Solicitor who gained respect as entertainer sticks to law

TELLY STAR: aspiring garage MC on 'Faking It' fooled judges

A City solicitor who spent a month out of the office training to become a night club entertainer has said he will not be giving up his day job, even though he fooled two experts into thinking he was the genuine article.

George Lubega, dispute resolution assistant at City-based Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, was approached by Channel 4 to take part in the 'Faking It' television series, where people practise an occupation for four weeks before competing with three other established acts in front of gurus in the field.

The experts are then asked to judge which one was 'faking it'.

Mr Lubega's task was to pose as a garage MC under the tutelage of mentors MC Creed and Pay as You Go, who urged him to shave his head and adopt the 'ghetto fabulous' style of dress, which involved swapping his suit for baggy trousers and gold jewellery.

Low points came when Mr Lubega failed to meet the standard when he practised his technique in front of a packed dance floor at trendy club the Ministry of Sound, and when his dance teacher branded his moves 'crap'.

However, he eventually passed his task by pulling the wool over the eyes of two out of three of the experts.

Mr Lubega said his legal skills helped him work out what he was doing wrong and correct it systematically, although he had no plans to leave his career in the law.

'I've had a couple of offers to do personal appearances, but I could hardly claim to be a talented MC,' he explained.

Josanne Rickard, Mr Lubega's departmental managing partner, said the firm had backed him in the challenge as it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Paula Rohan