The book is about explaining and celebrating uniqueness, being proud of who we are. “A lot of people are scared, they don’t need to be, I want them to understand,” says George. And it’s about the importance of inclusion and representation. We are sitting round the kitchen table in the family house in the village of Rawdon on the edge of Leeds. George’s dad, Rob, is hovering, in and out. Rachel, a publicist from the publisher, is here too: we’ve got the first copy of the book, hot off the press, and George is talking me through it. It’s a children’s picture book: an autobiography called This Is Me. So, this is George, at home with his parents and sister Lauren. “I have an extra ingredient, a sparkling of magic inside,” he reads. “Some people, they say that I’m special, but that’s not what I think … You see, we’re made of different ingredients that help us shine like a star. My glow is what makes me who I am, and yours will make you who you are.”

Then there are the times he says “I do have Down’s syndrome, you know” as an excuse. Jane remembers a long family walk in the Lake District a few years ago. “And he would say, ‘I’m really tired, I’ve got D …’ Don’t even say it, George! I’ve got asthma and I’m walking.” I don’t want this to sound too gooey, but there’s a lovely vibe in the Webster household. George is very grateful, too, and generous about his parents, even when I offer an opportunity for a moan. “No, they’ve been more than good – they’ve been amazing.” Rob didn’t even see people with Down’s syndrome when he was younger, “at school, in the community, in the media. Kids are growing up now seeing George at school and on the telly and it’s totally normal; they’re getting a completely different outlook.” And he got a small part, playing a telegram boy, in The Railway Children Return, with Sheridan Smith. The nice thing about that one was that it wasn’t a part for someone with a disability; it was just a part. “I went to the premiere and I was talking to the director, Morgan. He was saying he’ll get in touch with my agent – he would be interested to work with me again.” With a joyous rhyming story and a whole host of children alongside the main character, this powerful picture book is the perfect way to show children that not only are they amazing, but their friends, family and even people they haven’t yet met are amazing too!

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Has he ever played that card? “I have done!” George laughs. “In one lesson, I wasn’t writing and the teacher asked why and I said people with Down’s syndrome find it hard to write.” George’s writing is fine.

I was screaming down the phone’ … George Webster on landing his job at CBeebies. Photograph: Paul Husband/CBeebies From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: One of the myths that George busted in that original video is that people with Down’s syndrome are always happy. “We’re not. Everyone has a range of emotions and so do we – it’s very important to show that. Like sometimes I have my moments.” Cue parental nodding. I think there needs to be a lot more representation because we are people too. Even though we are different we need to be treated equally.”

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He talks about “seeing me for me” and not liking it when “people make assumptions about what I can and can’t do,” and that’s a path his parents have followed, too. As Rob says: “We’ve always said at school: don’t let him off work because you think he’s got a disability. He can probably do it – it might take a bit longer, he might approach it differently – but don’t give him a break, don’t let him play that card.”