WHAT have two University of York professors got in common with Ewan McGregor, Carol Vorderman and Sven-Goran Eriksson?

They all appear in this year's edition of Who's Who.

In fact, out of 1,000 new entries, 30 hail from York or have strong connections with the city.

Professor Dale Sanders and Professor Andrew Young are included in the edition, along with York Minster clergymen, the Venerable Paul Ferguson and the Venerable William Noblett.

Animator Peter Lord, a former University of York student, is also placed in the book, which is affectionately nicknamed The Snobs' Bible.

Professor Sanders, a plant biologist, was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Society - the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a scientist in Britain - in recognition of his ground-breaking research.

Professor Young, a psychologist specialising in facial perception, was also recently made a Fellow of the British Academy.

A spokeswoman for the University of York said: "Andy Young and Dale Sanders have both received significant international recognition for their work, particularly in recent years.

"Their inclusion in Who's Who is another acknowledgement of their excellent contributions to science."

Peter Lord is co-founder of Aardman Animation, responsible for such great characters as Morph, Wallace and Gromit and most recently Rocky from blockbuster Chicken Run.

He gained a BAFTA nomination for his animated film The Amazing Adventures of Morph, and as a director has been honoured with two Academy Award nominations.

An entry in Who's Who is always by invitation only, but the names remain in until their deaths, when they are transferred to Who Was Who.

Lord Lucan, who vanished in 1974 after his children's nanny was found bludgeoned to death, is still in the book.

The first edition of Who's Who appeared in 1849. Today it aims to list all those people who, through their careers, affect the political, economic, scientific and artistic life of the country.

Updated: 11:22 Friday, February 08, 2002