LORD of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen has revealed his last remaining acting ambition - to star in Coronation Street.

The former Bolton School pupil wants to walk down the cobbles of the famous TV street.

If he does bag himself a cameo role, he would follow in the footsteps of that other famous Boltonian, comedian Peter Kay, who guest-starred in the long-running soap earlier this year.

Sir Ian, aged 65, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, said Coronation Street rather than Middle Earth was his next preferred destination.

He also said he had once been offered a part in the show - but turned it down because he was intimidated by the cast.

The gay star said: "They tried to get me into it but I was so scared of trying to be as good as the regulars, I decided I wouldn't do it."

If he did appear, he would like his character to comment on the soap's current gay storyline.

He said: "I could sit there and say: 'What are all these gay boys doing - it wasn't like this in my day'."

A Coronation Street insider said: "It would be great to see Sir Ian in Coronation Street because he's such a good actor, but we have not made any approach."