Pinocchio: Puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew became Tom Hanks's double

A master of the marionette has revealed he was also Tom Hanks's double in Disney's new live action version of Pinocchio.

Ronnie Le Drew is part of a six-strong cast at the Norwich Puppet Theatre (NPT), which has created a full Christmas production of Cinderella using long-string marionettes for the first time in more than 30 years.

Le Drew, who has also operated Zippy from the children's TV show Rainbow and worked on The Muppet Christmas Carol, said actor Hanks was "wonderful" and "very hands on" with learning how to operate Pinocchio.

The puppet bridge at the NPT, where the puppeteers are hidden from the audience above the stage, is the only one of its kind in the UK.