A former St Albans pupil has been invited to return to his old secondary school to offer "inspiration and guidance" to current students after making the final in a BBC TV show competition.

Ross Kemp, who used to go to Sandringham School, was asked to make a return by his former product design teacher, David Hassett, after appearing on the BBC3 show Be Your Own Boss.

Ross, 25, reached the final after pitching his business idea - an electric powered rescue craft- to entrepreneur Richard Reed, who invested money in to the prototype.

Ross was then filmed for six weeks, while developing the product which is much like a miniature jet ski designed to carry out people who get into difficulty in the water, which he began designing in his final year at Loughborough University.

Although he did not win a stake in the £1m Richard Reed had to invest, Ross says it was "an invaluable experience".

He will now return to his school in Ridgeway, this Thursday (November 22) to spend a day with current product design students on their projects as well as telling them all about his and showing them the prototype water crafts.

Ross said: "I am absolutely honoured to be invited back to my old school and I am really looking forward to it.

"My old design and technology teacher sent me an email, saying he had seen me on the show which is fantastic and it was really nice for them to get in touch with me.

"Back in school, I was only ever interested in design and technology and it was the only thing I was really good at.

"I always thought it was a subject with a life application, whereby what you learnt in class could be applied outside.

"I would be able to design products which can help and advance people in their lives."

Ross’s former A-level teacher, David Hassett, will introduce Ross to his current A-level students, so they can get an idea of what it is like to study product design at degree level.

Mr Hassett, head of product design at the school, said Ross always had a "flair" for product design.

He said: "Ross is a very creative young man and his product is very inventive.

"He is one of our only students to have received full marks in a design and innovation unit while at school.

"Pupils are looking forward to Ross visiting and have lots of questions to ask him.

"I am hoping he can give them guidance and inspiration and an insight in to a product design career, as some of our students are looking at their future career prospects."