STOP motion stars Wallace and Gromit have landed their extra-terrestrial adventure at Wirral’s Spaceport.

The world premiere exhibition features sets from the pair’s films over the years – and the chance to learn more about the moon and exploration of space.

The Wallace and Gromit in Space exhibition was designed for Spaceport, based on the film A Grand Day Out which recounts the pair’s journey to the moon in a homemade rocket in search of cheese.

Creative director for the films, Merlin Crossingham, said Wallace and Gromit are “adding to what is already a fantastic facility at Spaceport”.

He said: “It’s a chance to learn about the moon.

“It’s fantastic that Wallace and Gromit have such appeal that allows us to take to exhibitions like this and inspire people to come and learn about space and that it can be entertaining too.”

Mr Crossingham had also brought original hand-made models and said he was sure people would be impressed by the complexity of the sets used to make the films, and promised that fans of Wallace and Gromit’s adventures would see them on television screens again soon.

He said: “I don’t think it matters that they are so small when you see them for real – you can see the sets we have had in the films over the years, see the level of detail and the textures and even the thumb prints.”

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, which owns Spaceport, said: “This is a tremendous coup for us and a unique first for Merseyside.

“The Mersey Ferries are already the most popular paid-for tourist attraction in the region.

“Spaceport and our other attractions, including The U-Boat Story, are helping us maintain that position.

“This new exhibition will help boost our tourism business even further.”