My First Car: actor Shaun Thomas on why he fears driving in London

“If I’m in Bradford, where I’m from, I don’t mind driving, but I spend a lot of time in London and the roads scare me,” he said.

“I don’t like driving where it is so busy. People say you will get used to it but I honestly don’t think I will. If I’m down south I will simply get the Tube or the bus or something. It’s so much easier.”

Shaun, 25, is an actor who appeared on Emmerdale as a teenager and later became established in the coming-of-age comedy Ladhood set in Leeds.

He also appeared in the fantasy adventure film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in 2016, the Selfish Giant in 2013 and Grimsby in 2016.

“My first vehicle, if you can call it that, was a horse and cart funnily enough,” he said. “It was great, there were no fuel bills.

“But then when I decided to get a car it was a Ford Fiesta, a 59 plate with a 1.4 litre engine. It was nothing special really but I enjoyed being mobile. It was great to get around. It was a bit slow but someone told me to get it remapped which would make it go faster but to be honest I didn’t notice much of a difference.

“But I did notice that the fuel bills went up, which wasn’t good.”

He has had a few cars in his short motoring career including a MINI Cooper, a Peugeot and another Ford, this time a Focus.

“I like Fords,” he said. “I’m not sure why but they do a job and seem decent. I do like driving sometimes but I don’t miss having a car in London. I wouldn’t spend lots of money on a car to be honest. I think I’m better off getting a taxi.”

Shaun was raised in Holme Wood in Bradford and was plucked from obscurity to star in a film at 16.

Shaun and Conner Chapman, then 14, had never met when they attended auditions for The Selfish Giant but when they read a script together, director Clio Barnard spotted a bond.

Shaun and Conner, of Buttershaw, introduced the film – about two boys turning to scrap metal dealing after being thrown out of school – at the National Youth Film Festival at the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Shaun has been riding horses since he was 12 and taught Conner to ride for the film.

In Emmerdale, Shaun played Gerry Roberts, a character who was killed off in 2018.

But luckily for fans of the soap actor it wasn't to be his last appearance on screen as he headed off to Hollywood.

Shaun was said to be upset about Gerry being killed off such a short time into his stint on the much-loved soap.

But he revealed his stint was much longer than originally anticipated, as he was only due to appear in two episodes on joining the cast.