STAR TREK - STEWART'S CORONATION STREET AMBITION

Former STAR TREK star PATRICK STEWART is desperate to follow in the footsteps of fellow thespian SIR IAN McKELLEN and appear in iconic British soap opera CORONATION STREET.

OSCAR-nominee McKellen is currently fulfilling a lifetimes ambition by shooting a 10-episode cameo in the long-running show.

And Stewart is keen to flex his acting muscles in the five-episodes-a-week programme as well - and has asked McKellen to put a good word in with producers.

He says, "I hope he will put in a word for me."

But it won't be the first time Stewart has appeared in Coronation Street - the 64-year-old made a brief cameo appearance in the show 38 years ago, playing a firefighter.

He says, "I was paid GBP35. I had to wear a helmet that didn't fit."