A new comedy web series filmed in South Woodford starring former Coronation Street actress Natalie Gumede was launched on Sunday.

Sally The Life Coach, produced by Daniel Johnson, 29, of Clayhall, is a web series about a new age life coach played by Gumede whose attempts to improve the lives of her clients do not always go to plan.

Mr Johnson, who has known the Burnley-born actress for four years, said his star plays a very different character from her role as Kirsty Soames in Coronation Street.

He said: “Because of [Gumede’s] TV work, people think that Natalie is a serious person – but she is the sweetest and funniest person you could hope to meet.”

“The main thing we wanted to do is find an audience. I really wanted to showcase the talents of people I know and not just Natalie.”

Mr Johnson was keen to trumpet the performances of actors Tony Craig, a former BBC presenter, and William Hartley who both feature in the series.

Gumede, who also finished runner-up in the recent Strictly Come Dancing series with dance partner Artem Chigvintsev, revealed the working environment created by Mr Johnson was enjoyable.

“Working on a no budget project was a hugely satisfying experience because of the team that Dan put together,” said the actress. “It is challenging and it tests your patience and resourcefulness, but when everyone loves what they do, they share a common goal to create something memorable.

“We spent so much time laughing and sharing stories that to call it work was crazy - we were working for the sheer love of it, and that was the environment Dan created.”

Mr Johnson added: “This was a small project, made possible by actors, web-designers, and crew members who believed in creating art for art’s sake.

“It is all on there now and it has been initially well received.

“The difficult thing is find an audience, despite the fact we have a recognisable face.”

All four episodes are available for free online at www.sallythelifecoach.com for viewers to watch.