Is there any more this boy can do?

He is the young star of the BBC's remake of Oliver Twist, having beaten 700 other boys to land the role.

But William Miller is considering shunning an acting career in favour of being a centre forward.

The 11-year-old from Hackney is already a prolific striker for Leyton Orient's under-12s team and trains at the club's school of excellence.

William's on-the-pitch skills have attracted the interest of his favourite club, Tottenham Hotspur, who sent a scout to watch him play at a recent tournament.

William, who says he idolises Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov, knows that the time to decide between his two passions is drawing nearer.

In an interview with Radio Times, he said: "It's a toss-up between being an actor and a footballer.

"Filming is really time-consuming and I'm lucky we made Oliver Twist during the summer, outside the football season.

"It's a great opportunity for me, having been scouted by Spurs but there's no way I could combine the two things.

"If you can't make practice, you lose your place in the team."

William's mother, Janine Wood, is an actress who has appeared in several BBC dramas and his father Sam Miller is a director who has made several TV dramas, including Krakatoa.

William made his acting debut in the show at the age of nine.

Mrs Wood said she is happy to support her son on whichever path he chooses.

"Whatever William does, he wants to commit himself fully," she said. "We will support him and either way he will take his GCSEs."

She added: "He played the part of Oliver brilliantly and being a young lad from Hackney, he brought a little east London authenticity to the role, which really shines through. We are hugely proud of him."

In the five-part series, which begins a run of consecutive nights on BBC1 next Tuesday, William stars alongside several established actors, including Timothy Spall, who plays underworld gangmaster Fagin, Tom Hardy as Bill Sykes and Sophie Okonedo as Nancy.

It's the type of stellar company that would soon have a young boy dreaming of Hollywood. But while William loves acting, he feels nothing matches the thrill of hitting the back of the net.

He said: "I scored against Brighton, when I beat two players then shot home from outside the penalty area. Months on, I still think about it!"

The latest edition of Radio Times is on sale tomorrow.