"I’VE seen a bust in an antiques shop and it looks just like you."

These were the words that prompted a North-East man to set out on an unusual quest.

Poet and carer Chris Stewart was stunned to find that his friend had been right when he suggested his doppelganger – sculpted in stone – resided in Middlesbrough’s Antique Fireplace Shop.

The resplendently side-burned Teesside man was astounded to see what looked like his own face staring back at him when he rushed out to verify his mate’s claims.

Mr Stewart saved up £120, bought the bust and promptly signed up for an appearance on the Antiques Roadshow.

He was hoping a stint on the popular television programme would provide clues to the man whose image had been cast in stone before eventually ending up gathering dust on a shelf in Middlesbrough.

The 35-year-old filmed a short documentary as he set out on his quest to discover exactly who the artist had attempted to portray – and whether he was related to the gentleman concerned.

He said: “I was dumbstruck when I saw it, it was just like looking at myself in a mirror.

“I did have to save up to buy it but if I wanted to commission someone to sculpt my face out of marble, it would have been a lot more expensive.

“I took it to the Antiques Roadshow hoping to find answers, they told me they think it was painted in the 1800s.

“They also said that it’s likely to have been a real person who commissioned it because an artist working from their imagination would have made a prettier face.

Mr Howard, who is still hoping to find out who the man depicted was, said the bust is inscribed with the words ‘Insom Fece’, meaning ‘made by Insom’.

He added: “The artist Giovanni Insom died in 1855 but is unlikely to be the sculptor who made this. I’d love to know if anyone has any information on who the bust is of - is he a rich aristocrat or industrialist?”

Mr Stewart will appear on the Antiques Roadshow at an episode being shown on Sunday, September 24 on BBC1 at 8pm.

Anyone with information about the bust is asked to email bustedmovie@hotmail.com.