Chester actor Tom Hughes is to play one of his heroes in a BBC Radio drama this summer.

The former Upton-by-Chester High School pupil, who was back at his alma mater this month at the school’s annual prizegiving, will play John Lennon in the BBC Radio 2 drama When Elvis Met the Beatles in August.

The play is part of a weekend of documentaries, special features and music to mark the 50th anniversary of a momentous meeting between Elvis Presley and the young pretenders of pop The Beatles.

Broadcast on Monday, August 31 at 7pm, it is inspired by a secret meeting that took place in Elvis’s Bel Air mansion on August 27 1965 inviting listeners to be a fly on the wall of a night with no cameras, no recording equipment and only those who were there really know what happened.

Tom, star of recently acclaimed BBC Two drama The Game will play alongside Kevin Mains as Elvis Presley, who played Paul McCartney in ITV’s Cilla and Elvis in the West End production of Million Dollar Quartet.

Tom, whose parents live in the city's Garden Quarter, said: “It’s said that you shouldn’t meet your heroes, I’m not sure that’s true. John Lennon is a hero of mine. I’ll never have the chance to meet him, so playing him is the next best thing. I was delighted to be asked and I just hope that in some way I’ve done this great man justice.”

Written by Jeff Young, the play also features Cilla stars Tom Dunlea and Micheal Hawkins as Ringo Starr and George Harrison with Shaun Mason as Paul McCartney.

Music is from leading Elvis tribute act Pete Storm and members of Imagine The Beatles, with Paul McCartney sung by Rob Simpson, John Lennon by Geoff Raggett and George Harrison by Adj Buffone.