Ryan Dillon is living his childhood dream as the current puppeteer who animates the red furry monster Elmo, one of the most popular characters on Sesame Street, one of the longest-running children television programmes in the world.

“Working for Sesame Street is like working for the NBA, if you want to play basketball,” says the 29-year-old American. “Jim Henson created the Muppets and also developed Muppets For Sesame Street. He created the style of puppetry. To be a small part of it is an absolute honour.”