The 30-year-old from Bolton claimed that he got hooked on disability sport after working as a marshall at the British Short Course Swimming Championships in Sheffield last year when a friend asked him to help out.

"I did not know much about disability sport, but being there got rid of a lot of preconceptions and opened my eyes," Little told The Bolton News.

"It was not people being patronised or playing around.

"It was people doing sport at the top level.

"It very quickly became clear to me that I was not there to sign autographs or as someone from the telly to swan around, but to help marshal the athletes and get on with it."

Little, who also starred in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, another popular BBC sit-com, admitted that he was recognised by a number of swimmers during the event claimed he was his own look-alike.

"I ended up saying, ‘Yeah, I get that a lot,'" he said.

"Some people think I am some kind of lookalike, but who would want to be a lookalike of Ralf Little?

"I was cleaning up and trying to get everybody to their holding areas before their race.

"It was all the stuff that has to happen in any sporting event every year."

Little, who is also a talented footballer who has played for a number of top non-league clubs, including Maidstone United, is excited at the prospect of being involved in the Paralympics.

"At the Paralympics they will need hundreds and hundreds of volunteers to help with all kinds of competitions," he said.

"I will sign up.

"I will definitely look in to trying to do something with the volunteering.

"There is not another way to get better experience of the Paralympics.

"This is the catch-22 because once you see it first-hand and get involved you are hooked.

"I just hope that people will take my word for it and take it on good faith if they have not seen it before."

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