Young actors at Eastlea Community School prepared for their annual production in front of some extra pairs of eyes.

Top brass at Tata Steel visited the Custom House school for a preview of When Chaplin met Gandhi.

The play tells the tale of the unlikely but fateful 1931 meeting between the two icons. Gandhi was supported during his non-violent action in India by Sir Ratan Tata.

It will be performed at Kingsley Hall in Bow during the Olympics.

Martin Ward, Eastlea’s curriculum team leader for arts, said: “I am delighted that Tata Steel have shown interest in supporting this production.

“It is a remarkable collaboration in many ways, a play based on a real event, that happened close to our school in 1931.

“I hope that just as our students will benefit from the unique experience of working alongside professional actors, so will the actors come away with a positive impression of young people in Newham.”

Partha Sengupta, from Tata, said: “It was a moving performance. There were aspects of Gandhi’s life that even I was no aware of.

“We are delighted to be part of an excellent endeavour to bring people together.”