The Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle popped down to his family’s local social club yesterday lunchtime to show off his Oscar and toast his success.

A glistening Oscar statuette in one hand and a lemonade in the other, the director of Slumdog Millionaire was joined by his father, Frank, 87, and twin sister Maria at St Mary’s Catholic Social Club in Radcliffe, Bury, near Manchester.

Boyle, 52, had chosen for his homecoming the club where his family and supporters watched the Oscars ceremony and to which he gave a “big, big shout-out” during his acceptance speech in Hollywood last week.

Speaking of his award for Best Director, a relaxed, open-collared Boyle said: “You kind of dream about stuff like this. I’m sure everybody in the industry does.”

Locals who had known him since before his Tinseltown success, girls with pints of lager and old ladies with cups of tea greeted Boyle in the club that was once run by his father. “He used to get up and sing, ‘Oh Danny Boyle’, which was pretty embarrassing when you’re 11 years old,” Boyle said.

Asked what the Oscar would buy at the bar, he replied: “I said if we won one of these I’d buy a round for everybody at the bar. It’s getting expensive now. I said that for the Golden Globes too.”

Boyle had already visited the club with his Golden Globe and Bafta awards for Slumdog Millionaire. “The first thing anyone said to me was, ‘How did someone like you win a Bafta?’ And that’s exactly the sort of thing you need saying.

“They are very proud and it’s a lovely environment. You always want the people you grew up with to go and watch your films.”

Boyle said that the gold-plated statuette, which he had brought to the club in a blue bag, had been kept on a shelf and had picked up a bit of damage after its many tours and outings to be shown to supporters and admirers.

He was waiting to be sent the nameplate to screw into the base of the statuette but was worried about scratching it with the screwdriver, he said. His sister said: “It has been a really emotional time. When he produced the Oscar and we saw it for the first time, tears came to our eyes — we couldn’t quite believe it. It’s such an iconic statue. You think, ‘Wow, this is Danny holding this’.”

Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars — including one for Best Picture — at the 81st Academy Awards, for its tale of a boy from the slums of Mumbai who competes in the television quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Boyle said that the film’s producers would be focusing on helping the film’s child actors from the Mumbai slums with their education before giving them a substantial sum of money when they were older.

Boyle, who also directed the cult films Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, may be awarded the freedom of the borough of Bury by the local council. He said: “They were very funny in here. They said, ‘Your dad will be able to graze sheep on his lawn now!’ ”

Asked what he’d be doing next, Boyle said: “I’ve no idea. I’ve been promoting the film and I haven’t had time to do any planning. But I’m looking forward to planning something.”

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