Man gets ‘lovely’ surprise following meeting with some of his favourite celebrities

Wilfred Jenkins and Olivia Colman (Wilfred Jenkins/PA)

A deaf and autistic man got a “lovely” surprise when he met some of his favourite TV stars in person at his local cinemas.

Celebrities, including Hollywood star Olivia Colman and director Sam Mendes, were spotted by eagle-eyed members of the public at a special screening of new feature film Empire of Light in Thanet, Kent, on January 8, with the pair surprising people at various local cinemas in the area.

The movie is set in an old cinema in an English seaside town in the early 1980s and explores human connection and romance.

Wilfred Jenkins, 26, who is deaf and autistic and lives in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, told the PA news agency that he met Colman, as well as actor Toby Jones, at The Carlton Cinema in his home tow as well as director Sam Mendes at Dreamland Cinema in Margate, Kent, on January 8.

(From left to right) Wilfred Jenkins and Sam Mendes (Wilfred Jenkins/PA)

“At first I didn’t know they was coming as I was told it was for extras”, he said.

“Then I was told the celebrities [would be there], so I quickly got dressed and I came there on time.

“I was being looked after by Luke the security and he managed to arrange me to meet those celebrities.”

Mr Jenkins added that he tends to struggle when there are big crowds of people around and so was grateful to the security for getting him to a safe place where he could meet the celebrities.

Mr Jenkins said that Colman was “lovely and very kind”.

“She knew who I was. I stood outside the cinema and she came to me and she was very happy to have a selfie with me.

“Toby Jones was very humbled kind and a gentleman to me along with Sam Mendes”,  he added.

(From left to right) Wilfred Jenkins and Toby Jones (Wilfred Jenkins/PA)

He said that the trio were “amazing” but that he especially liked Jones as he was able to recognise him easily.

“I also remembered (Toby) very fondly (from) Numbertime, a BBC children’s TV show that I used watch when I was little”, he added.

He also recalled watching both Jones and Colman in various episodes of Midsomer Murders, where the latter played a killer in one episode and Jones played a pathologist in four episodes.