Actor Jonathan is looking to generate online laughs.

A SOUTH Wales actor has taken his latest production direct to the internet in an attempt to make it a cult hit.

Merthyr Tydfil-born Jonathan Owen, who recently starred in ITV4 comedy Good Arrows, has fundedaseries of comedy sketches in the hope they will gain a following on the internet.

The latest five-minute sketch, in which he co-stars with Bridget Jones and Smack the Pony actress Sally Phillips, is called Svengali and is about the manager of a Welsh band trying to break into the big time.

The sketch is written by Dean Cavanagh, a regular collaborator with Train spotting author Irvine Welsh, and directed by Phil John, who has previously directed BBC show Mistresses and Wire in the Blood. Jonathan,37, whoused a redundancy pay-off from ITV for the project, said online productions would become increasingly popular.

"Soon we will all be watching them on our laptops," he said. "Conventional advertising is currently going through the floor, so I thought I would make the film first and then attract potential sponsors for it.

"Usually, big television companies have one person commissioning ideas, which can be limiting for anyone trying to break in because if they don't like it, that's it.

"But this way around, by putting your work out therein cyberspace, you can get the opinion of the target audience first - it is a revolutionary way of going about things. Our film has already had thousands of hits on You- Tube and it is really popular with young people in Wales, who could be a captive audience for advertisers."

Svengali focuses on struggling Welsh band manager Dixie, who tries to find success for his group, The Premature Congratulations. You can watch the online podcast of Svengali on Walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle