CARNAL NATION

More single women and infertile couples want their child to look like actress Jennifer Garner's husband, Ben Affleck. Affleck, the star of Armageddon and Pearl Harbour, is the most popular celebrity look-a-like choice along with American Football quarterback Brett Favre and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Luke Walton, according to sperm bank, California Cryobank.

The clinic allows clients to choose from "anyone famous enough to be found on the Web", and has hundreds of celebrity doppelgangers on its books. This includes look-a-likes of leading lights such as Tiger Woods, Prince William and Tom Cruise; and less obvious leading men such as billionaire Bill Gates, actor Rick Moranis, director Quentin Tarantino, Brazilian footballer Ronaldo and Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder famous for playing The Incredible Hulk.

Want the best of all worlds? The cryobank also allows for Hollywood hybrid, a donor whose features combine likenesses to several celebrities, perhaps Robert Downey Jr's eyes with Matthew McConaughey's chin. A "David Beckham" donor was so popular that the bank ran out of vials and he is now retired.

Scott Brown, a Cryobank spokesman, told The Daily Telegraph: "People want to make some connection to the donor and this gives them something tangible. It personalises and humanises the process. I don't think it's about designer babies, it's about "We're not suggesting your child will look like a celebrity. Genetics is a complicated business. I think the public perception is baby shopping and that couldn't be further from the truth."

More than 750 clients have used the service since it started in the summer. Under American law, donors are anonymous but their celebrity monikers let clients know what they're getting. Some time down the future, don’t be surprised with the number of celebrity look-a-likes children walking down the streets.