Six coach drivers from Birmingham taking to the stage as professional Irish dancers might seem the unlikeliest of scenarios - but as the old saying goes 'truth is sometimes stranger than fiction'.

That is just what happened when six National Express workers based in Digbeth donned their dancing shoes to take part in the ITV1 documentary Dancing In The Depot.
The documentary, which was screened on Saturday March 5, followed a familiar television show challenge theme - along the lies of Faking It - where people are thrust in an alien environment to see if they can succeed.
The six coach drivers were given just three weeks to learn Irish dance steps before taking part in a Riverdance-style extravaganza in front of 200 people.

The programme was yet to be aired as The Harp went to press but all the expectations were that the drivers had done themselves justice under the expert guidance of world champion Irish dancer Colin Dunne.

One of the drivers taking part, Paul Smallman, aged 35, from Cannock, admitted taking the dance challenge was no mean feat but praised Colin's input.

He said, “It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Colin, the teacher, was absolutely superb though, he worked miracles with us."

The other National Express drivers taking part in Dancing In The Depot were Paul Olive, from Edgbaston, Danny Newby, from Quinton, Paddy Yates, from Shard End, Rob Hatton, from Kings Norton and Dean Johnson, from Stechford.
Despite the unlikely scenario of coach-driving Irish dancers, enthusiasts were keen to point out that the world's biggest Irish dance star, Michael Flatley, was once a plumber.
Michael, who hails from Chicago, put away his wrenches a long time ago after being signed up for the inaugural performance of Riverdance during a Eurovision Song Contest final in Dublin.
He went on to become a multi-millionaire on the back of an extended version of Riverdance, which toured the world, and the show he created himself, Lord of the Dance.