![Posing as Chaplin](images/078_stick.jpg)
The story goes that when Fairnie decided to shave off his beard, he noticed a certain Chaplin likeness staring back at him from the mirror. He invested in some baggy trousers, a hat and cane and entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike competition… which he won! Head judge Rowan Atkinson must have been impressed.
As a lookalike on the books of a number of agencies, he travelled the world on a variety of assignments – including some of the famous IBM newspaper ads and a bizarre shoot in Japan, where he was asked to stand 10 feet underwater, weighed down with lead, to model clothing. He also featured in the pop video for
Ricchi e Poveri’s “Voulez Vous Danser” , a massive hit in mainland Europe in 1984.
![Posing as Chaplin](images/079_steps.jpg)
When interviewed by the Bristol Evening Post for an article to tie in with the release of Attenborough’s ‘Chaplin’ movie, Fairnie had this to say: “The good thing is that you never have to remember any lines. It’s a nice character to do and people take to it very well – the old ladies and the kids love you.”