As Tony Blair took the witness stand today in the inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly, most eyes weren't on him but on a jobbing actor from Hove.

Anthony Keetch, of Salisbury Road, was chosen to portray the Prime Minister in Sky TV's daily reconstructions of the Hutton Inquiry into the death of the weapons expert.

As no television cameras are allowed into the inquiry, held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Sky has employed actors to recreate the day's drama for its viewers.

The actors are given an exact script of the day's events as soon as it is over. They then re-enact the probing questions and answers, read from an autocue.

As the PM gives his evidence, Mr Keetch, who is also known as Tony, will be practising his voice and mannerisms.

The difficulty will be steering clear of typical pastiche performances of the PM.

He said: "It's not a caricature. We have a responsibility as we're impersonating real life."

It is not the first time he has played the PM.

In 1997 he appeared in an infamous Tory party political broadcast, known as the Faust Video, in which he portrayed Tony as Faust, with Peter Mandelson as the devil.

He said: "In the end John Major thought showing Blair making a pact with the devil was too shocking but I've heard many senior Tories were angry it was pulled. They thought it was the best broadcast they'd seen and would bring down the Government."

He also played Blair in Diana The People's Princess: A Tribute. His scene was axed, which he said was a relief as he thought it was the worst film ever made.

More successful was his part as Blair in Newsreel, a topical sketch show in 1996, which won him praise from Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth.

Mr Keetch is on the books of Brighton-based agency Cyber Artists. Six other actors from the agency have taken part in the Sky's dramatisation, playing reporters, MPs and members of the Ministry of Defence.

For more information, log on to www.cyberartists.co.uk