OSCAR fever hit Holt this week as the creator behind the wigs and make-up in the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring watched his colleagues accept the Academy Award at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Peter King, a partner at Bristol firm, Owen, King and Turner stayed behind to watch his partners Caroline Turner and Peter Owen rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.

Mr King said: "Only two people can go to the ceremony and we usually share out who goes to which; I went to the Baftas instead, where we received the British equivalent.

"I wasn't even expecting us to get a nomination but I did wonder if we would be considered."

The wig creator described the win as "the icing on the cake" before explaining what life was like on the set of the award-winning movie.

The wigs were made in Bristol after the partners visited New Zealand and took measurements from the cast before sending them back to the UK.

Mr King said: "The actors were wonderful, there were a couple who didn't think a wig would work but they were pleasantly surprised when they actually did.

"It is the biggest film that I have worked on and we had to be ready to have extras made up when the director needed them.

"It was a wonderful experience. We lived and worked there for 18 months and got to know the cast very well."