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             He planed to become a doctor. now he's hailed as one of the hottest actors of his generation. ralf little tells melanie clarkson how the royle family turned his life around

ralf little is keen to set the record straight. first he wants it to be known that he has no plans to become a model ("me, a model? yeah right") as recent reports have suggested. " i did a one off fashion shoot for river island" he explains. "now everyones gone mad about it. it was a bit boring anyway, and personally i thought i looked rubbish. photos are a lottery with me. out if 100 maybe 3 will be ok. im not really model material."

            He also denies having a fling with billie piper. "we onlt went out for a drink. the papers said we couldnt keep our hands off each ther. im sure i'd remember if thats what hapened."
            He 20 year old actor is clearly finding the whole fame experiance strange. when i tell him he has a online fanzine, he seems both horrified and flattered. "no no no" he shouts, then jumps up and yells to the packed room "ive gotta fanzine!"
            Just two years ago ralf was studying to be a doctor at manchester university. halfway through the term, he was asked to audition for a small part in a new comedy. the part was anthony royle and life hasnt been quite the same since.
           "No one had any idea how big it was gonna get" he says in his broad manchester accent. "then it went crazy. i thought, ive got to give it a go, so i packed in my studies."
           Three series later ralf cant walk down the street without someone yelling" make us a brew anthony!" or asking him to do a impression.
           Anyone who watches the royles will know he does a killier ali g.
           "Caroline (aheme) heard me doing ali g and craig from big brother one lunchtime," he says. "she said 'right, thats going straight in' "
           His portrayl of the teenage royle has won him a stream of offers. hes just shot a film about three scousers in new york, and in febuary he'll star in two pints of larger(and a packet of crisps)- a new comedy about some 19 year olds who live for the weekend. "its a bit like my teens" he laughs, "a lot of beer and kebabs"
           These days it's more likely to be champagne. he has a celebrity girlfriend- lisa rogers of channel 5's exclusive and the bigger breakfast fame-whom he never stops talking about. they have just moved in together. ralf rattles on about how much he loves her and even describes their parents meeting for the first time at christmas. "it went really well," he says.
          With major film scripts coming his way, he'd have to get used to the fanzines and tabloid stories. but his feet havent left the ground yet. "if i hadnt got the royles i could be a doctor by now. in two years time you might not remember my name-or i could just be back fom hollywood."