Paul Mescal strikes a pose for Portrait Artist Of The Year competition

Paul Mescal sits for the Portrait Artist Of The Year competition (Sky Arts/PA)

Normal People star Paul Mescal admits he might be a “fidgety person” as he sits for the Portrait Artist Of The Year competition.

The Irish actor strikes a pose for the contestants in a first-look clip of the new episode of the Sky Arts competition series.

The seventh series of the show features 24 celebrity sitters, including actors James Nesbitt, Fay Ripley, Ncuti Gatwa, Sian Clifford and Eddie Marsan, model Katie Piper and Olympian Katherine Grainger.

Sian Clifford is also among the celebrity sitters (Ian West/PA)

One of the painters exclaims: “My friends are going to be so jealous,” as Mescal takes a seat for the session.

The actor tells host Stephen Mangan how Normal People, the hit adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel, has changed his life.

He said: “I think it will be clearer in a couple of months when things go back to a little bit of normal,” adding he feels like he is in “the middle of the storm”.

Asked if he is a fidgety person, he said: “Probably, when I’m nervous.”

Paul Mescal’s episode of Portrait Artist Of The Year airs on Wednesday at 8pm on Sky Arts, and is available on Freeview channel 11.”