A GIANT artificial sun beamed 40,000 watts of light onto Westcliff Beach last night as part of filming for a new Channel Four programme.

The filming was for the second series of Gadget Man, being hosted by British actor Richard Ayoade, who has previously been seen on the IT Crowd. Stephen Fry presented series one.

Echo:

A classic English seaside vision was created on the beach with deckchairs, beach towels and buckets and spades.

The site of the sun hanging perilously from a crane had traffic coming to a standstill on Western Esplanade.

Mr Ayoade was sharply dressed in a royal blue suit, moving constantly from the deckchair under the hot lights and back to have his makeup reapplied.

The show centres on the presenter and their love of gadgets. In series one, Stephen Fry dealt with technology that makes travelling to work more fun and everyday items that are used in the kitchen.

Film crew at the beach were keeping tight lipped about what the episode being filmed in Westcliff was about, but told The Echo that the series is due to launch next month.