HEARTBEAT star Derek Fowlds defied illness to open a school project yesterday.

The actor, who plays the Aidensfield Arms landlord in the TV series, opened a sports hall and two classrooms at Rossett Acre Primary School, Harrogate.

Fowlds admitted he had got out of his sick bed to attend, amid flu-like symptoms.

After opening the £560,000 extensions he spent more than an hour signing autographs and personal messages for pupils.

Fowlds, 66, revealed that he had left school as a 15-year-old before finding fame on television where he featured in Yes, Minister and as the companion to Basil Brush.

Before leaving Rossett Acre, he said it was an honour to perform the ceremony. "I loved meeting the kids. They are so polite," he said.

Headteacher Sandra Jow-ett said: "It was fantastic for Derek to spend so much time with the children and the pupils loved meeting him."

Mrs Jowett recalled that when the school was built in 1971 it had 125 pupils. Now, it has almost 350, making the extension a necessity.

Councillor Jim Clark, chairman of governors who campaigned as the area's North Yorkshire County councillor for the extensions, said: "The new sports hall and classrooms are already proving a wonderful asset for the school which has expanded so much. The beauty about the hall is that it can also be hired and enjoyed by the community."