SOURCE: The Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
AUTHOR: Mark McGivern
DATE: 11 January 2003
ORIGINAL: No longer available
ARCHIVE: Click here (Free Library) or click here (archive.org)
NOTE: Including this mainly because Rory answers it here and because it mentions what kind of BAFTA Rory won for The Book Group. Otherwise it’s utter shite.
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Byline: MARK McGIVERN EXCLUSIVE
PORRIDGE star Rory McCann needed a body double for his latest TV ads after losing some of his famous muscles.
The sexy actor has become a national icon as the kilt-clad hunk in the Scott’s Porage Oats commercials.
But for the latest advert, a stand-in had to be used to replace torso shots of the 6ft 6in star’s out-of-shape abs.
And Daily Record fitness guru Ian Armstrong was enlisted to strip off for the stomach close- ups.
Ian, 40, who has helped on movie stunt and fight scenes, said: “I’ve done some film work but I was surprised to be asked to do the porridge advert.
“When Rory got the job a few years ago, I was up against him. I got a screen test but he won in the end.
“I’ve kept in trim but it would be really difficult to juggle his acting job with body building full time.”
He added: “You couldn’t call Rory fat but obviously the advertising people knew what they wanted. He still has a fit body and looks good.”
Rory has proved a huge hit in the cheeky Scott’s Porage Oats ads.
In one, he raises temperatures by walking over a hot air vent, sending his kilt skywards.
In another, Rory is forced to climb a ladder and flash his backside in a grocer’s shop. But the 34-year-old has also become a serious acting talent since he first made his name as a model.
In the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards, he won Best TV Performer as the wheelchair-bound mountaineer in the Channel 4 comedy The Book Group.
In the latest porridge ad, Rory decides to take a dip in a pool, despite the water being freezing.
Ian said: “Some gorgeous girls spot his kilt hanging up in a tree and hang around to catch a glimpse of him as he emerges from the water in all his glory.
“Unfortunately for him, the water temperature doesn’t do much for the appearance of his manhood.
“We shot the scene together, so whenever you see a close-up of Rory’s stomach, that’s actually me.”