Archers' Emma Grundy lands role in ￡30m BBC remake of Brideshead

It's quite a leap upmarket from the day-to-day hurly-burly of life in The Archers.

But Felicity Jones, familiar to millions of Radio 4 listeners as the voice of wild child Emma Grundy, has landed a key role in the BBC's ￡30million remake of Brideshead Revisited.

Felicity, 23, will play Lady Cordelia Flyt - youngest sister of the infamous Sebastian, and a pious and tormented character who becomes a nurse, dedicating her life to relieving the suffering of others.

Felicity, 23, will play Lady Cordelia Flyte in the new version of Brideshead Revisited

Following in the footsteps of the iconic 1981 TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel – which starred Anthony Andrews, Jeremy Irons, and Phoebe Nicholls as Cordelia – will be a huge task, but Felicity is sure the new feature-length film will rise to the challenge.

"The series was wonderful because it almost transcribed the book, minute by minute in detail, whereas the film will have a higher intensity," said Felicity.

"It's going to be very different because you have got such a short amount of time, and so you can only drive one story. The focus is different."

The film – which started shooting in Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, last week and is set to be released in 2008 – stars Ben Whishaw as Sebastian and Matthew Goode as Charles.

Emma Thompson plays the family matriarch Lady Marchmain and Michael Gambon the old rogue Lord Marchmain.

Felicity, who grew up in Birmingham before moving to London, said of her role: "It's beautiful – Cordelia is absolutely insane. She's a very sprightly young girl who is very different from anyone else I have played. And we wear lovely costumes as it covers the period of 1925 to 1935."

Felicity was inspired to become an actress by her uncle, theatre actor Michael Hadley. She said: "As children we performed plays with my cousins, my parents and grandparents, and so there had always been a sense of drama in the family."

Since leaving Oxford last year, the work has been rolling in.

She has recently played the leading role of Catherine Morland in ITV’s Northanger Abbey and next month will star in Channel 4’s new seven-part drama Cape Wrath.

And, of course, she continues to be the voice of Emma Grundy in The Archers, a part she has no intention of giving up.