Plan for Stayin' Alive Bee Gees statue on Douglas seafront revealed

A plan to erect a strutting seafront statue of the Bee Gees on the Isle of Man has been announced.

The proposal would see a £150,000 sculpture of Manx-born Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, caught mid-Stayin' Alive stride, put on Douglas' Loch Promenade.

The 7ft (2m) design is by Andrew Edwards, who crafted statues of the Beatles and Cilla Black in Liverpool.

Douglas Council's David Christian said it would recognise how "very proud" the brothers were of their Manx heritage.

That pride will reflected in the base of the statue, which would be in the shape of a record inscribed with lyrics from Ellan Vannin, the song the group recorded to raise funds for a Manx charity in 1997.

Barry Gibb was born on the island in 1946, with his twin brothers Robin and Maurice following in 1949, six years before the Gibb family moved to Manchester.

The trio first made the charts in the 1960s and went on to sell 110 million records worldwide, famously soundtracking the films Saturday Night Fever and Stayin' Alive and writing songs for the likes of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Frankie Valli and Barbra Streisand.

Mr Christian said the brothers had "always been very proud of the land of their birth".

"Either on TV or at their concerts, they've often referred back to it", he said, adding: "They made that very clear when they were given the freedom of the borough [in 2008]."

A council spokesman said if approved, a shelter between Marine Gardens would be demolished and the statue would be in place by April 2020.