SPELLBINDING film director David Yates was admitted to the role of Citizen of Honour at Liverpool City Hall.

Last Friday, David, 53, who took charge of the last four of the Harry Potter movies, was honoured at a ceremony conducted by the Lord Mayor Liverpool Cllr Roz Gladden.

David lived in Rainhill and attended Grange Park High School in the 1970s before going on to the University of Essex.

His passion for film began when his mum bought him an 8mm camera after he was enthralled by the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws' as a teenager.

He invited Grange Park school friends to play parts in the short films he made - shooting in such locations as Rainhill and Taylor Park.

David, who also studied politics at St Helens College, has received critical acclaim for TV programmes such as State of Play, Sex Traffic and The Girl in the Café.

He directed four Potter films and is also in the chair for spin-off series Fantastic Beasts, which saw the first movie released last November.

At Friday's ceremony, he was surrounded by close family and friends, including wife, Yvonne Walcott, younger brother Andrew and sister Beverley, as well as a large contingent of former Grange Park staff.

David signed the Citizen of Honour Roll and was thrilled to receive the accompanying scroll from Cllr Gladden.