A pioneering Solihull-born teacher who taught millions how to read is now helping people to learn while on the move.

Christopher Thorne became an internet sensation with a series of spelling videos for pupils which he posted on YouTube last year.

More than two million people have since tuned into the teacher’s “phonics” classes, which use the sounds of groups of letters to help with reading and writing.

The Mr Thorne Does Phonics videos, which started out as a tool for pupils, parents and teaching staff, have turned into a worldwide phenomenon, with people logging on from as far afield as Brazil and the US.

Mr Thorne, aged 28, has now made the move into the mobile market with the launch of his new apps for the iPhone and iPad.

“It’s been a really hectic time getting the apps off the ground,” said Mr Thorne, a former pupil at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys.

“The response I had from people for the Mr Thorne Does Phonics videos was all positive, but people started to ask for something they could use for their children while they were on their way to school or on a long car journey, so I came up with the app.”

The new apps, which are available from this week, feature dozens of literacy lessons for children, parents, teachers and anyone learning to read English, using the synthetic phonics approach to learning to read.

Mr Thorne’s videos, which often feature help from his puppy Sophie and character Geraldine the giraffe, involve the linking of sounds of spoken with letters or groups of letters and been viewed 2,060,000 times.

Following his success on YouTube, the teacher created an eponymous website with free reading support for children, parents, teachers and anyone with English as a second language.