A Tolkien superfan dressed as Gandalf got the birthday surprise of his life when he bumped into Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen on a pub crawl.

A Tolkien superfan celebrating his birthday dressed as Gandalf got the shock of his life when he bumped into none other than Sir Ian McKellen. Ben Coyles was out marking his 22nd birthday when he ran into the man who played the part of the iconic wizard in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Ben was with a group of friends celebrating his birthday in Bristol on April 13 when they turned onto Corn Street just before midnight and spotted Sir Ian. In disbelief, Ben managed to get a picture with his hero.

Tolkien fan doing birthday bar crawl dressed as Gandalf bumps into Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen