in Basingstoke, said: "I really like the fact that my career has been fairly varied."

Speaking about Mistresses, she added: "I really enjoyed playing Jessica and I like the development she has. You start the series and you think you know Jessica, and know her type, and then you see her change."

Offering advice to budding actors, she said: "Be sure that you are doing it for the right reasons. If you just want to be famous, then acting isn't necessarily the right career for you. I enjoy an exploration of character and telling stories with a company of people, rather than being recognised on the street."