Writer Steve Antony receives his prize from actress Gillian Anderson

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Writer Steve Antony won the second Evening Standard Oscar’s First Book Prize for his critically-acclaimed debut picture novel, The Queen’s Hat, which tells the story of a whirlwind journey around London.

The annual award is designed to find the best first book a child might pick up on their own, and was launched last year in memory of Oscar Ashton, who was three-and-a-half when he died of a heart condition in December 2012.

The 38-year-old was presented with the £5,000 prize by X-Files and The Fall star Gillian at a glittering awards ceremony held at the Hubbard & Bell restaurant in High Holborn last week.

“When they called my name, I was at the back of the room and I could see Gillian holding the award. It was completely surreal and I was shocked to win,” he said. “I’m a hardcore X-Files fan so it was great to meet Gillian and she’s a really nice lady.”

And It seems that Steve has a new celebrity fan in Gillian who said the book was “clever, shiny and I love all the little soldiers”.