Ilkley Moor is about to become the dramatic backdrop for Yorkshire's very own spaghetti western.

Dream Catcher - possibly the first cowboy movie to be set in the county - is the brainchild of Last of the Summer Wine actor Ken Kitson, who plays a policeman in the hit television series.

The romantic comedy tells the story of divorced and unemployed Will Case, a Bradford man who lives in a Wild West fantasy world.

Fifty-six-year-old Ken, who has appeared in a host of films and TV series, including Brassed Off, Coronation Street and Heartbeat, first came up with the idea 20 years ago and actually wrote the script about 12 years ago.

But his love for the genre goes further back than that.

"My dad used to take me to see westerns when I was a kid and it has left its mark," he said. "There is a picture of me in a cowboy outfit when I was aged about five which my mum showed me. She said I played dead really well."

Now his dream is likely to become reality with himself in the starring role, supported by a host of well-known actors - including Jean Alexander, who played Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street, and George Baker, of Inspector Wexford fame.

But like all good dramas, his battle to get his creation on to the big screen has had its share of problems.

He may even have to change the name of the film because of the recent publication of a novel with the same title. And despite widespread support within the acting and musical fraternity, Ken has struggled to find a big backer and he still has to raise more than half of his initial £2 million budget.

But he has set a July start date for filming and is now inviting members of the public to invest in the project, which he insists will go ahead, come what may.

He stressed: "I have been let down by several millionaires but that has not deterred me. If I can get 2,000 to invest £1,000 each that is £2 million."

Once he has made the movie there will be distributors, exhibitors and the production company to pay, as well as investors and the brek even point is £7m. After that he begins to make a profit.

"I know £7 million is a lot of money," he said. "But I am sure it can be done. Billy Elliott made £20m in three weeks"

Fellow actors are doing their bit to help him raise funds by contributing memorabilia and signed photographs for a £45 a head dinner auction to be held at the Cedar Court Hotel at Huddersfield on Wednesday, March 26.

Tickets for the dinner, which features items from stars including Sean Bean, Michael York, Michael Palin, Sir Cliff Richard and Kenneth Branagh, are available on (01274) 468331.

Meanwhile, Ken has enlisted the help of local western societies to get in some much-needed gunslinging practice.

"So far all I have done is shot my foot and burnt my jeans," he joked.

But if his shooting skills need a little polishing, his acting and scriptwriting skills are winning support from local investors.

Peter Coleman, an independent consultant in the energy industry, is the first Ilkley business to back the film with an undisclosed sum.

He said: "I was really impressed with the project and with him as a person - his enthusiasm and his commitment.

"I think it is a genuinely good investment, and it will be nice if Ilkley is used as a backdrop."

l The last major movie star to be filmed on location on Ilkley Moor was Sean Bean, who played the lead role in the television series of Sharpe. Otley is regularly used in Heartbeat, while Emmerdale is also filmed in the area.