DINNERLADIES star Maxine Peake served up a huge portion of chat to help out the church she attended as a youngster.

The Horwich actress, most recently on the small screen as mouthy blonde Veronica in Shameless, took a trip down Memory Lane as she talked about her childhood in Bolton and her blossoming acting career.

The question and answer session held at Bury Unitarian Church saw her talk about everything from TV sex scenes to religion as she helped to raise £500 for Bolton Unity Church in Chorley New Road, which is hoping to build an extension.

During a lively chat with around 80 churchgoers, she talked about her rise from hopeful amateur actress to one of the most recognisable faces on the small screen before she met up with old friends.

There was also an exhibition of pictures featuring her time at the church where she was a regular in shows and Nativity productions.

Maxine, aged 30, said: "I love coming back to the Bolton area. I might work down in London but this is always my home.

"Tonight's really special because it's a chance to see some old faces and it's nice to be able to do something to help the church."

Maxine was a regular at Bolton Unity Church between the ages of 10 and 14 when it was based at Deane.

Church leaders are trying to raise £100,000 to build an extension for a community hall.

The talk, held at Bury Unitarian Church because Bolton's was too small, came as Maxine appears in the climax of Channel 4's acclaimed Shameless.

It features the story of the disfunctional Gallagher family on a Salford estate in which Maxine plays next door neighbour Veronica. But as the RADA-trained actress sees her reputation grow, she fears being typecast in roles as brassy northerners. She joked: "They always have me playing Northern tarts. I think it must be the accent but that's not going anywhere.

"I have to have a voice coach because I keep slipping back into Bolton while I'm supposed to be doing something else. I think it's a trait of a true Boltonian that you don't like to change much,.

"London's great for work but there's nothing I like more than coming back to Bolton and going for a walk up Rivington."

Maxine, a former Westhoughton High School pupil, began her acting career when she joined the youth theatre at the Octagon at the tender age of 13 after realising she enjoyed drama at school.

After a stint at the youth theatre of the Royal Exchange in Manchester and two years at Salford College of Technology she won a place at RADA at the age of 21.

Her time at the drama academy led to her hitting the screens in the BBC comedy Dinnerladies - penned by and starring Bury's Victoria Wood.

She became a household name and a favourite as Twinkle but has been seen in many other television dramas including Clocking Off, Holby City, Early Doors and even a brief appearance in Coronation Street.

Most recently she appeared in Faith - a gritty drama set against the backdrop of the 1984 miners' strike.

She will return to screens later this year in Shameless when filming for a third series begins in July and will star opposite Scottish actor Ken Stott in the detective drama Messiah.