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It's Beam me up Scotty! William Shatner at Star Trek convention in Birmingham - WATCH

Star Trek legend William Shatner conducted a bizarre live TV interview from a convention in the West Midlands.

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The 85-year-old actor left 'Good Morning Britain' hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard bemused by his responses to a series of questions.

Shatner was interviewed by video link from a mock USS Enterprise at the Destination Star Trek Europe event, which opened at the NEC in Birmingham yesterday.

He initially struggled to understand the questions asked, as the interview started with technical problems.

William Shatner during the event

Then, as Shatner was quizzed by the presenters on topics raised by fans of the show, he offered up a series of sarcastic replies.

The star also seemed baffled that a man called Neil was not asking the questions, saying: "Neil's not here? They told me Neil would be here."

After the chat finished, a laughing Shephard joked he needed to 'get a drink'.

Shatner subsequently took to Twitter, posting: "The UK press asks the strangest questions. I wish they spoke English so I could understand them better!"

The convention at the NEC has been arranged to mark the 50th anniversary of the original show.

The three-day extravaganza allows fans to see stars of the cult TV programme as well as take part in a variety of activities.

Shatner and George Takei are just some of the famous faces that will be attending.

Shatner - who played Captain James Kirk in the classic 1960s television series and the first seven films - quipped that the cast were more concerned about being able to "Klingon" for another series, in a reference to one of the show's most famous alien species.

He said the idea of the franchise reaching its 50th birthday had 'never occurred' to him during the making of the original series.

The show premiered in 1966 and ran for three seasons on US network NBC before it was cancelled, spawning numerous spin-offs as well as a successful movie series.

Shatner said: "We were always in dire peril of being cancelled, so rather than thinking ... 50 years from now, there would be this interest, we were thinking, I hope we can cling on - Klingon, if you would excuse the expression - for another year."

He put the show's popularity down to its 'mythology' and the freedom within the science fiction genre to imagine anything.

Earlier this year, Shatner said he would be 'open' to a return to Star Trek, but believes it will never happen.

The most recent movie in the franchise, Star Trek Beyond, was released in cinemas this summer.

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