When the British public voted for their greatest heroes, who actually topped the list?
In short: In 2002, the BBC launched a massive poll to determine the greatest Britons in history. The project sparked intense national debate, featuring a diverse list of nominees ranging from revolutionaries to entertainers. Yet, the final results revealed as much about the voters' biases as they did about historical greatness.
The Great Britons series was designed to engage the public through a series of programmes, culminating in a final ranking of the top ten figures. The process was highly interactive, allowing viewers to cast votes after each episode. While the BBC’s Controller of BBC Two, Jane Root, envisioned the project as a catalyst for widespread public discourse, the format faced significant criticism. Because the show relied on an advocacy model, it often bypassed rigorous historical scrutiny, resulting in a presentation that many critics felt was overly hagiographic and failed to address the complex controversies surrounding its subjects.
The final list of 100 nominees reflected a specific snapshot of British identity at the turn of the millennium. The selection included figures as varied as the occultist Aleister Crowley, the revolutionary Thomas Paine, and the musician Freddie Mercury, who was the only entry from the BAME community. Representation was a notable point of discussion; only thirteen of the 100 nominees were women, and while sixty of the figures lived during the 20th century, the list also reached back to pre-English figures like Boudica and King Arthur. The inclusion of Irish nationals like Bono and Bob Geldof, alongside Anglo-Irish figures like the Duke of Wellington, highlighted the complex historical relationship between Britain and Ireland.
The competition for the top spot was particularly fierce. The engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel held the lead for much of the polling period, bolstered by a vigorous campaign from students at Brunel University. However, a late surge of support in the final week propelled Winston Churchill to the number one position. Interestingly, while the poll included many living people, such as Margaret Thatcher who ranked 16th, the top ten were exclusively deceased. Today, the BBC no longer hosts the original ranked list on its servers, leaving only an alphabetical record of the top 100, though the original rankings have been preserved by other sources.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Great Britons
- Also: Wikidata — Great Britons · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Great Britons: Treasures from the National Portrait Gallery, London · CC0
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/entertainment-great-britons.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in TV series · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics
