But Lahr cites Gene Hackman as an actor in a similar mould, which is characterised not least by a robust heterosexuality “That’s actually quite refreshing,” Lahr says. “One of Thaw’s appeals was that he was really masculine.”The temptation at this point is to say that they don’t make them like that any more. But if there’s a new John Thaw out there, the audience will surely find him.. A boy band singer, a Hollywood leading man and a blockbuster movie director are queuing up for the ultimate in reality television.

They have put their names down for a journey into space, to be broadcast live around the globe. His heavily sponsored mission will be recorded for a TV special, Celebrity Mission: Lance Bass. According to Mr Bass’s Los Angeles-based promoter, David Creek, other globally known stars are keen to follow the lead first set by the millionaire businessmen Denis Tito last April.They include James Cameron, the multi-millionaire director of Titanic, and an unnamed supermodel. Even Tom Cruise has expressed interest in travelling into space.”It’s electric, this concept. It attracts attention faster than any other,” said Mr Creek, the president of Destiny Productions. It will be the latest global television phenomenon, he said, the ultimate in reality TV.

“It seems that the way to go here is celebrities in space.”The chance to win space flights is also being touted as the next game show sensation. In Denmark, the game show Big Mission gets 42 per cent ratings as contestants compete for a cash prize and a seat on the first commercial sub-orbital space flights due to begin within the next few years. A Singapore-based businessman is also reportedly planning a global lottery game with a space flight as a prize. Several wealthy British-based tourists have already paid $100,000 to book seats on these sub-orbital flights, including Madsen Pirie, the head of the Adam Smith Institute think tank, and an unnamed Middle Eastern businessman based in London.Despite his fame and corporate backing, Mr Bass faces competition for his seat from a Polish businessman, Leszek Czarnecki, 39, who is already booked on the medical testing programme for prospective cosmonauts near Moscow. Mr Czarnecki has yet to sign a contract to fly on the ISS, however, giving Mr Bass’s backers the edge. They have a more lucrative proposition for Rosviacosmos, the Russian space agency, and MirCorp, the privatised space company.Mr Creek has ambitious plans to stage a series of “stars in space” shows.