I'd lose all of the actors and most of the pop stars and sportsmen. Top ten (probably, this is difficult): Newton Shakespeare Dickens Darwin Churchill Cromwell Brunel Thatcher Crowley Henry VIII
More than one person. Genius. (just rediscovered him through kids doing it at school) ****. ****. ****. Horny ****.
I take it your irish. The education system is much harder here than it is in england. Film studies for **** sake.
God knows how Tony Bliar got in to the original list. I wouldn't have Tony Benn either (even though he's a great orator and passionate advocate of his political beliefs - an old school Labour politician I do actually respect unlike the current crop). I would have had Robert Walpole and Disraeli instead of them. I don't think Pincess Diana should have made the list either. If you were going to put someone in the list for charity work I'd have thought Sir Ian Botham would have been more deserving of a place. Why did Richard III make the original list. A truly lousy king. Peter Cook should be on there in his place - the King of Comedy.
Here's the order. 100 Greatest Britons (BBC Poll, 2002) The BBC conducted a poll in 2002 to discover the 100 Greatest Britons: 1.Winston Churchill, (1874-1965) - Prime Minister (1940-1945, 1951–1955) 2.Isambard Kingdom Brunel, (1806–1859) - Engineer. 3.Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) - First wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, & mother of Prince William & Prince Harry of Wales. 4.Charles Darwin (1809–1882) - Naturalist; the originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection & author of 'On the Origin of Species'. 5.William Shakespeare (1564–1616) - English poet & playwright. 6.Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727) - Mathematician, physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, & alchemist. 7.Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) - Monarch (reigned 1558-1603). 8.John Lennon (1940–1980) - Musician with The Beatles. 9.Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) - Naval commander. 10.Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) - Lord Protector. 11.Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) - Polar explorer. 12.Captain James Cook (1728–1779) - Explorer. 13.Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (1857–1941) - Boy Scouts & Girl Guides founder. 14.Alfred the Great (849?–899) - King of Wessex (reigned 871–899). 15.Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) - Military commander, statesman & Prime Minister 1828–1830 & 1834. 16.Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (1925-) - Prime Minister (1979–1990). 17.Michael Crawford (1942-) - Actor & singer. 18.Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819–1901) - Monarch (reigned 1837–1901). 19.Sir Paul McCartney (1942-) - Musician with The Beatles. 20.Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955) - Biologist, pharmacologist, discoverer of penicillin. 21.Alan Turing (1912–1954) - Pioneer of computing. 22.Michael Faraday (1791–1867) - Scientist. 23.Owain Glyndŵr (1359–1416) - Prince of Wales. 24.Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1926-) - Reigning monarch (from 1952). 25.Professor Stephen Hawking (born 1942) - Theoretical physicist. 26.William Tyndale (1494–1536) - English translator of the Bible. 27.Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) - Suffragette. 28.William Wilberforce (1759–1833) - Humanitarian. 29.David Bowie (1947-) - Musician. 30.Guy Fawkes (1570–1606) - English revolutionary. 31.Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire (1917–1992) - Aviator & charity organiser. 32.Eric Morecambe (1926–1984) - Comedian. 33.David Beckham (1975-) - Footballer. 34.Thomas Paine (1737–1809) - Political philosopher. 35.Boudica (died c.60) - Leader of Celtic resistance to Roman Empire. 36.Sir Steve Redgrave (1962-) - Olympic rower. 37.Saint Thomas More (1478–1535) - English saint, lawyer & politician. 38.William Blake (1757–1827) - Author, poet, painter & printer. 39.John Harrison (1693–1776) - Clock designer. 40.King Henry VIII of England (1491–1547) - Monarch (reigned 1509–1547). 41.Charles Dickens (1812–1870) - Author. 42.Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996) - Jet engine inventor. 43.John Peel (1939–2004) - Broadcaster. 44.John Logie Baird (1888–1946) - Television pioneer. 45.Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960) - Labour politician, helped in formation of the National Health Service. 46.Boy George (1961-) - Musician with Culture Club. 47.Sir Douglas Bader (1910–1982) - Aviator & charity campaigner. 48.Sir William Wallace (c.1270–1305) - Guardian of Scotland. 49.Sir Francis Drake (c.1540–1596) - English naval commander. 50.John Wesley (1703–1791) - Methodism founder. 51.King Arthur - Celtic monarch of legend. 52.Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) - Nurse. 53.T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) (1888–1935) - Soldier & arabist. 54.Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) - Polar explorer. 55.Enoch Powell (1912–1998) - Politician. 56.Sir Cliff Richard (1940-) - Musician. 57.Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) - Telephone pioneer. 58.Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) - Musician with band Queen. 59.Dame Julie Andrews (1935-) - Actress & singer. 60.Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) - Composer. 61.Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900–2002) - Queen consort. 62.George Harrison (1943–2001) - Musician with The Beatles. 63.Sir David Attenborough (1926-) - Broadcaster. 64.James Connolly (1868–1916) - Scottish born leader of the Irish 1916 rising. 65.George Stephenson (1781–1848) - Railway pioneer. 66.Sir Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) - Comic actor, film director. 67.Tony Blair (1953-) - Prime Minister (1997–2007). 68.William Caxton (c.1415~1422–c.1492) - English printer. 69.Bobby Moore (1941–1993) - Footballer; Captain of England 1966 World Cup winning team. 70.Jane Austen (1775–1817) - Author. 71.William Booth (1829–1912) - Founder of Salvation Army. 72.King Henry V of England (1387–1422) - Monarch (reigned 1413–1422). 73.Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) - Occultist, writer, social provocateur; founder of Thelema. 74.Robert the Bruce (1274–1329) - King of Scots. 75.Bob Geldof (1951-) - Irish musician, philanthropist. 76.The Unknown Warrior - Soldier of the Great War. 77.Robbie Williams (1974-) - Musician; previous member of Take That. 78.Edward Jenner (1749–1823) - Pioneer of vaccination. 79.David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George (1863–1945) - Prime Minister (1916–1922). 80.Charles Babbage (1791–1871) - Computing pioneer & mathematician. 81.Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343–1400) - Medieval author. 82.King Richard III of England (1452–1485) - Monarch (reigned 1483–1485). 83.J.K. Rowling (1965-) - Harry Potter Series author. 84.James Watt (1736–1819) - Steam engine developer. 85.Sir Richard Branson (1950-) - Businessman.86.Bono (1960-) - Irish musician (Singer for Rock Band U2), philanthropist. 87.John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) (1956-) - Musician. 88.Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976) - Military commander. 89.Donald Campbell (1921–1967) - Water speed world record challenger. 90.King Henry II of England (1133–1189) - Monarch (reigned 1154–1189). 91.James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) - Physicist. 92.J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) - Author & philologist. 93.Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618) - English explorer. 94.King Edward I of England (1239–1307) - Monarch (reigned 1272–1307). 95.Sir Barnes Wallis (1887–1979) - Aviation technology pioneer. 96.Richard Burton (1925–1984) - Actor. 97.Tony Benn (1925-) - Politician; formerly 2nd Viscount Stangate. 98.David Livingstone (1813–1873) - Missionary & explorer. 99.Sir Tim Berners-Lee (1955-) - Internet pioneer & World Wide Web inventor. 100.Marie Stopes (1880–1958) - Birth control promoter.
Some utter ****s on that list,nye bevan should be number one "too me tories are lower than vermin" you tell the ****s nye
Where are David Hume, Charles Lyall, James Hutton, Adam Smith, Humphry Davy, James Croll, Lord Kelvin et al.? Who put this list together? Heat magazine?
