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A young boy was thrilled to hear his voice on television for the first time as he launched his acting career.

Harry Reeve is the new voice of Brewster, one of the main train characters in the CBeebies animation Chuggington.

The show, in its sixth series, tells the story of three trainee engines which can talk.

Harry, a Year 8 student at Forest Hall School, sat with his family as his first episode aired.

He said: “It is my dream to become an actor.

“It has been really fun. It has been just like you see in the movies and I was not expecting that.

“It was really weird watching the programme as I had never imagined hearing my voice on TV. I could remember reading the lines as I watched it.

“I really enjoyed myself and hope to have more auditions in the future. It is really exciting.”

Producer Jacqueline White, from Chuggington Productions, said: “The character that Harry voices in the latest series of Chuggington, Brewster, has always been a hard one to cast. At the time of looking when we found Harry, we had auditioned more than 60 boys for the part.

“Luckily for us, Harry had made a decision to give acting a go and came along to audition. As soon as we met him, we knew he was our Brewster! Not only has he been perfect for the part, with his distinctive husky voice, but Harry has a great work ethic, very professional, always ready to perform and put his very best effort into the recordings, even after a long day at school.

“If he chooses to go on to do more acting, I am sure he will be a popular choice for many producers and directors and we have been privileged to have him on board the Chuggington train!”

Over recent months, Harry – and his family – have attended the London studios up to four time a week for recording.

Proud mum Theresa said: “This was the first role Harry had auditioned for – and he got it! They said they liked his voice, that he took direction well and they liked his sense of humour and how he put that into his performance.

“He was offered the role in August 2019, but the pandemic put a big delay on things. The school has been brilliant allowing him to attend the regular recording sessions. It has been full-on at times.

“We have no background in acting and so did not know what to expect. It was really interesting and Harry loved it. He has definitely got the acting bug now and wants to do more.

“We all sat round as a family to watch the first episode at 8.30am last Saturday. It was pretty amazing to hear Harry’s voice on TV and see his name in the credits. It made me realise what it would be like to see his face on there, as well.

“I am so proud of him, especially after seeing all the hard work he has put into this.”

Hannah Jones, head of school, said: “Everyone at Forest Hall is really proud of Harry. He has worked incredibly hard on Chuggington. It is great to see him fulfilling his dream and appearing in the show.”