Glusburn-born screenwriter Simon Beaufoy won the best-adapted screenplay Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.

This week’s win made it a hat trick of major awards for Simon’s script — a Golden Globe, Bafta and Oscar.

Accepting the Oscars statuette in Hollywood on Monday, Mr Beaufoy said: “There are certain places in the universe you never expect to be standing. For me it’s the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium and here. It’s a tremendous honour.”

Simon, 42, thanked director Danny Boyle, the film’s cast and crew and Vikas Swarup, whose novel Q&A was the basis of the film.

Simon’s parents, Madeleine and Roger, who still live in Glusburn, heard about the Oscar win by telephone from their daughter Penny.

Mrs Beaufoy said: “Penny gave us a very vivid blow by blow account. We were so thrilled. We couldn’t quite believe it. Like the film, it’s something of a fairy story. Now we are waiting to get a DVD from her so we can see it all.”

Simon, a former pupil of Malsis School, in Glusburn, called his parents as soon as he could after the Oscars ceremony.

Mrs Beaufoy said: “This is a hat trick for him.

“I’ve seen it three times and it gets better on each occasion.”

Slumdog Millionaire was nearly consigned to the straight-to-DVD pile before being saved by Fox Searchlight, which released the film in cinemas.