JORDAN Young's been showing the world his Bottom these past few days.

But tonight it's the long arm of the law the actor is about to reveal to the watching world.

Comedy actor Jordan stars in the pilot episode of Scot Squad, a BBC Scotland spoof of 'blue light' reality shows such as Traffic Cops and Cops With Cameras.

It's a world away from his theatre role as Bottom in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Lyceum in Edinburgh.

"It's really fun," says Jordan of Scot Squad. "It's mostly improv and I love that. It's a chance to really let things run and riff with the actors you're playing off.

"In my case, I'm working with Sally Reid, who also plays one of the cops. We've been friends for years and so we've got a really easy way with each other. We think it works really well."

Jordan, a panto favourite for the past six years in Aberdeen starring alongside Elaine C Smith, is a comedy natural.

But he admits making up lines on the spot is not for everyone.

"Some actors hate it," he says, smiling.

"They don't like to try to come up with ideas. They want to work to a finished script. But I really enjoy it.

"To be honest, you don't get much chance to do it these days in theatre or television, except perhaps when you audition."

Scot Squad gives the likes of Jordan, Sally Reid, Jack Doherty and James Kirk the chance to show what their minds can come up with.

"You try and make it real, but at the same time you're working on a spoof so you try to be funny," says Edinburgh-born Jordan, grinning.

"But the great thing about making it up there and then is you don't have to work to a gag at the end of a line.

"You can just throw it out there and see if it's funny or not."

Jordan, who starred in BBC sitcom Legit and several episodes of Rab C Nesbitt, admits improv could be a recipe for a disaster.

What, for example, if an actor decided his character would become a raving madman and start breaking up furniture – just so the camera would feature on him?

"Well, that could happen," he says with a knowing smile.

"But that's where the director would come in and say 'I think we need to calm things down a bit here.'

"But the great thing about the show is we've all had say in creating our characters. You sort of know how they would react."

In Scot Squad, Docherty plays the head of Scotland's first unified police force.

Other characters include an urban beat officer, a community support officer, a countryside copper, a 999 call operator and a man who is a habitual visitor to the police station.

Jordan's performance talents aren't confined to comedy. He has received great criticism for theatre drama such as Gagarin Way.

He's also completed work on a feature film, The Seaside Stories, starring alongside Kate Dickie and Brian McCardie.

"I'm just glad to be working," he says. "You try and do your best and hope it will lead to something.

"Scot Squad, for example, was talked about two years ago and it's now just being broadcast. But the hope is the pilot will then run to a series."

n Scot Squad, BBC2, 10pm, tonight.

Brian Beacom