Castaway in talks after island hop

The castaways are living on Taransay for a year

One of the castaways on the Hebridean island of Taransay is in talks with the BBC after leaving the island.

Mr Copsey is currently staying at the Harris Hotel in Tarbert, Harris where discussions with BBC production staff are taking place.

Trainee psychotherapist Ron Copsey reportedly blamed personality clashes and "inflated egos" for his decision to leave the island on Saturday.

A BBC spokeswoman could only confirm that Mr Copsey was "with production" and that each of the castaways had signed a document which forbids them from talking to the press for the duration of the £2.4m project.

Mr Copsey, 43, from Middlesex, is understood to have been unhappy with the strict regime imposed by the other 'castaways' taking part in the BBC survival documentary series of that name.

The windswept island is only five miles long

The former Kew Gardens worker's temper tantrums have been one of the highlights of the show and are said to be one of the reasons for its high viewing figures.

He is thought to have been finding life on the island "difficult" and further details will emerge during the course of the programme.

Previous deserter

Mr Copsey is not the first castaway to leave Taransay.

Ray Bowyer, 59, from Lancashire left the island in March on a launch paid for by a tabloid newspaper.

Bowyer was asked to leave less than three months into the year-long project after disagreements with the rest of the community on the Castaway 2000 project and the programme-makers.

The remaining castaways will remain on the island until the end of December.