The Scheme's Marvin says it's a miracle he's alive - after hundreds of last chances
The Scheme star Marvin Baird claims that his very survival is a miracle after 'hundreds of last chances'.
The chaotic and drug-addled life has been documented in technicolour the 15 years since the Ayrshire-based documentary first aired in 2010.
But despite suffering overdoses and enduring several prison terms for drugs offences, Marvin claims he is now on the brink of a drug free life.
He has set himself four 'achievable' objectives that all lead to him gaining a qualification to be a drugs support worker.
And Marvin is now offering support to members of the recovery community in Kilmarnock.
He said: 'I am as straight as I've been for years and I have laid down four objectives that I really think are achievable.
'I want to pass my driving test, get my house done up, get clean of all drugs, including methadone, and get qualified to be a drugs counsellor.
'I'm now miles ahead of anywhere I've been in a long time and I'm determined to make it all come together.
'I know better than anyone that it's a miracle that I'm still alive after what I've been through and I've seen scores of people die in Kilmarnock from overdoses.
'I've had so many last chances - hundreds of them probably - but I'm going to take this one.'
Marvin, 45, became a star after he and partner Dayna McLaughlin allowed a fly-on-the-wall film crew to record their lives as drug addicts in the tough Onthank scheme in Kilmarnock.
Since then he has been preyed upon by gangsters and spent a large proportion of his life in jail or on probation for drugs offences.
Marvin said he is aware that the hard drugs scene has changed dramatically in recent years - and is now more deadly than ever after a wave of new super-strong opiates hit the streets.
The Daily Record has revealed this week how drug deaths are spiralling again due to the spread of these new Nitazene drugs.
Marvin said: 'I'd be scared to touch heroin these days because every day it seems someone has had an overdose and so many people are dying.
'I know people who watched The Scheme or read the papers might think I'm a bit of a waster but I come from a good family and I had a good upbringing. I'm now determined to show them that I can turn my life around.
'I'm 46 in September and by the time I'm 50 I want to be drug free and working as a counsellor."
Marvin said his communication skills and traumatic life make him a perfect ear to listen to.
He said: 'I know that I'm a good communicator and I definitely know what I'm talking about when it comes to drug addiction because I've lived it.
'I think I can make a connection with people and help them turn their own lives around.'
In March last year Marvin dodged prison for heroin possession after a sheriff heard his 'life is looking up.'
Looking visibly healthier and sporting new implant teeth, Marvin admitted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to being caught with three wraps of the drug at his home in 2023.
He escaped with a £600 fine after lawyer Callum Armour told the court: 'It's been a lifelong battle for him. He's had a long period of abstinence.
'It tells me that his life is looking up at the moment.'
Those claims were quashed when Marvin was later caught smoking heroin, which led to a Drug Treatment and Testing Order being applied to him, which he claims has helped him stop taking heroin.
Annie Brown, founder of the Patchwork Recovery Community in Kilmarnock, said Marvin has been an active participant in group discussions and has helped people with the benefit of his own experience.
She said: 'Marvin is very well known in Kilmarnock and elsewhere but here he is just part of the group.
'It might surprise a few people to know that he is a very good communicator and he has a lot of empathy.
'We are wishing him all the best with his recovery.'
Marvin's turnaround is in contrast to some other reality stars from The Scheme.
Marvin, his partner Dayna and his dog Bullet became household names when the show became a surprise hit.
The first episode of The Scheme attracted more than 300,000 viewers while more than 500,000 watched subsequent episodes.
Marvin's 'Happy as Larry' catchphrase made him the biggest star in the show.
But it was dropped after MSPs expressed concern about the BBC 'exploiting' poor people for entertainment.
In 2011, ex-Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson branded The Scheme 'poverty pornography'.
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