Rick Stonell is a specialist hairdresser -– one of the few craftspeople still working on merkins (look it up on Google).  But his finest moment occurred in July 2002.

In July 2002, Rick Stonell hit the airwaves (and water) as a body double for comedian Peter Kay in the filming of a TV ad for John Smith’s Yorkshire Bitter.

In a parody of the Commonwealth Games, the ad shows two highly skilled athletes (including European masters champion Rob Costa) making technically-perfect dives.

Then Kay, who wrote hit Channel Four comedy ‘Phoenix Nights’, does a cannon ball’ into the water and receives top marks from all the judges. The viewer is not aware of the substitution, but the person splashing into the water is actually Rochdale-born Rick Stonell.

Filming took place in London (at Crystal Palace Swimming Pool). Rick spent three days at the pool, jumping off the five-metre-high diving board more than 50 times, apparently without damage - although the water was extremely cold

Background: the man behind the myth

Rick Stonell claims to have doubled for James Bond in the film Goldeneye’.  There is proof that he used to own a hairdressing shop in Bolton, and that he now owns a specialist merkin salon in Soho, London.  See: www.merkinworld.com

He is in his mid-40’s.