Ralph Fiennes teaches Shakespeare in Liverpool school

Hollywood star Ralph Fiennes has given school pupils a masterclass in William Shakespeare.

The Harry Potter actor, who is starring in Macbeth at Liverpool's The Depot, hosted workshops at Archbishop Blanch High School alongside his co-star and Game of Thrones legend, Indira Varma.

One pupil said it was "weird" but "outstanding" to meet them.

Students were "starstruck" at first but soon settled into the session, the assistant head teacher added.

"A lot of the students had got wind that Voldemort was going to be in the school, so there was a lot of excitement and apprehension," Sarah Fraser said.

"You do have preconceived ideas about Hollywood actors, but they were so unassuming and willing to be one of us."

She added: "I think he was getting just as much out of teaching the session as the students were, and that was lovely to see."

The class was created by course-provider Friends With Shakespeare, however organisers said Fiennes was the driving force behind the event.

Founder Claire Cartwright, said: "When Ralph signed up to do this production of Macbeth he told the producers that he was really keen to prioritise the education aspect.

"So the whole thing was really driven by him."

The actors took part in warm up games to make the students feel comfortable

Pupil, Val, who had watched the actors in Macbeth on a school trip, said it was "weird" seeing them off stage, but the workshop was "outstanding".

"I studied Macbeth at GCSE so I was really interested to see how it would be performed," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"It's weird actually, getting to meet them after watching them put on the performance they did. I've never seen anything like it."

The actors, who were also joined by Lucy Mangan, Lola Shalam and Danielle Fiamanya, who play the witches in the production, took part in warm up games to make students feel comfortable.

They then split into groups, with some pupils asked to put their directors' hats on and others unpacking the language and different interpretations.

Ralph Fiennes was keen to prioritise education when taking on the Macbeth role, organisers say

There was a lot of "excitement and apprehension" when pupils heard Voldemort would be in school

Ms Cartwright said: "The students were cool as cucumbers at having stars in their classroom.

"They were super engaged and asked the most fabulous questions.

She said they had all been impressed by "their creativity, intelligence and engagement".

As well as "bringing Shakespeare to life", Ms Fraser said the workshop had inspired pupils to think about their future.

"This was a once in a lifetime experience," she said.

Teacher Sarah Fraser said it looked like Fiennes was enjoying the workshop as much as the pupils

"We went to see Macbeth last week and for a lot of them, it was the first time they'd seen a play so to have a one-on-one session with Hollywood actors was mind-blowing."

She added: "A big theme of the play is ambition and the actors really focused on that.

"I think the workshop has definitely changed the career paths of some of our students."