POP SENSATION Craig David has returned to his Southampton roots to film a documentary for ITV's high-brow arts programme, The South Bank Show.

The documentary to be screened in November, charts Craig's rise to fame from his early days as a singer in the city's underground club scene, to his current status as one of the foremost garage and R & B musicians on the planet.

He is one of a number of music stars, such as REM, to appear on the programme which is famed for discussing every kind of art form from pop music to classical painting.

The singer-songwriter, who was born and bred in the city's Holyrood estate and went to Bellemoor School in Shirley, still holds the record as theyoungest male solo artist to have a number one single.

Filming took place at the West Indian club where he started singing as a 14- year-old, and also at the St Mary's market where he used to try and sell his music.

Another musician featured in the film is long-time friend and mentor DJ Flash, who still gigs in Southampton and was instrumental in getting Craig in the public eye. It was DJ Flash who first allowed Craig to sing at one of his regular sets in the city and quickly grew to become his chief guide.

The film crew also travelled to clubbers' paradise Ibiza, where another Southampton garage star, Artful Dodger's Mark Hill, is producing Craig's second album.

Melvyn Bragg, presenter and editor of The South Bank Show, ITV's third longest running programme, said: "The South Bank Show does some-thing that only television can do, which is to give you the chance to think for yourselves by taking you to meet the artist.

"Artists talking directly to people - that's what we are and always have been about."