Meet the boy who went to school dressed as Christian Grey

Who's this sharp dresser?

Liam Scholes, a Year 7 pupil who found himself "excluded" from his school's World Book Day celebrations on Thursday when teachers took umbrage with his outfit.

But he's so smartly turned out. What's the problem?

Evidently the school did not approve of the character he was channelling. Eleven-year-old Liam caused quite a stir by dressing up as Christian Grey, the male protagonist in the erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

What happened to his school uniform?

Sale High School in Trafford, Greater Manchester, had encouraged pupils to dress as famous literary characters. Liam followed this directive and based his look on the central character in EL James's best-selling book, which has shifted more than 100 million copies worldwide. He arrived at school wearing a suit and carrying cable ties and an eye mask.

Sounds accurate enough to me.

His horrified teachers were left wringing their hands – perhaps in anticipation of a slew of awkward questions in sex-and-relationships education.

Oh dear. What did they do?

Liam's mother, Nicola Scholes, 36, said she received a call from teachers saying the costume was inappropriate and her son would not be allowed to participate in themed events and a class photograph. Ms Scholes, a primary school teacher, told the Manchester Evening News she was "disappointed" by the school's response.

"Liam was advised to dress as James Bond... but [he] was a promiscuous character who kills people," she said. "Personally, I'm more offended by a murderer." She pointed out that one of the teachers dressed up as the fictitious serial killer Dexter. "I don't see why sex is seen as more offensive than murder," Ms Scholes said.

What did Liam make of the furore?

"He's the character that has been talked about the most in the past few years and he's just been everywhere you go," Liam said. "I think it's the content of the book that might [make] people think that it's inappropriate. But I went into school as Christian Grey just for a laugh, not anything else."

So, no regrets then?

None at all. Ms Scholes told ITV1's Good Morning Britain: "He walked into school yesterday and every child knew who he was." Liam's school was unavailable for comment.

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