A BOURNEMOUTH teenager who suffered 40 per cent burns in a horrific barbecue accident will appear in an inspirational series of documentaries due to be screened on Channel 4 from next week.

Will Reynolds will feature in Katie: My Beautiful Friends, which tells the story of a former model horribly scarred in an acid attack and her quest to help others struggling to come to terms with life-changing conditions.

Will, 16, from Covena Road in Southbourne, is one of eight people chosen to appear in the four-part series, which kicks off at 9pm on Tuesday, March 22.

Then a schoolboy, Will was injured when another teenager threw methylated spirits on to a barbecue in Highcliffe in May last year.

He spent months in hospital and is still undergoing treatment.

During intensive treatment at Bristol’s Frenchay Hospital, he was contacted by ex-model Katie Piper and asked if he wanted to take part in the documentary.

The 27-year-old was disfigured three years ago when an ex-boyfriend arranged for sulphuric acid to be thrown in her face.

Her first documentary, Katie: My Beautiful Face, told her story and she realised how many people felt the same when she was contacted by thousands of people suffering from disfigurement.

“After telling my story I was stunned by the response from people – I realised a support network was needed,” she said.

Others featuring in the documentary include Chantelle, who has a rare condition which makes her nose swell, and Emily, who suffered 70 per cent burns in a house fire when she was seven years old.

Echo readers supported an appeal for Will, which led to the renovation of a garage at his home, now a meeting place for all his friends.