Thousands flocked to Brecon on Saturday to see the town’s Christmas lights switched on by Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey.

The actor, who also provides the voice for the main character in the Bob the Builder cartoon series, turned on the lights after he was introduced to a sizeable crowd at 6pm.

The hit song ‘Can We Fix It?’ blared out as Morrissey pulled down a hand-crafted lever, made by Brecon resident Owen Williams who regularly makes props for the local theatre groups, on a stage in The Bulwark accompanied by town councillor Steve Morgans and mayor Manny Trailor.

Immediately bright lights went on all over the town centre bathing Brecon in a festive glow.

The song ‘Can We Fix It?’ from the Bob the Builder series was number one in the Christmas charts in 2000 for three weeks beating Westlife’s What Makes a Man.

The man who many children know as the voice of Bob was already well known to the crowd as he had spent much of the day walking around local businesses, stopping to talk and posing for selfies with shoppers.

Cllr Morgans invited Morrissey, his friend and a customer of his butcher’s stall at London’s City and Country Farmer’s Market, to carry out the switch-on duties. He said: “What a weekend. There were between 5,000 and 6,000 people here, it was absolutely jam-packed all the way to the Guildhall.

“Neil absolutely enjoyed himself and he’s said he will be visiting again in the summer. He was really over the moon with the welcome he got here. I was with him all day, and he had loads of photos. It was absolutely incredible.”

Cllr Morgans said he felt blessed to have Morrissey as a friend. Morrissey had thanked Cllr Morgans on the main stage on Saturday evening.

Cllr Morgans added: “It was quite emotional for me really, when he thanked me on stage and the crowd cheered it really took me. He said how I’d done it for the town and not on my own personal basis, which is true – I did do it for the town and the people I serve.

“I did it for the town council initiative (Brecon with Bells On) and not for my own personal advantage. I am blessed to have contact with him. It was surreal being up on stage with him and I was delighted everything went to plan.”

Morrissey also spent time at the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh on Saturday afternoon where he was blown away by the Zulu display.

During the day The Bulwark was filled with the smells of street food being sold from all over the world while the crowd happily browsed the stalls which included items for sale as well as crafts, entertainment and children’s activities.

Children were able to visit Father Christmas in his grotto in the Kid’s Zone where they could take part in painting and drawing and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. A new addition this year was The Gaming Squad Van which allowed gamers to show off their XBox skills. The Christmas extravaganza began at 11.45am with a parade, led by The Brecon Samba Band and the new Dinky Donkeys attraction, which started at the Struet before heading down Lion Street and ending at the main stage on the Bulwark.

At 12pm Cllr Trailor officially opened the celebrations before entertainment got under way on both the main stage and in Bethel Square, including a magician’s show, dinosaur puppets, a pantomime performance by The Westenders and live music from various choirs.

Hairdressers Ship Shape were crowned the winner of this year’s best dressed shop or businesses window competition. A shortlist was put together last Friday by Cllr Trailor and the chairman of the Brecon Chamber of Trade Brian Popsys before Neil Morrissey chose and announced the overall winner during the evening celebration.