GAZETTE & HERALD: KEEP an eye out for a gold tooth when Chippenham's answer to David Blaine comedy hypnotist Rod Scarth makes his television debut later this year.

Mr Scarth, 42, spent last week filming for Sky 1's popular show Brainiacs, and said his trademark gold tooth would be making an appearance.

The children's science programme, which has been voted the top entertainment show on Sky, will be broadcast in July.

"It was really exciting," he said. "I met John Tickle from Big Brother who is the presenter. He's a really nice guy."

Mr Scarth's skills were called upon for an episode about losing weight while sitting on the settee.

"It was tongue-in-cheek but I had to tell the mind to tell the body to lose weight," he said. "It was great fun."

Fed up with life as a plumber, Mr Scarth, of Ladyfield Road, decided to teach himself hypnosis ten years ago. He now travels the world for months at a time entertaining tourists.

Mr Scarth was due to spend two months performing in Sri Lanka over the Christmas period, but it was called off at last minute.

"The agent over there had money troubles so I didn't go," he said. "Thank goodness I didn't because I would have been caught in the middle of the tsunami."