Nicholas McCarthy plays Etude in A minor by Blumenfeld

A man has become the first one-handed pianist known to have graduated from the Royal College of Music.

Nicholas McCarthy, 23, from Tadworth, Surrey, was born without part of his right arm, which ends in a stump similar to that of an amputee.

As a teenager seeking his first place at a school for young pianists, he was refused an audition and told he would never succeed.

But undeterred, he went on to the prestigious college in London, graduating last month, and is now carving a reputation as a concert pianist.