Actor Nigel Betts is used to playing fat and funny characters, but that could all change after he shed more than a stone for a reality TV show.

At 38, Hove-based Nigel has enjoyed his fair share of success with parts in ITV drama Sharp and the BBC's Paradise Heights with Neil Morrisey.

But in a bid to throw off the typecasting, he joined up with Actorsky television's Discovery Channel to get rid of the excess pounds.

Nigel said: "A friend of mine told me a show called Fitness Files was looking for actors with alternative lifestyles, so I contacted them and got accepted.

"The programme is for people who want to change their lifestyles, get fitter, lose weight and exercise more. As an actor, I was going for certain parts and felt I was not getting them because of my weight so I decided to lose a couple of stone.

"I just want to be able to change direction and get fitter."

Through Fitness Files, Nigel enlisted the help of Coriander Restaurant in Hove Street Brighton, which set up a diet, and London fitness guru Jane Wake.

For eight weeks he ate healthily and took up a variety of exercises, including a stage fighting course.

Nigel said: "It is difficult eating healthily when you are an actor as there is no set routine.

"The programme helped to work around this. I did find it difficult but as time went on I felt so much better.

"I am having a break from it at the moment but once my schedule is clear my aim is to get down to about 14 stone and then I will be really happy."

The programme gave Nigel an added incentive. If he could shed the pounds he would be given the opportunity to achieve his ambition of doing a free-fall parachute jump. After successfully going down to 15 stone from 16 and a half, Nigel realised his dream.

In terms of landing more diverse acting parts, Nigel is on a roll. He has recently been filming with Dame Judi Dench for the next series of As Time Goes By.

Fitness Files will be screened on the Discovery Health Channel on Monday, September 9, at 1pm.