A FAMILIAR face from Ayr’s panto scene has branched out into the writing business and his debut novel will soon be released.

He’s best known for playing the evil villain in Ayr Gaiety pantos, but now he’s hoping to become known for other talents.

Kenny Boyle’s debut novel ‘The Tick and the Tock of the Crocodile Clock’ is coming out with Eye Books this May.

Kenny’s debut novel is about a shy and retiring main character who falls in with a wild-child painter. They go on a spree of mischief which sees them on the run with a stolen priceless work of art. Kenny describes it as a “cross between The Catcher in the Rye and Thelma and Louise, but set in Scotland” and he has achieved the support of famous Scots – including River City’s Leah MacRae, Still Game’s Sanjeev Kohli and writer Peter May.

He added: “When I knew the book was going to be getting published I reached out to some of my heroes, and told them how much their work had meant to me. I asked them if they’d like to read an early draft of the novel.”

And the new author was gobsmacked at the feedback he received.

Having read the book, MacRae said: “It’s very difficult to believe Kenny Boyle hasn’t written a trillion novels before. I enjoyed every minute of it and laughed and cried several times. Bloody bravo.”

Sanjeev Kohli, who played Naveed in Still Game and can now be seen regularly alongside MacRae in River City, said the book is ‘Funny, intelligent and insightful’ and that ‘Kenny Boyle is a singular voice.’

Well-known author Peter May also weighed in, he said: “Kenny Boyle is bristling with talent, and this may well be the best book I’ve read in years.”

“I nearly fell of my chair when I read all of these,” Kenny told us, “for artists that mean so much to me to say such warm, encouraging and supportive things about my book is incredible. Honestly, when I got these endorsements it was so overwhelming I had to ask my wife to read them just to make sure I wasn’t imagining them.”