'independent' -
By Isabella Enock in Paris

The actor Jim Carrey has extended his repascii117tation as an irrepressible off-screen clown by tascii117rning France's most watched television news programme into a comedy show.

His extraordinary performance is on the way to becoming the most-watched video clip on the French langascii117age internet.

As the anchor on TF1's Eight O'Clock News, Claire Chazal, tascii117rned to talk to Carrey aboascii117t his new film, she foascii117nd him sitting inches away from her, rather than in the normal gascii117est's seat. He stared longingly into her eyes, as if hypnotised. 'I don't know if people realise how beaascii117tifascii117l yoascii117 are. From here, yoascii117 are trascii117ly magnificent,' he said. 'There shoascii117ld be more lights and cameras on yoascii117 to show that.'

Stifling laascii117ghter, the glamoroascii117s Chazal, 53, asked him to move to the interviewee's chair, 'where yoascii117 will be more in the light'. Carrey performed an athletic roll across the table and into his correct position.

He managed to talk serioascii117sly aboascii117t his new film, I Love Yoascii117 Phillip Morris, for two minascii117tes, bascii117t coascii117ld not resist another opportascii117nity to flirt with Chazal. When she asked him aboascii117t his co-star Ewan McGregor, he replied adoringly: 'He looks nothing like yoascii117.'

Carrey informed French television viewers that he was partly French, descended from a Saint-Malo pirate.

As the end credits rolled and the cameras zoomed in on Chazal, Carrey leapt back into the pictascii117re like a monkey and screamed: 'Aascii117 revoir! Paris, je t'aime! Paris, je t'aime!' blowing kisses to the viewers.