Katy Byrne plays lead character Meg across both series of the CBBC sci-fi drama Silverpoint alongside a cast including Oliver Cunliffe, Maiya Silveston and Krish Misra as her fellow Team Dragonfly members, and she attended the 2022 BAFTA Children & Young People Awards, where Silverpoint was nominated for two awards. In the Netflix series The Duchess, Katy stars as Olive alongside Katherine Ryan (show creator) and Rory Keenan as her on-screen parents, which was Katy’s first regular character in a TV series. Currently, Katy is studying for her GCSEs and, for her training, she attends The Television Workshop. Answering our questions, Katy told us about playing Meg – one of the lead characters in Silverpoint, what it was like attending the BAFTA Children & Young People Awards and starring in The Duchess.

In the CBBC series Silverpoint, you star as one of the lead characters Meg, can you tell us about the show and your character?

Silverpoint is a sci-fi, adventure series based in a summer camp, and my character, Meg, gets sent to the camp by her parents. They think it will help her make friends and grow in confidence. She gets put in Team Dragonfly with three other children – Louis, Kaz and Glen. At first, they don’t really get along, but they start to bond when they find a mysterious artefact in the woods nearby. The story is great and there are a few twists and turns and lots of fun. Meg is definitely very shy at the start, pretty quiet, but as the series goes on, she definitely comes out of her shell at lot.

What is Meg like to play and was there anything that drew you to the show?

Meg, in a lot of ways, is very like me, so in that way, playing her felt pretty familiar. I liked how she was quiet and shy to begin with. As she starts getting more confident, it was super fun to play that different and bigger side of her. And I love how much she cares about her friends. I feel like Meg definitely drew me to the show, as well as the dynamic of the other characters and, of course, the fantastic story.

What is it like on set of Silverpoint and how was it returning to film Series 2?

On set it was just like this big family and making something so brilliant, it never felt at all like I was working (Well… apart from the schoolwork we have to squeeze in between filming!). There were long days on set and on location, but it was so reassuring to be around such an amazing bunch of people. Being able to do another series and go back to that was exciting and I was incredibly happy that we had another opportunity. I was also excited to see how the story developed in Series 2. We left Series 1 on a big cliffhanger! There were definitely some surprises. And there were a lot more characters in Series 2. That was strange to begin with, but we got to know each other quickly and the Silverpoint family just grew.

Is there anything you enjoy most about filming with the rest of the cast and how have you found your time working on a CBBC show?

I enjoyed the time I spent with the rest of the cast most, both on and off set, like when we would go off and do things at the weekend – bowling, shopping, eating out. We all lived in the same building during filming and so we would see each other all the time. Working on a CBBC show was amazing. Every single person I spoke to was so kind and I made lovely friendships with some of the crew as well, especially the hair and makeup team, who I saw every day. It felt a bit surreal to be working on a CBBC show – just like the ones I used to watch when I was younger.

How was it attending the 2022 BAFTA Children & Young People Awards and having Silverpoint be nominated for Best Scripted and Best Writer?

It was definitely a little scary going to the BAFTAs and I was a bit nervous, but as soon as I got there that kind of went away and I just felt excited to meet lots of people that I really admire. Having something that I worked on be nominated felt crazy, but Silverpoint was something we were all super proud of being involved with, and it was written and produced so well – it definitely deserved the nomination. It was just such a memorable and incredible experience.

Do you have any favourite highlights from playing Meg in Silverpoint that you can tell us about?

I really enjoyed playing Meg’s character development and how she kind of came into her own by the end of it. In Series 1, we see Meg grow in confidence, and then in Series 2, she has some really surprising key moments, which were fun to play. One of my highlights from Series 1 was the stunts. I spent quite a lot of time filming from the top of a pole one day and we got to do some pretty cool work using harnesses too.

You played Olive in The Duchess for Netflix in 2020, how would you describe your character and do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role?

In The Duchess, Olive was a pretty smart young girl, quite kind, a little feisty and a bit naïve in some ways – probably similar to many other kids. And, like me, very close to her mum. I remember feeling so, so happy and excited when I heard I’d got the role, especially because it was, like, the first thing I had ever done. I couldn’t wait to get started.

How was it working alongside Katherine Ryan and Rory Keenan as your on-screen parents and did you have a favourite scene or episode to film?

Filming was a while ago now, but I do remember laughing A LOT. I think they just surrounded me with such warmth and support and Katherine was so funny and caring, which just made our scenes together even better to film. I remember having to do a scene where Olive did her own makeup (very badly!) and that was definitely one of my favourites, just because of how fun and carefree it felt. Katherine and Olive ride around on a children’s pink ATV in the series and I always loved filming any scene where we did that, although Katherine had to do the driving!

How did you find the experience having Olive as your first regular character on screen and what was she like to play?

I think it was great to have Olive as my first experience of acting on screen because she was a very relatable character. It was like she helped me to ease into it, because I understood her, and she wasn’t really hard to play. Olive was just a pretty normal young girl, growing up, with a slightly bonkers mum. I did really enjoy playing her – and it was particularly fun doing the scenes where she got a little bit angry.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

Well, I always liked to do school plays in primary school, and I’ve always enjoyed being creative. I remember my mum asking if I wanted to audition for The TV Workshop drama group and, even though I was quite shy and didn’t really want to join clubs without friends, I said yes and went for it anyway. I was lucky enough to get in and so I suppose, almost by chance, I managed to somehow end up doing acting, which is amazing.

Can you tell us about your acting training with The Television Workshop?

Going to The TV Workshop is always fun, and the members and the leaders who run the sessions are super lovely. We do lots of improvisation, work on different acting techniques and focus a lot on the realistic, subtler side of acting.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

I have so many favourite films so it’s hard to even pick! I definitely love anything by Wes Anderson, especially Fantastic Mr. Fox. I also really love Submarine, Coraline, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and stuff like that. Favourite TV shows… I really just watch anything, although I do love the Looking For Alaska series or something like The Amazing World of Gumball, that I can just binge watch.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like to read a lot and watch films. I have a membership at a local cinema, so I try to go regularly. And if it’s nice outside I like going on walks. Most of the time I just enjoy hanging out with my friends.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about and what are you hoping 2024 brings for you?

I’ve got my GCSEs this year so I’m focusing on those for now, and hopefully 2024 will bring me some good results! If an acting project comes up for the summer, I would definitely love the opportunity to do something then.