HE is the king of roadside cuisine – and now a TV star and local celebrity.

Carl Sampson, of Worcester, whose burger van on the A38 near Droitwich has been labelled Britain’s best, shot into the limelight after appearing in a Channel 4 programme on Tuesday (March 24).

In Burger Bar to Gourmet Star he was fast-tracked to the gastronomy big time, working at Michelin-starred restaurants and learning from the world’s top chefs.

The experience was “life-changing”, giving him the skills and knowhow to transform his van into the best in the land – and it’s also turned him into a local celebrity.

“It has been absolutely bonkers”, said the 27-year-old.

“People have been asking me for selfies and signatures when I’ve been out at the supermarket – it’s all been a bit mad.

“I turned my phone off during the airing of the show. When I switched it back on I had 412 Facebook notifications and more than 150 new Twitter followers.”

He watched his moment of television stardom – which condensed six full weeks of intensive training into a 45-minute episode – with his family at home.

“It was really strange to see the programme”, he said.

“The filming took place ages ago, I came back to normal reality for months and then all of a sudden this media frenzy and interest hit.”

His newfound celebrity is doing wonders for his business, with burger fans travelling from far and wide to sample his meaty masterpieces.

On Friday (March 27) he sold double the number of burgers than the week before.

Carl’s performance on the show won him not only customers but also praise on social media.

One Twitter user wrote: “Hope you're very proud Carl #gourmetstar. What an achievement - onwards and upwards now.”

Another added: “Congratulations on going such a long, long way on #gourmetstar - absolutely fantastic in a very, very extreme environment.”

The show’s editing, which featuring a number of clips of Carl crying, was “pretty good” according to the burger guru, who grasped the opportunity “knowing they would make me out to look a bit silly”.

He is now looking forward to bigger and better things in the future and is exploring the “daunting” possibility of setting up his own restaurant or hosting pop-up restaurants in existing venues.

“All of this fills me with real pride and I have found belief in myself through the show”, added Carl.

“It is now time to stop messing around and to go for it and give my all to build a better life for my kids.”

Sampson’s burger van is located in an A38 layby between Fernhill Heath and Droitwich next to Brookside farm shop – pop along for one of Britain’s best burgers.