Where do you begin with Patrick Stewart? Star Trek, where his Jean-Luc Picard was a captain strong enough, imposing enough and – yes – sexy enough to blow away those Kirk-shaped cobwebs? X-Men, where his Charles Xavier was so powerful and imposing that each of the three movies had to find a way to get him off-screen early on so he didn't dominate proceedings? His Shakespearean work? His bald eagle sex symbol status? His embracing of those working-class Yorkshire roots, including a lifelong affiliation to Huddersfield Town? How about all of the above and more? He is an icon. He is a national treasure. And his knighthood can't arrive quickly enough.

PICTURED Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier in X-Men: The Last Stand