Jude Law and Andy Gray among phone hacking test cases

The other selected cases, which are due to be tried by Mr Justice Vos at the High Court in January next year, are agent Sky Andrew, interior designer Kelly Hoppen, football commentator Andy Gray and MP Chris Bryant.

The judge said the cases would enable him to decide the damages that were properly payable across a range of alleged factual situations, and make it possible for other cases to be resolved without the need for further hearings.

He added that the trial would cover the issues of “what was agreed to be done, by whom, for what purpose, over what period and who was involved”.

The action arises out of the disclosure of information by the Metropolitan Police and Vodafone relating to material forfeited by private detective Glenn Mulcaire who, with News of the World reporter Clive Goodman, was jailed over Royal phone taps in 2007.

The judge also named a second tier of claims, which will move up should any of the lead cases settle – as has happened with actress Sienna Miller’s action, although it has yet to be formalised through a statement in open court.

They are those of former MP George Galloway, ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, actor Steve Coogan, PR consultant Max Clifford’s former assistant Nicola Phillips, and model Elle Macpherson’s former adviser Mary-Ellen Field.

Michael Silverleaf QC, for News Group Newspapers (NGN) which maintains only individual journalists were involved and no management, said there was considerable evidence showing that information was obtained through “good old-fashioned journalistic techniques” rather than accessing voice-mails.

Later, the judge referred to an update on the investigation which he had received from Jason Beer QC, for the Metropolitan Police, which indicated that the number of people who had been intercepted was in the hundreds.