'Neighbours' search 'not about looks'

Neighbours star Alan Fletcher has promised that women who apply for the soap's new talent search will not be judged by their looks.

Earlier this week, the show's bosses launched a hunt for a budding British star to play new character Poppy Rogers in a one-month guest stint.

Speaking to Holy Soap, Fletcher claimed that producers will be hunting for the best actress rather than the most attractive applicant.

Asked whether it matters what the winner looks like, the actor replied: "I don't think it does. I think that's probably one of the least considerations in people's minds.

"People might say all these beautiful people end up on television but some of the most memorable people on film and television are those who look a bit quirky, with something different to their face. There's no hard and fast rule. People should be very confident they are looking for the best actor."

Poppy will arrive on Ramsay Street later this year to stay with Fletcher's character Karl Kennedy and his wife Susan (Jackie Woodburne). She is a friend of the couple's son Malcolm.