He might be trying to circumnavigate Britain in a barge, but that doesn't mean actor Timothy Spall knows his way.

The Auf Wiedersehen Pet star and a film crew had to be rescued by an RNLI lifeboat after getting lost on the River Medway on Wednesday night.

He is filming the epic voyage in a boat called Princess Matilda for a BBC series called Back At Sea.

Spall and his crew called for help from the Sheerness RNLI lifeboat crew, who found his 55ft Dutch barge just off Stangate Creek.

The actor, who also plays Churchill in The King's Speech and Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films, called for help at about 9.40pm when everyone on board become unsure of their position.

The lifeboat crew found the barge, with Spall and four other crew members on board, and went on board to help.

They then escorted the barge to the safety of Queenborough Harbour, in Sheppey, where it was moored at about 10.55pm.

Spall has previously said he taught himself how to sail using children's books.