Meet Thomas the Tank Engine's first autistic character

Bruno the Brake Car is the latest friend for Thomas in the TV show

Say hello to Thomas the Tank Engine's first autistic character - Bruno the Brake Car!

Bruno is voiced by nine-year-old actor Elliott Garcia from Reading, who is also autistic.

The new character will start appearing in episodes of the latest 'Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!' series from later this month.

He'll be joining the iconic characters Percy - the saddle tank engine, Gordon - the big blue tender engine and of course, the legendary Thomas himself.

Elliot voices Bruno the Brake Car in 'Thomas & Friends'

Bruno's voice actor Elliot said he felt "really excited and happy" about the new character.

Mattel, the US toy company behind the children's TV show, said it had carefully developed Bruno's character to ensure they represented autism accurately.

The company says that Bruno rolls in reverse at the end of the train "giving him a unique perspective on the world" and that Bruno loves schedules, routine, timetables and "when everything goes to plan".

Bruno also lets other characters know when he is overwhelmed, worried or excited by "flapping his ladders" and has a lantern to let people know about his emotions and feelings.

He sometimes wears ear defenders when there is a loud noise too.

Bruno (left), Percy (middle) and Thomas

Mattel worked with other organisations including National Autistic Society UK (NAS UK) and autistic writers and companies to help develop Bruno.

The US company have made other changes in recent years to ensure the series represented more types of people, including introducing more female and ethnically diverse train characters, such as Nia from Kenya, Ashima from India and China's Yong Bao.

It said that even though Bruno is autistic, it's important to remember that he may not act in the same way as everyone with autism.

"While Bruno thoughtfully reflects the traits and characteristics of some autistic people, one animated character could never fully represent the real-life experience of every autistic person," the company said.