CBBC star is unrecognisable after jaw-dropping transformation 13 years on from TV debut

CBBC star, Percelle Ascott, 31, who kicked off his career as Benny Sherwood in Wizards Vs Aliens, looks a world away from his days on kids TV in a set of striking snaps

A CBBC child star looks unrecognisable from his days on the kids TV channel in some jaw-dropping photos.

Percelle Ascott, now 31, made his TV debut as Benny Sherwood in sci-fi smash hit, Wizards vs Aliens, which ran from 2012 until 2014. Following the success of the show, Percelle went onto star in Doctor Who, Netflix's I Came By, BBC Series, Domino Day, and will next appear in I, Jack Wright.

He's come a long way from Wizards v Aliens career-wise and looks a world away from his days on the show when he was just a teenager. Sporting long dreads in place of his closely cropped hair on the CBBC smash-hit, the actor poses to perfection in a recent photo, standing next to an aquamarine sea, showing off his ripped physique and a tattoo on his forearm.

In another shot, Percelle can be seen on the red carpet, rocking a smart floral shirt and black trousers outside London's Royal Festival Hall, looking very different from the bespectacled Benny he played in Wizards Vs Aliens. The actor is now also a proud father and welcomed daughter, Zuri, with his partner last year. In an adorable family snap, the actor holds little Zuri, alongside her mum, who, like, Percelle, is grinning with delight next to the bundle of joy.

After Wizards v Aliens ended, Percelle went on to forge a successful career, starring in supernatural thriller Domino Day last year. Speaking in an interview with Vingt Sept Magazine ahead of its release he said: "I’m finding myself doing these amazing projects, but also I think I've had some great experience of doing sci-fi, from Doctor Who and stuff and then working with the team on Domino.

"I play a character called Leon, and the show is about Domino, of course, we follow her in this world and see how she navigates it, but the twist is that she’s a witch.

"Domino is trying to deal with all kinds of badness that comes along with being a witch, whilst also trying to be an ordinary girl. So yeah, I'm looking forward to when it comes out."

Percelle was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and moved to England with his family when he was three where he grew up in Penge, South London. He first discovered acting at the age of 11 through a school production of The Jungle Book. His drama teacher at high school helped him get into the BRIT School when he was 16.

He starred in the 2018 Netflix supernatural series The Innocents alongside Sorcha Groundsell and Guy Pearce. The same year, he appeared in the Doctor Who episode The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos. He also played Cleveland in Julian Kostov's The Dare and Jesse in series 3 of the Sky Atlantic police procedural Tin Star.

Percelle is set to appear in I, Jack Wright this year, a British family drama television series created by Chris Lang later this year. He will star alongside John Simm, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Daniel Rigby and Trevor Eve.

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