A GLITZY ceremony half a world away celebrated the work of a props expert born and bred in Weymouth.

Craig Cheeseman worked on the Netflix series The Crown – the £100m drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II – and it was his job to make sure everything looked as realistic as possible, from the opulent jewellery to the flash bulbs in the cameras of the actors playing 1950s press photographers.

Now, he has won the property master category in the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards and attended a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles, hosted by Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Matthew McConaughey, Amy Adams and Bellamy Young.

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Mr Cheeseman now lives in Bristol with his partner Natalie, also from Weymouth, and their sons Sam, 14, and Tom, 11.

He said he was ‘pleased and very fortunate’ to receive the accolade.

Of his work on The Crown, he added: “It was a massive undertaking. An awful lot of the jewellery is handmade and hired – the Crown Jewels are brought onto the set in special, sealed boxes.”

But it’s not just the jewellery Mr Cheeseman was responsible for. Everything from carpets to chandeliers and oil paintings came under his remit, to make the show look as realistic as possible.

He said: “The Crown isn’t just a drama, it’s based on fact. There’s an enormous team beyond what I do pulling up archived photos and footage, all being referenced by design and art departments to make it as accurate as possible. People won’t be able to get into it, to believe it or feel it’s got worth if there isn’t that detail. It is important.”

Mr Cheeseman’s other credits include The Martian, Alien V Predator, Wolf Hall and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

He grew up in Cobham Drive, Weymouth, and attended Westham Secondary School, which he left with ‘very few qualifications’. He moved to London, then Bristol, where he began working for the BBC, helping behind the scenes on shows including Casualty and the Really Wild Show. Eventually, he began working as a freelancer and finding himself on bigger and bigger TV shows and films.

Mr Cheeseman said: “It does take over your life in a way. There’s a lot of travel, and you’re well looked after, but you do put in the hours. But it’s very enjoyable and I’m lucky enough to be able to have my family come out and stay with me on occasion.”

For youngsters looking to break into the industry, he added: “You have to persevere. It’s all about networking. You need to be thick-skinned to deal with the rejection and the unanswered emails, but keep trying and you might get lucky.”