IN the closing moments of Kenneth Branagh's latest film, Murder on the Orient Express, an unlikely star from Bournemouth puts in a scene-stealing appearance.

Olive the renovated 1935 Austin 7 car carries Sir Kenneth, who plays Hercule Poirot, off into the distance after the indomitable detective solves the mystery.

Olive, restored and owned by Kim Leachman, Holdenhurst Village, took part in filming the Agatha Christie adaptation last year.

However, Kim - who also stars behind the wheel in the final scenes - only knew Olive had made the cut after a pal watched the film last week.

Kim, who is set to finally watch the movie on Friday (Nov 10), told the Echo: "We were up there for three or four days doing all the filming. At the end, Poirot, played by Kenneth Branagh, comes across, the door is opened for him, and he gets in the car.

"Then I drive off about 50 ft and stop. This was repeated about six or seven times.

"I never really spoke to Kenneth Branagh, I was just briefed what to do. The only thing he said to me was 'tally-ho'."

Screening took place last January at Surrey's Longcross Studios.

Kim said: "The train in the shot at the end is actually made of wood, and that snow on the ground is all paper. The fact we were there to experience all of that was brilliant.

"Towards the end of one of the shoots, when all the stars were getting off the train, Dame Judi Dench came over to us and said hello - she was talking about the car quite a bit.

"I was hoping to also meet Johnny Depp, but apparently his filming was done in America."

Kim aspires to one day have a film made about Olive's possible wartime exploits.

She may be one of the vehicles transported to occupied northern France in early 1944, to be used by soldiers - or Winston Churchill's Special Operations Executive - to gather last minute intelligence prior to the Normandy landings.

Kim also owns another Austin 7, called Angelika, which the Daily Echo team used to travel to the opening of the Bournemouth Wheels Festival in 2016.