ALL THE signs suggested the curtain would never rise on Chris Taylor’s acting career.

His early life was a series of traumas; rejection by his biological dad, a devastating tale of drink and drug abuse, attempted suicide and a horrific tale of sexual abuse while in the army.

The Ayrshire-born actor has dealt with all of that.

But he reveals the danger element in his life isn’t about to halt anytime soon.

The Ayrshire-born comedy actor is so determined to take his career to a new level he’s prepared to spend £30k of his wedding money to make it happen.

Taylor’s 35-year-old mind has come up with the idea of funding his own production of I’m No’ A Billy, He’s A Tim (2) the hilarious follow up to Des Dillon’s cult football comedy featuring a Rangers and a Celtic fan trapped by circumstance.

He is planning a Scottish tour of 16 venues, which involves paying cast wages, hiring a director, a stage manager, halls, lighting and sound crews, vans, PR people and accommodation.

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Surely he knows theatre production is so risky he would be as well putting the hard-earned wedding savings on a horse called Here Comes The Bride at the 3.30 at Ayr?

“Yes, that’s why it has to work out,” he says, his voice thick with consequence.

“There’s a lot at stake.” No kidding, Chris. He reveals he and dance instructor Lisa Muir have booked Brig O’Doon in Ayrshire for August of next year.

“It’s a lavish country hotel, the stuff of young bride’s dreams,” he says wistfully.

“But as the spreadsheet for this comedy show builds up I can see Brig O’Doon drifting away into the mist.”

Taylor’s partner, dance instructor Lisa Muir was unaware of the gamble.

“When I confessed she said ‘You do remember we’re getting married next year?’ And all I could say was ‘Don’t worry. It will be fine.’” He smiles; “I hope it will but fine but really I have no idea. All I know is I have to do this.”

Why? the bendy-faced performer, once described as being ‘what you would come out with if you threw Jerry Lewis, Jim Carrey and Lee Evans into a washtub’ is regarded in commercial theatre circles as a laughs guarantee.

But overall, work has been arriving in pieces smaller than a supporting actor’s lines.

“I want to be taken seriously in the industry,” he admits.

“I can’t wait for the work to come calling. I need to get my name out there. I want to let the likes of Scot Squad producers know what they could be getting.”

Young Chris had revealed a performance talent from an early age.

Aged 16, he had the opportunity to go to a local drama college. But confidence was an issue. Instead he took a job in telly sales and, sadly, did really well at it.

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“I could sell anything to anybody - gift of the gab.” But in making lots of money he spent lots of money. On drugs. “I got in with the wrong crowd,” he explains. “I was taking ecstasy from Thursday to Sunday, then going back to work. But by now I had moved out of my parents’ house and was living in a wee bed sit - and becoming more and more depressed.

“During all of this, my gran died, whom I was so close to. I just couldn’t cope with my life.”

The teenager decided to end it. But changed his mind at the last moment, and joined the army.

But the truth was he’d escaped into Hell. “During my second week of training, I woke up one night on discovering my training officer was performing a sex act on me. It was horrifying.”

The office was taken to court, found guilty and sent to jail.”

Yet, this jailing process took two years. “Meantime, I tried hard to get my life together. “

When Taylor came out of the army he began to think about what he really wanted to do. “I knew I had once loved acting and was good at it. And I determined I’d go back to drama college and study.”

A sense of purpose arrived with the birth of his son, Declan. The relationship with Declan’s mother didn’t survive, but Taylor now had a very special a reason to focus.

Gradually, he turned things around, concentrated on performance. Taylor staged his own productions.

And then Lisa Muir came into his life. “Lisa has been the only person I’ve been able to talk to about the abuse since leaving the army. She’s been fantastic,” he says with audible delight.

Taylor decided he wanted to marry the woman who’d helped turn his life around.

“Getting engaged to Lisa was a drama in itself,” he says of last summer’s antics. “I was planning to ask her to marry me in Majorca when we were on holiday.

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“And I had the ring in my wallet for safe-keeping. But when we went through customs in Glasgow Airport the warning bell went off and I got pulled aside and was patted down.

“I was sweating like hell because all the time Lisa was looking over to see what was happening. I didn’t want the surprise to be blown.

“But when the customs official discovered the ring in the wallet she smiled discreetly and whispered in my ear; ‘Good luck’.”

Is his fiancé convinced that Billy and Tim will at least recoup the wedding money?

“Lisa believes in Des’s writing, that he has done a brilliant re-write - if not in my talents as a producer,” he says, grinning.

“But she knows this play is hysterical. She knows I’ve got a great cast assembled. On that basis, all should be well.”

Singing I’m No’ A Billy, He’s A Tim 2 also stars Gary Morrison, Neil Bratchpiece and Zofia Sokolowitcz.

It runs from September 4, opening at the Ayr Gaiety until September 29, at the Village Theatre East Kilbride on September 29. See website for dates across Scotland.