Dominic Shellard, of Leicester's De Montfort University, is hoping to create the world's biggest ever "lip-synching flashmob" - and is enlisting the help of his university colleagues and students in order to achieve his goal.

Flashmobs are groups of people who - unknown to the public - assemble in a pre-determined spot to perform an organised show, such as a dance routine.

In Professor Shellard's case, he is hoping to raise money by bringing together 5,000 people to mime along to 1980s rock classic "Holding Out For A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler.

The event's profile has been boosted by a Mission Impossible spoof posted on YouTube in which, rather confusingly, the vice-chancellor appears as a would-be hero not unlike Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, complete with cat and revolving chair.

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In it, the vice-chancellor is given a "mission": to break the world "lip-dubbing" record by gathering 5,000 students at the university's Magazine Square to simultaneously mime along to Bonnie Tyler. With a flamboyant click of his mouse, the challenge is accepted. It is due to take place on 7 November.

On his Just Giving page, which will take donations for the challenge, Professor Shellard says: "We have come up with the idea of doing a flash mob/lip dub music video where I would like as many staff and students to be involved in order to break a world record for the most number of people involved.

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"So come on, do something out of the ordinary...and help us do something amazing for charity."

Professor Shellard is raising money for local hospice care charity LOROS, and ProstAid, a charity that offers support, information and awareness of prostate cancer. To donate, visit .

chris.parr@tsleducation.com