What is thy bidding?

Darth Vader lightsaber hailed as 'grail-level cinema artefact' goes to auction with estimate of £2.2m

- BY MARK JEFFERIES Showbiz Editor and LAUREN DEL FABBRO

LIKE Darth Vader's question to the Emperor, Star Wars fans will be asked "What is thy bidding?" at an upcoming auction.

But having the force with them will not be enough, because Lord Vader's lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi may end up going for £2.2million.

Auctioneers describe the weapon - made from a camera flash handle, plastic grips and calculator bubbles - as a "grail-level" cinema artefact.

They say genuine lightsaber props from the original film trilogy are very rare and this one has been in a private collection for decades.