Young scientist Wilf Bond and his innovative apple picking machine are the stars of a children’s television programme.

The nine-year-old from Devizes Road, Potterne, spent three days filming an episode of the CBeebies programme Ed and Oucho’s Excellent Inventions.

The kids’ science programme invites children to send in their inventions and Wilf’s idea was for an apple picking machine called the Apple Scrumper.

The programme’s presenters, Ed Petrie and his puppet pal Oucho, joined Wilf as he tried out different materials to use in the machine to produce suction. One of the failed attempts ended with Wilf’s head being covered in custard.

Wilf’s machine has a tube that sucks the apples into it and the apples come out the other end chopped into pieces. Wilf said: “Today’s apple pickers bruise the apples, my invention sucks the apples up.”

Wilf has been educated at home by his primary school trained mother Amanda Bond but he also attends Five Lanes Primary School in Worton on a part time basis. Wilf’s father, Winston, is an engineer.

His mother said: “Wilf reads a lot about science, draws a lot and asks lots of questions. The TV programme is great as it encourages creativity.”

Filming took place at Wilf’s home, at Blounts Court Farm in Potterne and A Beckett’s Vineyard at Littleton Panell last week.

Wilf’s seven-year-old sister Florence also took part in the filming.

Presenter Mr Petrie said: “I like Wilf’s invention, it’s intricate.

“Children who saw the first series are really excited to be on the second series and we are making their dreams come true.”

Series producer Louise Corbett said Wilf was a natural in front of the cameras.

“Wilf is confident and animated,” she said.

“We have a script but Wilf has been very good at ad libbing and putting things into his own words and scientifically he knows all about molecules and atoms. ”

The new series will be broadcast on the CBBC Channel from January 2010 and repeated on BBC One.