Hertfordshire boy, 13, is new voice of Thomas the Tank Engine

A 13-year-old schoolboy has made his voice-acting debut as Thomas the Tank Engine in a new animated series.

Harry Sparkes, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, stars in Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories alongside Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding, who narrates the series in a role made famous by Sir Ringo Starr.

For nine months, Sparkes kept his weekly recording sessions secret from his classmates by telling them he was attending physiotherapy for a foot injury.

“It feels amazing, because I played and watched Thomas as a kid, and now I get to be Thomas. It just feels insane,” he said.