Slumdog Millionaire starring Harrow's Dev Patel swept the board at the Oscars, scooping eight awards.

The feelgood film set in the slums of Mumbai took the coveted best film and best director awards, while Kate Winslet finally won her first Academy Award as she was named best actress for her performance in The Reader.

Slumdog's total of eight Oscars - for best film, director, song, musical score, adapted screenplay, cinematography, film editing and sound mixing - is the best by a British film since the Second World War romance The English Patient took nine in 1997.

The 18-year-old Skins star from Rayners Lane, a former Whitmore High student, arrived at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday night with his co-star Freida Pinto.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed a "great night" for Britain in Hollywood.

He added: "Slumdog Millionaire's triumph, together with Kate Winslet winning best actress, is a fantastic achievement for the British film industry which is now leading the world in film."