A schoolboy has narrowly missed out on intellectual stardom after reaching the semi-final of Channel 4's Child Genius.

Judd School pupil Elliot was quizzed by host Richard Osman during the penultimate round of the competition on language tests including anagrams and spelling.

The 12-year-old, who lives near Maidstone, was unfortunate enough to miss out on a place in Saturday's final, but his dad Alasdair revealed the avid cricket fan loved every minute of it.

He said: "We went into it because he really wanted to do it. He loves that kind of thing. We went along to the open day and we didn't expect to get very far.

"It was terrifying watching him as family. We wanted all the kids to do well and we loved every moment.

"You're really on the edge of your seat."

During the semi final eight contestants battled it out during a hotly contested spelling contest.

Elliot was unable to break into the top five who appeared in the final on Saturday, won by Manchester youngster Nisha Uggalle.