They have starred together in River City – now actor pals Jordan Young and James Alexander Mackenzie are to jump out of a plane together.
The pair, both scared of heights, are preparing to take part in a skydive in a bid to raise £100,000 for Glasgow’s Beatson, Scotland’s leading cancer centre.
Scot Squad star Jordan and James, best known for playing the lead role in kids’ game show Raven, are part of a 20-strong team, dubbed Beatson’s Ballbusters, who will make the 20,000ft jump on September 5 from the skies above Glenrothes, Fife.
Jordan, 41, who plays River City gangster Alex Murdoch and PC Jack McLaren in Scot Squad, said: “PC McLaren would offer to fly the plane, jump out and then jump back in before it crashed and Alex would use it to launder money.
“In real life I’m a softie and a feartie so I’ll be on edge until it is all over.”
James, who lost his mum Helen, 66, to lung cancer, said he couldn’t refuse. He added: “A fortnight ago Jordan phoned me up and asked if I wanted to jump out of a plane with him.
“I thought it was a horrific wind-up but when he told me what it was for I could not really say no.
“I lost my mum to cancer 10 years ago, then my wife lost her auntie. I’ve always wanted to do something for a cancer charity to pay it back for the care that was given to them.
“I’m literally pooping my pants. I get shoogly at the top of a ladder.
“I am terrified of heights, which is ironic for a man who played a half man, half bird Celtic warrior on TV.”
James, 42, who lives with his wife Helen and children in Biggar, Lanarkshire, said: “My fear of jumping out of a plane is nothing compared to what someone who has cancer, or a family who is watching someone go through it, has to deal with.”
Jordan, who lives in Glasgow, said: “When I was approached by the Beatson, I had a panic attack as I’m not that keen on heights. I felt sick and got shooting pains in the soles of my feet.
“After considering the difference the money we raise could make and the genuine fear and anxiety cancer sufferers face, I decided to catch myself on.”
James said: “My mum was amazing. She was a force to be reckoned with.
“She was taken far too soon. She was diagnosed in the December and died the following March. The quicker we can raise money and put it into research the better.
"People can donate on our JustGiving pages. My mum would be behind Jordan and me 100 per cent.”
Martin Cawley, CEO of the Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “I’d like to thank all of the Ballbusters for supporting us as they aim to raise £100,000 with this feat, which I’ve no doubt will be both terrifying and exhilarating.”
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