LADIES, avert your eyes! This read's strictly for the chaps.

It isn't everyday we mere males get the lowdown on the taxing life of disrobing before an adoring audience of screaming women. Most muscle-flexing wannabes would be physically challenged at least and arrested at worst.

Still, someone has to do the job. And Rebel Red is your man.

Wearing not much more than a winning grin, nipple ring and vat of glistening baby oil he fronts Europe's number one touring male revue, the 'Men O Men Roadshow'.

In our obsessive age of fair play and political correctness it is the epitome of an equal opportunities night out. Men are not barred — they are just not normally brave enough to buy a ticket. In reality this is the adopted domain of women cheerfully shrugging off their responsibilities for some harmless fun.

Fair do's. Us men have been doing it for years. Fortunately we have selfishly preserved a little of the Peter Pan mentality while poor Wendy had to grow up.

And this is where Rebel Red gallantly steps in to redress the balance. Why shouldn't the girls have a good time as well?

'It's good value for money and it appeals to all age groups from 18 to 70! They scream for more and they get more,' beams Rebel Red, or Rob to his friends.

'We are up on the Chippendales in that we do go that one step further.'

Apart from the show-stopping strip the boys entertain the ladies with a fast-paced evening of singing and dancing routines executed in a variety of provocative outfits from black leather to sailor suits. All done in the best possible taste.

Rob says the audience appreciate the show as a whole more than just the bits where the boys bare all.

'What we do isn't tacky. You can take your clothes off pornographically or artistically — which is what we do. The full strip is only a minor bit of the show. We don't offend anyone.'

So how did Rob become Rebel Red, head honcho of the Men O Men? A former drama school student tired of the endless round of auditions he co-founded the Roadshow with choreographer Paul Grant some 18-months ago.

'I wanted to travel. If you can make a living out of being in entertainment you are a success. And we are living successfully.'

He says the show snowballed so he stuck with it. It might not be Shakespeare but he is doing a lot better than many former drama school collegues. There is a television documentary in the offing. In fact demand is such that Rob is keen to expand with more than one show on the road.

But steady, chaps. Before you rush to enrole remember nothing comes easy. Not even taking your clothes off.

The bulging biceps and titanium-hard torso may look like Rob's just swallowed Popeye's tin of spinach, but it would take more than a can opener and wishful thinking to chissel out a shape like this.

Rob took up kick-boxing eight years ago and that's when he started building up his physique.

'It's not easy. It's hard. You have to keep working at it. But once you get used to it you are in a routine. Now I couldn't go more than a few days without training.'

The first time he revealed all was frightening. 'I got a bit carried away and jumped off the stage. I was scratched and ravished!'

Fortunately for his admirers he overcame these mental scars with a selfless dedication to duty.

'It is about time women can go out and let their hair down. For years men have gone and seen women — now it's the women's turn.'

But every success demands sacrifices. No less so for those striving to please their audience with Adonis perfection.

'We shave all the hair off our body so it is smooth. Hair grows quite quick so we are pruning our bodies most days,' says Rob revealing a pre-show cameo guaranteed to make your eyes water.

'If the girls saw what went on in the dressing room they would have even more fun than watching the show. We might give that as a prize one day!'

While Rob can pack away a few Big Macs and not bulge his figure the staple diet is pasta and chicken. The lads enjoy a few pints but in moderation because no audience will pay good brass to see a beer belly.

'On the road we look like a bunch of monkeys — we are always eating bananas in the coach when we're on the road.'

There are occasional jibes from jealous types but more often Rob and his merry men are greeted by grateful husbands thanking them for giving the ladies a good time.

'The husbands have no problem with us at all. They know it is just a bit of fun. The ladies are safer coming to our show than going out to a nightclub . . .'

l Rebel Red's Men O Men Roadshow is at Tavistock Town Hall on Wednesday, November 24. Tickets: Mainly Music, (01822) 614074.