Revealed: the naked ambitions of Scots

Published on 03/06/2007 00:52

SHE is the dark-haired songstress who seduced a nation with her cool beauty and sultry vocals. He is the legendarily dour Scottish son of the manse who is about to become Britain's most powerful politician.

But Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri and Prime Minister-to-be Gordon Brown have now earned new reputations. Spiteri is the woman Scots would most like to see nude and the Chancellor is the man who they most want to keep his clothes on.

More than 1,700 Scots were polled on their attitude to nudity - and who they would most like to see naked - by Scotland on Sunday ahead of the Naked Portrait exhibition which starts this week at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Spiteri, 39, earned a third of the votes, followed by rock singer KT Tunstall. Third was actress Kelly Macdonald, who came to public attention as Ewan McGregor's schoolgirl lover in the acclaimed film of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.

Among the males, 36-year-old McGregor, the star of Moulin Rouge!, Star Wars and Young Adam, was voted the one they would most like to see naked (30%). Dr Who star David Tennant took the number two spot, with Dougray Scott third.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, politicians fared badly, with only 2% wanting to see the Prime Minister-elect naked.

Our survey also reveals Scotland still has some way to go if the country is going to embrace a more liberal attitude to nudity.

Scotland on Sunday is today offering readers the chance to win their own naked portrait by a leading photographer. But half of those surveyed said "under no circumstances" would they display the result.