As Robbie Williams and Michelle Ryan et al will testify, it is notoriously difficult to conquer America.

But one British actress is about to storm the barricades, and captain the US of A.

Huge congratulations to Hayley Atwell who has just landed her own major TV series Stateside in a new spin-off to Captain America.

The London-born actress , 31, is about to start work on Agent Carter, which will be out at the end of the year.

It comes just weeks after she completed filming on the second Capt America movie, playing bolshy agent, Peggy Carter.

This is the first big US TV series for any Brit since ex-EastEnder Michelle Ryan landed the lead in short-lived Bionic Woman some seven years ago.

I’m told: “This is a massive deal for both Hayley and Marvel comic fans.

(Image: Getty Images)

“It’s Marvel’s major project of 2014, and it will be a big budget production.

“Hayley is absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity and is incredibly grateful to Marvel fans who have basically been campaigning for a spin-off show for the past six months.

“It means moving to LA for six months but her friends and family are all behind her, and this is a huge opportunity.” In October the actress, who has previously stared alongside Keira Knightley in the Oscar-winning 2008 film, The Duchess, addressed speculation about the mooted series.

She said: “The one-shot was so successful, the fanbase were like, ‘We want more of Peggy!’

“I think Marvel probably take that very seriously, and it’s certainly something I would be a part of doing. I’d be interested to show different sides of Peggy.

“Although she’s kick-ass, and she can be aggressive and just as competent as the men, it’d be nice to show that she’s a feminist in a way.

“It’s not just about her being aggressive and as aggressive as the men in those action sequences, but being able to be a little bit more rounded as a person.”

In 2007, Michelle Ryan, then aged 22, was billed as the Next Big Thing after landing the title role in Bionic Woman.

However, she was forced to move back to England less than a year later after network bosses decided against shooting a second series.