LENNY Henry stepped out on to the red carpet in Dudley last night (Thursday) for the premiere of his new BBC drama Danny and the Human Zoo.

Sir Lenny was suited and booted as he arrived at the Showcase cinema to cheers from adoring fans all eager to get a first glimpse at the fictionalised account of his life growing up as a talented teenager in 1970s Dudley.

The one-off drama, which will be aired on Bank Holiday Monday (August 31) follows the rise to fame of the character Danny - played by 26-year-old Wednesbury actor Kascion Franklin - growing up in a first-generation Jamaican family, as he tries to make it as a stand-up comedian.

Speaking after the exclusive screening, which was met by applause and cheers from the crowd, Sir Lenny said that although many shows are set in the Midlands, they are often filmed elsewhere so he was determined to showcase what the region had to offer.

“I couldn’t have done this without going to Netherton, Buffery Park or Dudley Zoo – some of it was filmed in Birmingham but quite a lot of it was here in Dudley.

“It was really good to come here - you’ve got to be proud of where you are from.”

Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Steve Waltho said he thought the drama was "amazing" and said the premiere was "a wonderful occasion".

He continued: "The audience were very honoured to be there and it was fantastic that Lenny brought it home."

The premiere was Cllr Waltho's second meeting of the day with the Comic Relief co-founder as that morning, they both made time to celebrate the 10th birthday of a Dudley retirement scheme named after Sir Lenny's mother.

Sir Lenny opened housing association Nehemiah UCHA’s Henry Court a decade ago so it was fitting that he could join Cllr Waltho to unveil a special commemorative plaque to mark the milestone.

When asked about his last visit to Henry Court, Sir Lenny said: “I remember filming there for Lenny's Britain - the sequence was supposed to be about how the elderly cope in a care facility.

“ I was introduced first of all to a Jamaican man whose hearing aid was on the lowest setting it could possibly be at - the cameras rolled and all we could hear from behind his door was 'Hello? Hello? HELLO????' Then he was told to turn his hearing aid up - and when we actually got in the room we had to stop filming because all we could hear was Jimi Hendrix style squeaky feedback.”

He continued: “My favourite was the 60 something lady who'd invested in a folding bed - she made me sit next to her and proceeded to press buttons - at which point the bed moved in a decisive, passionate way, basically bending me forwards my head moving slowly towards my own man-bits.

“Very embarrassing and caught live on camera. These are very vivid memories to me.”

Llewellyn Graham, chief executive of Nehemiah UCHA, added: “We feel very lucky and honoured to have had Sir Lenny’s support during the 10 year birthday party.

“He is not only one of Dudley’s most famous residents but one of Britain’s best-known comedians, and we just know that, as he did in 2005 when he opened Henry Court, he’ll make the anniversary all the more special by being there in person.”