In 2002, the BBC conducted a poll asking respondents to name who they thoyught were the greatest Britons. Here is the list, and there's some odd choices and rankings on here, IMO......Diana ahead of Newton??????
And where is Richard I Lionheart, my own personal fave???

Anyhoo, food for thought, and hate them or admire them, it's truly amazing that this small island has contributed so many outstanding individuals on the world stage.




Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940-1945 and 1951-1955, statesman, soldier and author.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), engineer, creator of Great Western Railway and other significant works

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), first wife of HRH Charles, Prince of Wales (1981–1996) and mother of Princes William and Harry of Wales.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882), naturist, originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection and author of The Origin of Species.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and playwright, thought of by many as the greatest of all writers in the English language.

Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727), physicist

Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603), monarch, (reigned 1558–1603)

John Lennon (1940–1980), musician with The Beatles

Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), naval commander

Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), Lord Protector

Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922), polar explorer

Captain James Cook (1728–1779), explorer

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (1857–1941), founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides

Alfred the Great (849?–899), King of Wessex, (reigned 871–899)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), military commander and statesman

Margaret Thatcher (*3) (born 1925), Prime Minister (1979–1990)

Michael Crawford (born 1942), actor

Queen Victoria (1819–1901), monarch (reigned 1837–1901)

Sir Paul McCartney (born 1942), musician with The Beatles

Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), pharmaceutical innovator

Alan Turing (1912–1954), pioneer of computing

Michael Faraday (1791–1867), scientist

Owain Glyndŵr (1359–1416), Prince of Wales

Queen Elizabeth II (*10) (born 1926), reigning monarch (1952–present)

Professor Stephen Hawking (born 1942), theoretical physicist

William Tyndale (1494–1536), English translator of the Bible
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928), suffragette
William Wilberforce (1759–1833), humanitarian
David Bowie (born 1947), musician
Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), English revolutionary
Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire (1917–1992), aviator and charity organiser
Eric Morecambe (1926–1984), comedian
David Beckham (*91) (born 1975), footballer
Thomas Paine (1737–1809), political philosopher
Boudica (died c.60), leader of Celtic resistance to the Roman Empire
Sir Steve Redgrave (born 1962), Olympic rower
Sir Thomas More (1478–1535), English lawyer and politician
William Blake (1757–1827), author and printer
John Harrison (1693–1776), clock designer
King Henry VIII of England (1491–1547), monarch (reigned 1509–1547)
Charles Dickens (1812–1870), author
Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996), jet engine inventor
John Peel (1939–2004), broadcaster
John Logie Baird (1888–1946), television pioneer
Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960), politician
Boy George (born 1961), musician with Culture Club
Sir Douglas Bader (1910–1982), aviator and charity campaigner
Sir William Wallace (c.1270–1305), Guardian of Scotland
Sir Francis Drake (c.1540–1596), English naval commander
John Wesley (1703–1791), Methodist leader
King Arthur, legendary Celtic monarch
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), nurse and charity campaigner
T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) (1888–1935), Arabist and soldier
Sir Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912), polar explorer
Enoch Powell (1912–1998), politician
Sir Cliff Richard (*29) (born 1940), musician
Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), telephone pioneer, # 9 on the Canadian version
Freddie Mercury (1946–1991), musician with Queen
Dame Julie Andrews (born 1935), actress and singer
Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934), composer
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900–2002), Queen consort
George Harrison (1943–2001), musician with The Beatles
Sir David Attenborough (born 1926), broadcaster
James Connolly (1868–1916), Irish revolutionary
George Stephenson (1781–1848), railway pioneer
Sir Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), comic actor
Tony Blair (*1) (born 1953), Prime Minister (1997-present)
William Caxton (c.1415~1422–c.1492), English printer
Bobby Moore (1941–1993), Footballer and Captain of England 1966 World Cup winning team
Jane Austen (1775–1817), author
William Booth (1829–1912), founder of the Salvation Army
King Henry V of England (1387–1422), monarch (reigned 1413–1422)
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), occultist, writer, and social provocateur; founder of Thelema
Robert the Bruce (1274–1329), King of Scots
Bob Geldof (born 1951), Irish musician
The Unknown Warrior, soldier of the Great War
Robbie Williams (*17) (born 1974), musician and former member of Take That
Edward Jenner (1749–1823), pioneer of vaccination
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George (1863–1945), prime minister (1916–1922)
Charles Babbage (1791–1871), mathematician and pioneer of computing
Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343–1400), English author
King Richard III of England (1452–1485), monarch (reigned 1483–1485)
J.K. Rowling (born 1965), author
James Watt (1736–1819), developer of the steam engine
Sir Richard Branson (*86) (born 1950), businessman and adventurer
Bono (born 1960), musician- Singer of Rock Band U2, philanthropist.
John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) (born 1956), musician
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976), military commander
Donald Campbell (1921–1967), water speed world record challenger
King Henry II of England (1133–1189), monarch (reigned 1154–1189)
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879), physicist
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973), author and philologist (Born in South Africa)
Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618), English explorer
King Edward I of England (1239–1307), monarch (reigned 1272–1307)
Sir Barnes Wallis (1887–1979), aviation technology pioneer
Richard Burton (1925–1984), actor
Tony Benn (born 1925), politician
David Livingstone (1813–1873), missionary and explorer
Sir Tim Berners-Lee (born 1955), Internet pioneer and Inventor of the World Wide Web
Marie Stopes (1880–1958), promoter of birth control

Number one for me: Elizabeth I. Woohoo!

steve redgrave olympic rower all the way!

I'd put Isaac Newton at #1.

Robbie Williams? WTF?

How does Boy George outrank George Harrison. And Paul McCartney should be removed from the list if he puts out any more crappy albums.

I'm surprised the Spice Girls didn't make the list.

No, I don't have a very high regard for the general public when it comes to historical perspective.

Being Irish,
Winston Churchill never liked us.

No Johnny Rotten???? Travesty!

No Johnny Rotten???? Travesty!He's there (John Lydon).

About #85 or so.

How does Boy George outrank George Harrison. And Paul McCartney should be removed from the list if he puts out any more crappy albums.
F' that!, how the hell does Boy George pull rank on King Arthur?!


i'm thinking of giving up English in protest:rant:

....but no Pythons?

Bah!

Bertrand Russell, Richard Dawkins, and Ricky Gervais.

But mostly just Ricky Gervais.

F' that!, how the hell does Boy George pull rank on King Arthur?!

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

He's there (John Lydon).

About #85 or so.


Ahhhhhh thank god, I missed him lol.

"I'm being repressed! Notice the violence inherent in the system!"

:drinktoth

I think King Arthur wasnt real.
Whereas Boy George isnt real.