A North Walsham pub boss is set to make his debut as a TV star with a series of appearances during ITV's popular soap Emmerdale.

A North Walsham pub boss was set to make his debut as a TV star this week with a series of appearances during ITV's popular soap Emmerdale.

Bernie Miller, manager of the Bluebell, on Bacton Road, features in a host of short advertisements promoting Emmerdale's sponsors, the on-line bingo site tombola.co.uk.

Over the next 12 months an estimated seven million viewers will get a chance to see him taking part in activities including hot-air ballooning, deep-sea fishing, beach games, making Cornish pasties, quad biking, zip wiring, partying and enjoying fireworks and bonfires.

The adverts, known as 'idents' or 'break bumpers', will be shown five times a week at the start, end and during breaks in the show.

Mr Miller, 46, spent three days in Cornwall being filmed for the documentary-style bumpers, together with 24 other national users of the online bingo site.

A regular player on tombola.co.uk, Mr Miller registered his interest in taking part in the bumpers and was among 100 people invited to a casting day in London from which the final 25 were hand-picked after taking part in a series of activities, including line dancing.

They bumpers were due to be shown from Tuesday and Mr Miller will appear in 21 of the series, starring in at least one for a few seconds.

He is looking forward to the possibility of being recognised by strangers wherever he goes.

'I hope I am - it might bring a few more customers into the pub!' said Mr Miller, whose father Terry is landlord of the family-run Bluebell.

'My friends can't wait to see me. The filming was fantastic but I needed a holiday when I got back - we were up early and filming until 6pm or 7pm, ' he added.