His face is known to millions as the chauvinistic male snubbed spectacularly by his fiancee in the Ford Focus car ads.

But a proposition East Finchley's Freddy Douglas had for his neighbours went down rather better than his on-screen efforts in love.

Disillusioned with knowing only three people in Market Place his home for more than 12 years Freddy came up with a bold plan called Snap Happy' to bring residents closer together.

"I bought a disposable camera and passed it to a neighbour and asked them to take a picture of themselves in their home and pass it on," said Freddy, 30.

He has not seen the camera for three weeks but will have the film developed in preparation for a garden party on Saturday night, by which time it will have winged itself around 40 homes.

"The mystery is that each person has had the camera for a night. I haven't got a clue what they are going to have taken the pictures of I just hope I don't get arrested."

Already Freddy's plan has worked. "It is amazing how just a small excuse can bring people closer together. Everybody has just embraced it," he said.

Freddy has been made famous by that' advert where his prospective wife responds to his bold proposition of marriage at Barcelona airport by printing no' in dust for him to read from the seat of his aeroplane.

"I think I'm the most famous scorned lover in the country I get lots of sympathy. The advert was quite high profile over the World Cup it was shown at half-time during the England game against Brazil. I have people coming up to me and saying: 'Will you marry me?'"