A WRESTLING venture staged in Glasgow has grabbed a prime-time television slot thanks to its collection of larger-than-life characters.
Insane Championship Wrestling was formed by Glasgow man Mark Dallas in 2007, but has grown at a rapid rate in the last 12 months.
And after huge success on the Saturday 1am slot on Mychannel (Sky 219), ICW's hour-long weekly shows have been moved to 9.30pm every Tuesday - the first regular UK wrestling prime time show since the 1988 heyday of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks.
ICW bosses say it is a true Scottish success story and have vowed to grow their brand to compete with the American giants of Total Nonstop Action and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Chris Renfrew, a wrestler and promoter with ICW, said: "The show has been growing at an incredible rate.
"Our Saturday show had the best viewing figures of any programme on Mychannel, around 5000 viewers weekly.So they have moved us to a more prominent spot."
Chris, 26, of Clydebank, believes ICW's strategy to appeal to an adult audience has helped the promotion grow.
He said: "We're not aiming our shows at children, as the WWE and TNA have gone back to in recent years.
"ICW is a bit more adult and it's proving to be a popular night out with a difference in Glasgow.
"By more adult we mean the stunts are more extreme and the storylines a little more grown-up.
"We hold shows once a month, either at the Garage nightclub, or the Classic Grand, and we film them.
"We then split those shows into four TV episodes which are broadcast on Mychannel.
"ICW is very ambitious and we definitely want to grow the brand to compete with WWE.
"We've got this far purely on word of mouth and social networking."
Mychannel is broadcast across the UK and in some European countries.
Characters like Chris Renfrew, who performs under his own name, BT Gunn and Falcon are proving popular with viewers.
For more on the show visit www.insanewrestling.co.uk for more information.
stef.lach@heraldandtimes.co.uk