Talented Howard Whiteside's dream is to be a professional actor.

And now the 23-year-old drama student has found a part that gets him seen by thousands of people each day.

Howard has landed the job of second meeter and greeter at the Jane Austen Centre at Gay Street in Bath.

He joins 46-year-old Martin Salter in period costume outside the decade-old tourist attraction which celebrates the city's links with the novelist.

Martin, from Corston, who has worked at the centre for two years, was previously the ceremonial pumper serving water at the city's Pump Room.

Now dubbed by the centre the most photographed man in the south west, he said he was glad to have some support.

He said: "You can never have too many English gentlemen in one place."

The roles require a strict Georgian dress code - with shirt, waistcoat, necktie, cane, riding boots, coat and top hat.

And there was plenty of training for a job that isn't just about standing around all day.

Martin said: "People think the job is easy but you have to be entertaining, diplomatic, conscientious, and also be aware of what is going on around you all the time, especially from a safety point of view.

"When we are really busy and have groups of visitors waiting on the pavement, most of who are trying to take photographs, you have to exercise crowd control to keep everyone safe."

And Howard, a student at Bath Spa University, added: "There was a lot to learn, like how you stand and how you wear your costume."

He said Martin had strict rules about how to wear a necktie.

"He also gave me a few key lines."

Howard reckons his new role will help him with his performing arts degree and his future career.

He said: "It gives me a lot of experience in improvisation and to think on my feet.

"It also gives me a lot of experience of dealing with people's reactions. Some can be quite rude."

Austen had lived elsewhere in Gay Street for some months in 1805, towards the end of a spell in Bath which also saw her living in Sydney Place.

The job vacancy came about because Martin wasn't able to do all the required hours on the door.

Centre general manager Donna Lodge said: "Martin made it such an essential role in the business, when he wasn't there it began to show in the visitor numbers."

The pair will now work together on some days during the week and every Saturday through the summer.

Howard said: "It's nice to do a double act, it seems to help.

"When you work alone you have to have your eyes everywhere. When we work together you can be a bit more social.

"Martin has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the time period so he usually answers people's questions."

Howard added: "We're not there to drag people in. We want to make them feel comfortable."

The centre estimates Martin is photographed around 10,000 times a year.