HE'S the cleverest man in the world - and that's official.

Hampshire's Kevin Ashman has been crowned world quiz champion after beating contestants from across the world to scoop the title of world quiz champion.

The 44-year-old saw off challenges from 500 other competitors from every corner of the globe by scoring 154 points out of 200.

Winning the international quiz championship is the latest in a long line of brainteaser titles that Mr Ashman, a former civil servant, has won.

His past achievements include winning Brain of Britain and holding the highest ever Mastermind score of 41 which he set in 1995.

Mr Ashman, who has now turned into a professional question setter for radio quiz shows, said it was nice for England to bring home at least one trophy this year.

"It was nice to win something for the country.

"I hope it restores a little bit of national pride. It was also a huge surprise. I didn't have time to swot up so I just breezed in and did the best I could."

Mr Ashman, who lives in the Winnall area of Winchester, says the secret of his success was down to a thirst for reading and an amazing ability to retain information.

He has also been known to share his knowledge after helping a friend win cash on ITV's Who Wants to be A Millionaire after being picked as his Phone a Friend.

It was the first time the international quiz had been staged and saw scores of hopefuls from across the world all taking part simultaneously.

Each contestant was asked questions in their own language before the winner was announced at the end of the quiz marathon.

Questions included: What metal is saltpetre a nitrate of? (answer - potassium) And which civilisation used Quiche as their language? (Maya).

His winning score of 154 drew gasps of amazement from the international audience when it was announced as the average score was just 69.

A spokesman for organisers of the competition, said: "Everyone was gobsmacked. The average score was 69, so to score 154 out of 200 in such a difficult competition was a phenomenal result. In Belgium the other contestants gave him a standing ovation."

But despite his success on an international stage Mr Ashman admits he still struggles at his local pub quiz.

He said: "I'm very poor on questions about soap operas and pop stars, as they always come up.I get a lot of stick when I do get beaten."