A BODYGUARD foiled an imposter's attempt to film scenes of a controversial film.

Martial arts expert Carl Hambrey, of Kidderminster, was protecting Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen on the set of the eagerly awaited movie The Da Vinci Code.

And he was soon in action at Lincoln Cathedral last week when intruders tried to get a sneak preview of the film.

The film is based on Dan Brown's blockbuster bestseller, which tells a story of the Catholic Church supressing the "truth" that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene.

It has convinced many fans and has led to criticism from church authorities.

He said: "On the first day of filming there was someone found in the roof spaces of the cathedral trying to take pictures, so we took their cameras off them and got them out of the building as soon as possible.

"The following day we found extras were sneaking in with video phones and trying to video things, so we seized their phones, deleted everything and got them out."

However, the kick-boxer had some fun on set saying Sir Ian was "a very, very nice man, who had a lot of time for the public and us".

He described two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks as "very American, private and reserved".

The 34-year-old and fellow Kidderminster bodyguard Mark Eaton also created decoys to allow the stars of the film, including French beauty Audrey Tatou, to slip away without being mobbed. The film is released next year.