Lee Child has revealed how his bestselling character Jack Reacher was inspired - by a trip to Asda.

The author was a regular visitor to the chain's branch in Cumbria before he found success with the crime thriller series.

At 6ft 4ins, he was often asked to reach up to the top shelf to fetch goods for shorter shoppers - and one particular encounter inspired the name behind the series.

When asked if the story was true during an interview with BBC Breakfast, he said: "Yes, Asda in Kendal.

"I went with my wife shopping, I'd just lost my job and we were very nervous about what we were going to do and every time I go in a supermarket, there's a little old lady that says 'oh you're a nice tall gentlemen, will you reach me that can?'.

"So my wife sort of made a joke. She said, ‘You know if the writing gig doesn't work, you could be a Reacher in a supermarket' and I thought 'great name' - lightbulb moment."

Child - real name Jim Grant - has since gone on to sell more than 100 million Jack Reacher books since the first, Killing Floor, was published in 1997.

It has been adapted for the screen, with Jack Reacher being played by Tom Cruise and most recently Alan Ritchson in an Amazon series.

Child began writing the series after losing his job in TV production and has penned around 30 books in total.

In an ode to the revelation, Asda Kendal has launched a ‘Green Plaque’ which has been placed on one of the top shelves the ‘real’ Jack Reacher once graced.

A spokesperson for Asda said: “Lee Child is one the UK’s finest writing exports and has been thrilling readers for decades.

“We’re honoured the inspiration for his most famous character came from one of our stores, and there’s always a green fleece with his name on it here if he ever fancies a shift.”