Say it ain't so. Challenging the illusions of a billion martial arts fans, a Hong Kong stuntman has claimed that Jackie Chan uses body doubles in his Chinese-language movies. Since the great Jackie (above filming The Medallion in Dublin) is hardly known for his acting skills, this is rather like hearing that Evel Knievel did the dialogue, but not the stunts, in Viva Knievel!.

Chan's spokesperson, Solon So, angrily denied the report and explained that the star uses stunt doubles in his American films only.

"Hollywood movies don't let you perform moves that are too dangerous," he said. "They have insurance coverage. There are safety consultants."