EIGHT years ago Sarah Liisa Wilkinson was a schoolgirl at the Henry Beaufort School in Winchester.

Now her name is in lights after her first play opened at London's Kings Head Theatre.

The talented playwright, 24, who was a finalist in a BBC End of Story competition, saw her production Hung Up open on December 1.

Sarah Liisa, who hails from Oliver's Battery, said: "It's been like a snowball effect. I was in the BBC competition over the summer and that gave me a lot more confidence to get the project off the ground and run everything myself.

"It has been hellish and a very steep learning curve, but a good one."

Sarah Liisa is also acting in the play after spending months in rehearsals.

Hung Up shows a girl hanging from the end of a curtain - she has slipped and fallen while cleaning her house in a desperate attempt to get rid of all traces of her ex-lover's existence.

As she clings on for dear life, her past flashes in front of her eyes and she reflects on the small chances that have led to her present fate and the older man that left her hanging.

"I'm really excited about it," Sarah Liisa said. "It's quite an odd thing, and it all happened quite quickly.

"The King's Head is a great place to be - it's a fringe venue. And it's so exciting to be working on something that is very much my own thing."

Hung Up runs at the King's Head Theatre until Sunday.

Tickets are available by calling the box office on 0207 226 1916.