A craftsman who has worked on the sets of major films has joined Pudsey -based specialist plasterers Ornate Interiors.

Plasterer Mark French, 45, from Cleckheaton , has joined the award-winning firm, which carries out traditional lime plastering and manufactures and installs fibrous plaster mouldings for stately homes, listed buildings, hotels, churches, homes and theatres across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Mark, who has helped to create the backdrops for a number of major films, including Clash of the Titans, worked as a plasterer for 28 years and was taken on by Ornate Interiors after ‘auditioning’ on a recent project at a major London auction house.

Mark said: “I worked at Pinewood Studios for a number of years and gained a great deal of experience and job satisfaction helping to create the scenes and settings for films such as Dark Shadows and Snow White and the Huntsman in which I helped to build a full-size castle.

“There can be up to 100 plasterers working on a set at any one time so it’s a major operation. It’s all about using the space and resources to create an illusion of reality and plaster is one of the finest mediums to work with in this respect. It was truly bespoke work and very much reflects the direction in which Ornate Interiors are heading.”

Ornate Interiors boss Ronnie Clifford added: “Mark is a key appointment for us. His knowledge and experience can help to transform a space into virtually anything and we are seeing a lot more demand from architects and interior designers for this kind of truly bespoke plastering.”