Award-winning actress, playwright and scriptwriter Shani Solomons is turning her hand to yet another creative art. Ms Solomons, 44, who has written several pilot scripts for BBC One hit comedy My Family, has published her debut novel, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Published by Legend Press, it takes a black and comical look at showbiz relationships, and the darker side of television programmes.

The granddaughter of renowned author and newspaper columnist Simon Blumenfeld, who died in 2005, Ms Solomons says she is delighted to be following in her grandfather’s footsteps. She tells People: “It’s great to continue with writing. My grandfather wrote loads of books.” And Ms Solomons has plans to do the same. “I am definitely doing more writing than acting at the moment. It’s partly due to the economic climate, really. Acting work is very low on the ground.”

She says the book took her about a year and a half to write.

“Writing a novel is completely different to writing a script. I found I was getting into the action too quickly.” Ms Solomons lives in north London.