Great Britons

2025-10-11T23:56:14Z

240F:CA:2CE5:1:78F9:D3FE:4C8F:EADF: /* Poll */ summary- see link

{{Short description|British television series}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
'''''Great Britons''''' is a television series that was broadcast by the [[BBC]] in 2002. It was based on a television [[Opinion poll|poll]] conducted to determine who the [[British people]] at that time considered the greatest Britons in history.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2208671.stm| title=100 great British heroes| work=BBC News| date=21 August 2002}} (contains the top 100, sorted alphabetically)</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2208532.stm| title=BBC reveals 100 great British heroes| work=BBC News| date=22 August 2002}}</ref> The series included individual programmes featuring the top ten, with viewers having further opportunity to vote after each programme.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/pentertainment/tv_and_radio/2341661.stm| title=Ten greatest Britons chosen| work=BBC News| date=20 October 2002}}{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> It concluded with a debate and final determination of the ranking of the top ten. Although many living people were included among the top 100, all of the top ten were deceased.

==Poll==
The poll resulted in nominees including [[Guy Fawkes]], who was executed for his role in the plot to blow up the [[Parliament of England]]; [[Oliver Cromwell]], who created a republican British state (the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland]]); [[Richard III of England|Richard III]], suspected of murdering his nephews; [[James Connolly]], an [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalist]] and [[socialism|socialist]] who was executed by the Crown due to his part in the [[1916 Easter Rising]]; [[Thomas Paine]], who wrote against the British crown before and during the [[American Revolution]]; [[John Lydon]], the lead vocalist of the [[Sex Pistols]]; [[Enoch Powell]], a conservative politician;<ref name="wayback11to100">{{cite web |title=Great Britons 11–100 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/genres/factual/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021204214727/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons/list.shtml/ |archive-date=4 December 2002 |access-date=1 August 2012 |url-status=live |publisher=BBC}}</ref> and actor and singer [[Michael Crawford]], the second-highest-ranked entertainer, after [[John Lennon]].

One of the more controversial figures to be included on the list was the occultist [[Aleister Crowley]]. In addition to the Britons, some notable non-British entrants were listed, including two [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] nationals, the philanthropic musicians [[Bono]] and [[Bob Geldof]]. Of the top 20 entries 16 were people of English origin. [[Elizabeth I]] was part of a Welsh royal house, [[Sir Ernest Shackleton]] and [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]], were both Anglo-Irish in what is now the Republic of Ireland when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, and [[Alexander Fleming]] in 20th place was Scottish.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/rebel-plot-to-topple-greatest-welshman-71409.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/rebel-plot-to-topple-greatest-welshman-71409.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| title=Rebel 'plot' to topple greatest Welshman| first=Steve| last=Bloomfield| work=The Independent| date=29 February 2004| access-date=11 January 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Thirteen of the 100 are women. Sixty had lived in the 20th century. The highest-ranked living person was [[Margaret Thatcher]], placed 16th.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/three-lead-race-to-be-greatest-briton-wrkwrnd6b9c| title=Three lead race to be greatest Briton| first=Robert| last=Winnett| work=The Times| date=20 October 2002| access-date=11 January 2018| url-access=limited}}</ref> [[Ringo Starr]] was the only member of [[the Beatles]] not on the list. [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] occupied the top spot in the polls for some time due largely to "students from [[Brunel University London|Brunel University]] who have been campaigning vigorously for the engineer for weeks." However, a late surge in the final week of voting put [[Winston Churchill]] into first place.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2509465.stm|title=Churchill voted greatest Briton|date=24 November 2002|access-date=8 November 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==The list==
Although the BBC's original ranked list has been removed from their web server and what remains is only an alphabetical list of the Top 100,<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/08_august/21/100_list.shtml |publisher=BBC |title=The complete list of the top 100 in alphabetical order |date=21 August 2002}}</ref> several other sources have preserved the original ranked list.<ref name="wayback11to100"/><ref name="wayback1to10">{{cite web |title=Great Britons 1–10 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/genres/factual/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040204074057/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons.shtml/ |archive-date=4 February 2004 |access-date=1 August 2012 |url-status=live |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

There was some question as to whether the Richard Burton listed at No. 96 was [[Richard Burton|the actor]] or [[Richard Francis Burton|the explorer]].{{fact|date=September 2022}} A BBC press release makes clear that the actor was intended.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/08_august/21/100_britons.shtml |title=BBC TWO reveals the nation's top 100 Greatest Britons of all time |publisher=BBC |date=21 August 2002}}</ref>

=== Top 10 ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Rank
!colspan=2|Name
!class="unsortable"|Notability
!Advocate
!class="unsortable"|Ref.
|-
| style="padding-right:5px; text-align:right;"| 1
| [[Sir Winston Churchill]] (1874–1965)
| [[File:Sir Winston S Churchill.jpg|100px]]
| [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] (1940–1945, 1951–1955). [[Historical rankings of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom|Historically ranked as one of the greatest British prime ministers]]. Led the nation during [[World War II]], when the country defended itself against [[Operation Sea Lion|a planned German invasion]]. He was an important figure in post-war national and international politics. Received the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1953.
| [[Mo Mowlam]], British politician.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite press release| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/10_october/19/great_britons.shtml| title=BBC TWO reveals the ten greatest Britons of all time| publisher=BBC| date=19 October 2002| access-date=11 October 2015}}</ref>
| <ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/genres/factual/history| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040204074057/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons.shtml/| title=Great Britons| publisher=BBC History| access-date=11 October 2015| archive-date=4 February 2004|url-status = live}}</ref>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 2
| [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] (1806–1859)
| [[File:IKBrunelChains.jpg|100px]]
| Mechanical and civil engineer, designer of the [[Great Western Railway]], [[Clifton Suspension Bridge]], [[SS Great Britain|SS ''Great Britain'']] and numerous significant ships, tunnels and bridges. A prominent figure during the [[Industrial Revolution]] which began in Britain, he revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.<ref>{{cite news|title=Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pz9d6|publisher=BBC|date=10 July 2017}}</ref>
| [[Jeremy Clarkson]], TV presenter.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 3
| [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] (1961–1997)
| [[File:Diana, Princess of Wales 1997 (2).jpg|100px]]
| First wife of [[Charles III]] (marriage 1981–1996), and mother of [[William, Prince of Wales]], and [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex]]. Admired for her philanthropic deeds and fashion style.
| [[Rosie Boycott]], journalist and feminist activist.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 4
| [[Charles Darwin]] (1809–1882)
| [[File:Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron, c. 1868.jpg|100px]]
| Biologist, geologist and naturalist. Originator of the theory of [[evolution]] through [[natural selection]] and author of ''[[On the Origin of Species]].''
| [[Andrew Marr]], journalist and TV presenter.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 5
| [[William Shakespeare]] (1564–1616)
| [[File:William Shakespeare by John Taylor, edited.jpg|100px]]
| Poet and playwright. Creator of ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''[[Macbeth]]'', ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', and many more. Thought of by many as the greatest of all English-language writers. An influential figure in [[theatre]], his plays have been performed more often than those of any other playwright. His work is praised for its humanity, diversity, psychological depth and countless new words and expressions which have become part of the English language.
| [[Fiona Shaw]], actress and theatre and opera director.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 6
| [[Isaac Newton|Sir Isaac Newton]] (1642–1727)
| [[File:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|100px]]
| Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, theologian and natural philosopher. Originator of [[universal gravitation]] and laws of [[classical mechanics]] and [[Newton's laws of motion|laws of motion]]. His ''[[Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica|Principia]]'' is one of the most influential works in the history of science.
| [[Tristram Hunt]], historian.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 7
| [[Elizabeth I]] (1533–1603)
| [[File:Elizabeth I Rainbow Portrait3.jpg|100px]]
| [[List of English monarchs|Queen of England]] and [[Monarchy of Ireland|Ireland]] (1558–1603). Brought a period of relative internal stability, and led England to victory over the [[Spanish Armada]] during the [[Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)|Anglo-Spanish War]]. Her reign is known as the [[Elizabethan era]].
| [[Michael Portillo]], journalist and politician.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 8
| [[John Lennon]] (1940–1980)
| [[File:John Lennon 1969 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| Pop/rock singer-songwriter, musician, activist and member of music group [[The Beatles]]. One of the most famous, successful, influential, covered and admired pop artists of all time. Hailed for his highly personal and [[experimental music]], rebellious free-spirited attitude and [[Peace movement|peace activism]].
| [[Alan Davies]], comedian and actor.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 9
| [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Horatio Nelson]] (1758–1805)
| [[File:HoratioNelson1.jpg|100px]]
| Naval commander, famous for his service in the [[Royal Navy]], particularly during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. His victory during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] was significant in preventing [[Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom]].
| [[Lucy Moore (historian)|Lucy Moore]], historian.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
| style="padding-right:9px; text-align:right;"| 10
| [[Oliver Cromwell]] (1599–1658)
| [[File:Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper.jpg|100px]]
| 1st [[Lord Protector]] of the [[The Protectorate|Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland]] (1653–1658). Served as the commander of the [[New Model Army]] during the [[First English Civil War|First]] and [[Second English Civil War]]s against [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| [[Richard Holmes (military historian)|Richard Holmes]], military historian.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
| <ref name="web.archive.org"/>
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[Greatest Britons spin-offs|''Greatest Britons'' spin-offs]]
*[[Historical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]
* [[100 Great Black Britons]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|364166|Great Britons}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/07_july/30/churchill.shtml Churchill memorial press release]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/10_october/19/great_britons.shtml BBC ''Great Britons'' press release]
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/business/publications/great-britons.php BBC ''Great Britons'' book and links] at [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/genres/factual/history The Top 100 Great Britons – places 11 to 100 by rank] — [[BBC]] (via web archive)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8WNn-iQjc All known clips from the Broadcast]

{{Countries' greatest people TV series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Britons}}
[[Category:2002 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:2002 British television series endings]]
[[Category:BBC television documentaries about history]]
[[Category:Greatest Nationals|Britain]]
[[Category:Documentaries about historical events]]

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Great Britons