NOEL Edmonds, Brian Blessed, Chuck Norris, and me.

Four men who look absolutely nothing alike apart from one thing – beards.

Yet for some reason there seems to be something about a bit of chin hair that blinds the non-hirsute into thinking every bearded man looks identical.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times a friend has gleefully told me they found a picture of my doppelganger only to produce an image of a man whose only similarity to me is that the lower half of their chin is concealed.

At my previous job it was a running joke that I looked identical to classical singer Alfie Boe. Hardly an insult – for me, anyway – but, with the exception of his beard and maybe a slightly larger than normal nose, I can’t imagine anyone would mistake either one of us.

That was until I went out to meet a new slimming group on one of my earliest weeks at the Worcester News and as soon as I walked into the room someone yelled “It’s Alfie Boe!”

Hilarious.

None other than the Worcester News’ resident political newshound Tom Edwards – a man of no small intelligence, even for a Wolves supporter – frequently insists I am the spitting image of Worcester City Council member Councillor George Squires.

I defy you to compare an image of Cllr Squires and myself and have trouble telling the difference.

For the most part this is just goodnatured japery – or banter, as I believe the kids call it these days.

The fact that beards are apparently trendy at the moment – along with meaning I can say I was ahead of the trends for the first and probably last time in my life – only exacerbates the situation, filling the streets with men who apparently look exactly like me.

I could shave it off but without it I barely look old enough to be allowed out on my own, let alone buy a pint.

I’m sure I’ll be thankful of that when I’m 50, but for the time being I like being able to walk into a pub without being eyed suspiciously by the barman.

So there’s no choice – the beard stays and I continue to weather comparisons to Noel Edmonds.

On the upside I can easily go into hiding should the need ever arise.