R+B crooner Brian McKnight is set to hit American TV screens as a singer caught in the midst of a sex tape scandal - a storyline very similar to that of troubled star R Kelly.

McKnight, 33, will appear in new hip-hop-based TV show PLATINUM tonight (06MAY03) in the episode, which reflects the recent wrangles R Kelly has landed in.

Kelly, who reportedly wed late singer Aaliyah when she was just 15, is currently awaiting trial for performing sex acts with underage girls on videotape.

McKnight - who will not say if the role has been inspired by Kelly - says of his role, "My label gets hold of a videotape that shows me having a sexual encounter that looks like rape. The drama comes with the ethical question of what they should do with the tape."

06/05/2003 20:59