A HALESOWEN actor has thanked local theatre groups for helping him land a lead role in a new Netflix series.

Former Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Society member Jaspal Binning said he felt 'indebted' to his home town and those who gave him his first roles in community plays as it lead him to relocating to New York and landing his biggest role to date.

When Brown Nation, a new 10-part series dealing with immigrants from India and Indian American living in the US, hits our stream screens on Tuesday (November 15) we'll be seeing the local 26-year-old playing 'Gautam', an intelligent office worker and sensitive soul who comes off as a tragic hero.

Jaspal said: "He always strives for the best, but feels he is let down by the stupidity of the other workers surrounding him, especially his boss, Hasmukh."

Brown Nation is about a man called Hasmukh and his small IT consulting company, Shree Ganesh Computers Limited Inc, based in Queens, New York, which is floundering due to a staff of disinterested and lazy characters, and home life with wife Dimple, her dog, Bobby, and how he can't seem to find a balance for it all.

"I am incredibly proud of being a lead character in this series. The show truly showcases different parts of my Asian culture and has educated me about aspects I didn't know about before, always resulting in hilarity," Jaspal said.

But the actor didn't start on the small screen and only his friends and family and previous teachers will know of his earlier work on the stage with Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Society and Hagley Theatre Group and at Haybridge High School, in Hagley.

"I feel incredibly fortunate about my career," Jaspal said. "I moved to New York when I was 19 to study at the New York Film Academy for two years, after receiving a scholarship from 'Rush Hour' director, Brett Ratner. I got a work visa after studying and started working straight away.

"I do feel indebted to my local community that I grew up in, especially Haybridge High School and Lynn Fox, who was my head of Drama. She cast me in my first ever role as the lead character, Henry Higgins, in My Fair Lady. I would perform as a lead character in other yearly productions at Haybridge including Barry Manilow's Copacabana and Les Miserables. I also reserve massive praise for two local theatre groups that I performed with over the years - Hagley Theatre Group and Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Society. They are both tremendous organisations with the best human beings attached, so please go and support local theatre."

Since moving to New York, Jaspal has appeared in HBO's (or Sky Atlantic's) The Newsroom and has worked with Aaron Sorkin (Social Network, The West Wing. Moneyball), Dev Patel (Skins, Slumdog Millionaire), and Pulitzer prize-winner and Oscar nomineeTony Kushner (Angels in America, Lincoln).

He has also started directing and producing and his first TV pilot Doomsday, which was co-directed with Sonja O'Hara, recently won Best Director at the New York Television Festival, as well as winning Best of the Festival at The Independent Television and Film Festival in Vermont.

For more information on Jaspal Binning and other credits he has received for his work, visit imdb.com/name/nm4530285/.

Brown Nation is premiering on Tuesday, November 15, on Netflix worldwide.