British schoolgirl thrust into Les Miserables spotlight

By day a pupil from Eastbourne, Isabelle Allen is tonight brushing shoulders with Hollywood's A-list as the poster girl for Les Miserables at the film's world premiere in London.

The celebrated novel and stage musical has earned Oscar buzz following its big screen conversion, with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe playing opposite Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried.

There are also roles for British stars Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter in the film, which is the vision of The King's Speech director Tom Hooper.

Child star Allen earned her place in the star-studded cast following a role in her school production a year ago, as Nina Nannar reports:

X-Men star Jackman earlier told Daybreak his role as Jean Valjean was one of the hardest parts he has played on screen.