A MID WALES man was on the red carpet for the European premiere of the latest Star Wars film ‘The Last Jedi’ on Tuesday night.

Ben Lambert, from Newtown, has revealed how special it was being part of the special effects team on the latest instalment of the Star Wars franchise.

The highly anticipated release of the latest Star Wars film, ‘Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’, had its Royal Premiere in London earlier this week.

Former Newtown High School pupil,  Ben, aged 38, worked on, designed and built some of the iconic models which can be seen in the upcoming film.

Ben has been busy working for the Industrial Light and Magic Company, a branch of Disney, for the last two years.

The company made all the visual effects and models you will see in the film.

Ben said: “There’s lots of exciting new ships in this film, the New Cruiser used by the Resistance is particularly memorable, one for fans to look out for and it was built by myself and my team.”

Ben says he was a huge fan of the original George Lucas 1977 trilogy, so he was delighted to be part of the team behind the latest release.

He said: “It was exciting to be part of something so special, I was lucky enough to have a lot of input in the early art and design process.”

Ben attended the Royal Pemiere on Tuesday at the Royal Albert Hall.

“It was a really cool evening, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended, so it was surreal to think they were watching the film a few rows behind me. They also had a meet and greet with cast, crew and directors.

“It was also a great chance for fans to showcase their passion for the films, those that came in costumes looked absolutely fantastic.”

However Ben  was forced to cut short the celebrations as his wife went into labour. He jumped into a waiting taxi for a three hour dash home from London to catch the birth of his child.

In the past Ben has also worked on other blockbusters, including; the Harry Potter films, Prince of Persia and was also part of a special effects team which won a Bafta in 2014 for the film ‘Gravity’.

Ben also explained why he’s happy not to limit himself to Sci fi or fantasy films.

He said: “For me it’s more about the design and the art behind the film, as long as I am challenging myself and working in a big team, I’m happy.

“The industry is ever growing and there are a lot of opportunities for anyone with an interest or a passion for this field of work. There are some fantastic and more importantly accessible colleges and online courses.”