A Scots cyclist, whose dare-devil stunts have made him a YouTube phenomenon, is shunning the limelight because he does not want to act like a clown'.
Danny MacAskill has rejected invitations to appear on American and British talk shows and to perform at the Scottish Cup Final, saying he does not want to be famous.
The 24-year-old stands to make a fortune from his skills, which include cycling up and down trees, riding along fences and jumping off roofs.
When footage of him biking around Edinburgh streets was put on YouTube, it attracted more than 5million hits and was described as an absolute must-watch' by Lance Armstrong, the seven-times winner of the Tour de France.
The stunt biker has so far turned down invitations to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show, watched by three million viewers in America, and the Paul O'Grady Show. He also refused an invitation from the Scottish Football Association to perform a pre-match show at Hampden's Cup Final later this month as it clashed with a community gala in Balerno, Edinburgh.
Mr MacAskill, from Skye, said he has no interest in making money or following in the footsteps of the Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle, who recently appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, admitting that he would rather concentrate on performing at low-key organised displays.
He said: "It's been really hard to take it all in. We didn't have any kind of expectations when we made the video and the reaction has just been ridiculous."
Adding that he would not cancel smaller events in favour of shows he said: "If something is going to be fun then I will do it but I don't just want to do thing for the publicity. I don't want to zoom off and totally sell out.
"Having prime-time TV shows wanting me to perform is just wild, but because my biking is going to be exposed to so many people, I want it to be exposed in the right light. I am not going to degrade what I am doing and act like a clown."
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