ONE of the two men who swapped race for a controversial BBC documentary has told how the experience revealed another world to him.

Simon Smith, who lives with his wife and two young children in Thame, swapped his white identity to become black last Autumn.

And on Tuesday the 35-year-old freelance illustrator was watched by millions as he experienced what it is like to be black and British on Trading Races.

Simon, who underwent lengthy sessions in make-up to make him look black, said he did feel very different.

He said: "I had moments when I felt I was being singled out because of the colour of my skin. I had people staring at me. It was very weird."

Simon got involved in the programme after his wife got chatting to a BBC researcher she met in Thame.

When Simon first met the researcher he thought his wife was the one that was going to appear on the programme but finally he realised it was going to be him.

Altogether Simon was in make-up about seven or eight times before attending various events including a football match and a black comedy club in Brixton.

"I just saw another world really", he said. "It was very different to Thame."

Simon joined three others, an Asian woman, a white woman and a black man, who also changed the colour of their skin.