Bizarrely, given he never appears on screen, it seems Love Island’s voiceover guy has been recognised in the US.
Comedian Iain Stirling, from Edinburgh, was in Miami for a wedding with his long-term girlfriend Laura Whitmore when he was spotted.
He said: “Love Island is on (US streaming service) Hulu now and I did get a few Americans recognise me in Florida recently, which is crazy.
“They have to watch with subtitles, because of the accents, I imagine. ‘What is he saying? What is he wearing? Why are they doing that? I don’t understand.’”
His “horrific accent”, as he describes it, has always caused him problems.
He has had viewers complaining since he was spotted at a stand-up gig and got his big TV break on CBBC as a presenter with puppet Hacker T Dog.
(Image: PA)
Iain, 31, said: “When I did kids’ TV, we would always get complaints from people saying that I sounded drunk or that they couldn’t understand what I was saying. I was very much sober.”
The fifth series of Love Island, which will see Iain narrate with his usual gently mocking tone, is back next week, with Caroline Flack presenting and 12 young body beautifuls looking for love.
It’s a long summer for Iain. Although the Islanders live in a villa in Majorca, he is based in a hotel for the duration.
At 2pm, he watches the episode that is to be shown that evening and comes up with his script in a Portakabin in the villa grounds that has been converted into a sound-proof studio.
He said: “Rather than intense, it’s more of a marathon. It’s just long. It’s not like some shows where you’ve a week to film it. You go in, it’s crazy, you go home and you’re a bit knackered.
“This is strenuous – it’s six days a week for two months in Spain. It can be a bit hard but always worth it.”
(Image: Daily Record)
The show got bigger last year, with far more interest and fans, and Iain admitted he’s obsessed with it.
He said: “It’s a really great, fun show, and part of the British summer now, which feels like a real honour. To be part of something like that is really flattering.”
While he has Love Island on the horizon, Iain’s busy summer includes the third series of CelebAbility.
Devised by the makers of Ninja Warrior and The Chase, the comedy game show will again invite teams of civilians to go up against a squad of famous faces in a series of tasks.
The aim – to discover more unique skills possessed by celebrities. The prize – a cash sum of up to £5000.
Iain said: “You need at least one series to get going and then you might need a second series to see if it’s working… but the third series?
“The good thing about having three series of anything is it just gets better. So hopefully this is the best one yet.”
(Image: ITV)
Joining the Scottish stand-up and his trusted adjudicator Marek Larwood will be Scarlett Moffatt of Gogglebox, Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity, who will captain the challenger team each week.
Iain is thrilled Scarlett is joining the eight-episode run.
He said: “She’s amazing. She’s team captain of the members of the public.
“She’s there to push them along, give them a bit of advice, and she just adds value into anything she’s in.”
Celebrities this year include Good Morning Britain’s Richard Arnold, comedian Chris Ramsey, Lee Ryan from Blue and former Love Island contestant Samira Mighty.
They are happy to look silly because, like his narration on Love Island, Iain is having fun rather than being nasty.
He said: “At no point are they the butt of the joke, as the whole point is they’re meant to be having a stupid laugh.
“You know that idea when you get needlessly competitive with somebody over something that doesn’t matter? That’s basically the vibe of the show.”
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This year, his stand-out moment was Scarlett herding ducks through Ibiza. Iain said: “She was with David Potts from Ibiza Weekender.
“They had to herd ducks through different nightclubs. It was fun.
“The more I laugh and enjoy it, the better it looks on camera.”
Iain is also writing his next stand-up show. He started while studying at Edinburgh University and the stage is still in his blood.
He said: “I’ve got a new tour that I’m writing. During my tour last year, Love Island had just kicked off and I’d moved into proper theatres and I hadn’t adjusted to that many people.
“Now I’m used to playing big theatres and how to write that sort of a show. I’m hoping that I can write something that’s great. Whether that happens is down to work ethic and talent.”
Yesterday, Iain was awarded a Tennent’s Golden Can in recognition of his success.
He said: “Finally, some recognition for all those years spent drinking cans!”
●Love Island starts on Monday on ITV2. CelebAbility returns on Wednesday, also on ITV2.
