When it comes to riding pre-war motorbikes or lobbing grenades, actors generally do not like to risk their own lives.

That's just as well for Hove-based stuntman Tony van Silva, whose latest escapades involved appearing as Kenneth Cranham's double in the forthcoming film Two Men Went To War.

He skidded around the Hampshire countryside on a 60-year-old motorbike, slid down a roof carrying ammunition and let a fellow stuntman clamber on to his head to shin up a telegraph pole.

Tony, 52, is known for his risky antics and has featured in The Argus many times in reports about his daredevil career.

He is, however, very excited about his latest dalliance with danger, describing the film as "Dad's Army in reverse".

It tells the true story of two bored soldiers from the Army Dental Corps who decided to wage their own war on the Germans.

The two men, Sgt Peter King and Private Leslie Cuthbertson, played by Kenneth Cranham and Sir Derek Jacobi, sailed a little boat across the Channel before wreaking as much havoc in Nazi-occupied France as possible.

Tony is sure the heart-warming tale will be a winner with audiences. He said: "They are dentists and fed up with pulling teeth so they decide to do something for the war effort.

"It's about time we had a British film without Americans playing all the heroes. It's nice to be involved in a film that's true to life, about ordinary people who did something so courageous."

Tony spent four nights and one day playing Cranham's double but is not worried that people will not recognise him for his contribution to the film.

He said: "I'm not worried about the fame, as long as I get paid. It's a thrill for me and an adrenaline rush. It's about eliminating as much risk as you can.

"When we were chasing around on the bikes at night, it was wet, raining and cold and there is only a certain amount you can control. We were doing 40mph on authentic German motorbikes which felt like they could fall apart at any moment.

"I had to climb up a roof and drop grenades tied up in an old stocking into a ventilation tower.

"Another scene involved a stuntman climbing on my shoulders and head to get up a telegraph pole and cut the wires. You cannot expect a leading actor to get climbed upon so I had to be."

The scenes involving stuntmen are wide-shot from a distance so their identity is not revealed but Tony thinks he is a bit of a ringer for Cranham.

He said: "Kenneth's a bit older than me but we both have big bags under our eyes.

"But you don't have to be the spitting image of the people you're playing. In the programme Tom Jones, I had to be Brian Blessed's double when he fell back into a dresser full of crockery. I had to wear padding on my stomach and a false beard."

Tony has been dicing with death for 16 years and has no intention of stopping. Even his girlfriend, Carol Curreri, is not worried about his risky job.

He said: "Carol's more worried about me driving back on the motorway because I like to go fast."

Two Men Went To War can be seen in cinemas nationwide until February 28.