DR Who fan Tom Rees-Kaye couldn't believe his luck when he was given a chance to travel through space and time in his own back garden.

Tom, 13, is a keen follower of the BBC TV series and even films himself with pals making their own episodes, which they copy onto DVDs.

But even he was surprised when his parents took an extra step for his birthday by giving him his own full-scale Tardis.

They have now placed the contraption in their back garden.

The Tardis, which appears in the form of an old police phone box, enables Dr Who to travel through space and time on his adventures.

Tom's mum, Jan Kaye, 42, of High Wycombe, had the Tardis made in May but the family have only recently moved house and decided to give it give to Tom as a belated present.

She said: "It is massive, it is eight feet high.

"Our neighbours can see it and they thought it was a glorified shed.

"But we have had the plumbers here doing the bathroom and they said they thought it was really good."

The Tardis was made by a family friend but Tom's parents painted it themselves.

Tom, a Sir William Ramsay School pupil, said the present was a welcome addition to his Dr Who collection.

He said: "I wanted one for ages and it was a life-long dream come true really.

"I always thought what it would be like to have one. Sometimes I think the BBC will say can we have it back?'."

The Tardis is made of thick wood and has two doors including a latch. Tom is hoping to add to it this Christmas with a robot K9 dog, also from the series.

Mrs Kaye added: "His bedroom is chocka with Dr Who stuff."