Ryan Reynolds gives terminally ill five-year-old from Devon a FaceTime tour of 'Deadpool 2' set

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The British Board of Film Classification might have graded Deadpool as only being suitable for over 15s but this has not stopped the film from being a firm favourite of Daniel Downing.

The five-year-old, who was recently told he had just months to live after doctors discovered an inoperable brain tumour, is a loyal fan of both the American superhero film and its protagonist Ryan Reynolds.

For this reason, Daniel was overcome with joy after Reynolds decided to ring him up and show him around the Vancouver set of Deadpool 2 via video.

“How’s it going, little buddy?” the 40-year-old actor said over the phone as the young boy told him he has been “poorly”.

The phone call rapidly metamorphosed into a FaceTime conversation when Daniel, who is from Plympton in Devon, asked if he could show off his Deadpool T-shirt.

“Ah, that’s awesome, what an awesome T-shirt! You know, I’m the only guy who doesn’t have one of those T-shirts. I need to get one of those,” Reynolds exclaimed.

Daniel got even more excited after Reynolds explained he was in the midst of filming the sequel to his favourite film, saying: “Yeah I am outside, you know what I am doing right now? I’m filming Deadpool 2. I’m about to walk into the set and shoot Deadpool 2”.

Daniel left the 15-minute phone conversation visibly more cheerful. On 13 July, his mother was told patients with his diagnosis have just nine months to live at most.

A crowdfunding page has been set up to help raise £6,000 for Daniel’s family - the young boy is said to be 200 miles from home receiving palliative treatment for a terminal brain tumour.

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“Daniel is the most amazing five-year-old 'young man' you could ever wish to meet. Full of life, mischievous, polite, intelligent, innocent, and above all, loving,” the page reads. “He is adored and cherished by his mum Steph, his dad Robbie, his brother Jack (eight-years-old), and Steph's partner, Ady. Daniel has such an adorable character that he really fits the phrase 'once met, never forgotten'".

It adds: “Sadly and oh so very suddenly, Daniel has been diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer called pontine glioma. Survival is averaged at nine months from diagnosis.

“To make this terrible situation even harder for the family, the treatment to give him the longest life possible, and to allow time for some extra special memories to be made, has to be administered in Bristol, some 200 miles away from the family home and almost 300 miles away from his dad. The first course of treatment is daily for the next six weeks. Further treatment plans will be dependent on how Daniel responds.”

The page explains it has been set up to alleviate the practical concerns which the family are currently facing given the cost of being at Daniel’s side, saying: “It is going to be very expensive for them to set up a temporary home and life in Bristol for the next six weeks, at a time when their heads are simply trying to understand the devastating news that no parent should ever hear.”