PSYCHOLOGIST Dr David Holmes might just be one of the luckiest men alive - he's spent months studying women's bottoms.

And the Manchester academic has done it all with the blessing of his girlfriend.

His diligent research has helped him produce a formula to identify the perfect female behind.

To prevent incurring the ire of his partner, Dr Holmes made sure he studied every aspect of the derriere with a detached and objective scientific gaze.

The 54-year-old bachelor said: "I'm not married and I've had lots of experience of perfect bottoms.

'Remarkable'

"Some of the bottoms I've known have been quite remarkable.

"The current bottom is a brilliant one and I don't think she cares a jot about the study."

After his exhaustive research, Dr Holmes, a lecturer at the Manchester Metropolitan University, has drawn up a mathematical formula, which helps determine the perfect posterior.

He uses his expert analysis to give a woman's bottom points for five different attributes: shape (S), circularity or roundness (C), bounciness or wobble (B), firmness (F) and skin texture (T).

Grapefruits

For example, in the case of a shape, a square bottom would score one point. But if it resembles a pair of grapefruits, the score would a maximum four. There is also a sixth variable which is the ratio of the hips to the waist (V). Finally, all the numbers are put together in the formula (S+C) x (B + F)/(T - V) to produce a number which might be regarded as the bottom line.

A perfect rear end, of the kind sported by Jennifer Lopez or Kylie Minogue, will have a score of 80 points.

Dr Holmes said: "Slender thighs and a hip-to-waist ratio of 0.7 will frame the perfect bum, well perfectly.

"Kylie would score amazingly well on sphericality and symmetry. Her bottom is pretty much perfect in these areas, more so than the likes of Charlotte Church or Jennifer Lopez, who have more curvy posteriors."

Regime

While Dr Holmes readily accepted the bum job - and enjoyed every minute of it - he said there was a serious side to the research, which was sponsored by the drinks firm Lambrini.

"This is sound evolutionary research and the bottom can be a good indicator of how healthy you are," he said. "If it is less than perfect, then good diets or an exercise regime can help.

"The perfect female derriere has firmness to the touch and a resilience that prevents undue wobble or bounce yet looks soft with flawless skin."