100 Greatest Britonsis a television series that was broadcast by theBBCin 2002. It was based on a televisionpollconducted to determine who theBritish peopleat that time considered the greatest Britons in history.[1][2]The series included individual programmes featuring the top ten, with viewers having further opportunity to vote after each programme.[3]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
editThe poll resulted in nominees includingGuy Fawkes,who was executed because of his role in the plot to blow up theParliament of England;Oliver Cromwell,who created a republican British state (theCommonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland);Richard III,suspected of murdering his nephews;James Connolly,anIrish nationalistandsocialistwho was executed by the Crown due to his part in the1916 Easter Rising;Thomas Paine,who wrote against the British crown before and during theAmerican Revolution;John Lydon,the lead vocalist of theSex Pistols;Enoch Powell,a conservative politician;[4][5]and a surprisingly high ranking of 17th for actor and singerMichael Crawford,the second-highest-ranked entertainer, afterJohn Lennon.Diana, Princess of Wales,was judged to be a greater historical figure thanIsaac Newton,William Shakespeare,andCharles Darwinby BBC respondents to the survey.
One of the more controversial figures to be included on the list was the occultistAleister Crowley.His works had a direct influence on the rise in popular occultism and some forms of Neopaganism in the 20th century. In addition to the Britons, some notable non-British entrants were listed, including twoIrishnationals, the philanthropic musiciansBonoandBob Geldof.Of the top 20 entries 16 were people of English origin.Elizabeth Iwas part of a Welsh royal house,Sir Ernest ShackletonandArthur 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, andAlexander Flemingin 20th place was Scottish.[6]
Only 13 of the 100 are women. Sixty had lived in the 20th century. The highest-ranked living person wasMargaret Thatcher,placed 16th.[7]Ringo Starrwas the only member ofthe Beatlesnot on the list.Isambard Kingdom Bruneloccupied the top spot in the polls for some time thanks largely to "students fromBrunel Universitywho have been campaigning vigorously for the engineer for weeks. "However, a late surge in the final week of voting put Churchill into first place.[8]
Reaction of black Britons
editThere were noblack Britonsvoted on the list, prompting consternation from members of the black British community that their contribution and history in the United Kingdom were not being sufficiently recognised. A separate three-month survey was conducted among the public, resulting in the publication of100 Great Black Britons,a list of the 100 greatest black Britons as judged by the British public.[9][10]In 2004, two years after the100 Greatest Britonslist was voted on, social campaignerPatrick Vernoncreated a similar poll exclusively voted upon by members of the black British community, withMary Seacolebeing named the greatest black Briton for her actions during theCrimean WarwithRussia.[11]
The inclusion of QueenPhilippa of Hainaulton the list was criticised, as historians dispute that she was "black" in any modern sense.[12][13]She was of predominantly European ancestry, with remoteArmenianancestry on her father's side, andCuman(Turkic/Asian) ancestry on her mother's side. A report written by BishopWalter Stapledonin about 1319 describes either Philippa (then a child) or one of her sisters as "brown of skin all over", with hair "betwixt blue-black and brown"; but, aside from the confusion over who is being described, it is unclear precisely what these terms imply.[14][15][13]All known portraits appear to show Philippa as white.[12]HistorianKathryn Warnerconcludes that she was "a European woman and emphatically not of African ancestry".[13]
The list
editAlthough 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,[16]several other sources have preserved the original ranked list.[17][18][5]
There was some question as to whether the Richard Burton listed at No. 96 wasthe actororthe explorer.[citation needed]A BBC press release makes clear that the actor was intended.[19]
Top 10
edit| Rank | Name | Notability | Advocate | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965) |
|
Prime Minister(1940–1945, 1951–1955).Historically ranked as one of the greatest British prime ministers.Led the nation duringWorld War II,when the country defended itself againsta planned German invasion.He was an important figure in post-war national and international politics. Received theNobel Prize in Literaturein 1953. | Mo Mowlam,British politician.[20] | [21] |
| 2 | Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859) |
|
Mechanical and civil engineer, designer of theGreat Western Railway,Clifton Suspension Bridge,SSGreat Britainand numerous significant ships, tunnels and bridges. A prominent figure during theIndustrial Revolutionwhich began in Britain, he revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.[22] | Jeremy Clarkson,TV presenter.[20] | [21] |
| 3 | Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) |
|
First wife ofCharles III(marriage 1981–1996), and mother ofWilliam, Prince of Wales,andPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex.Admired for her philanthropic deeds. | Rosie Boycott,journalist and feminist activist.[20] | [21] |
| 4 | Charles Darwin (1809–1882) |
|
Biologist, geologist and naturalist. Originator of the theory ofevolutionthroughnatural selectionand author ofOn the Origin of Species. | Andrew Marr,journalist and TV presenter.[20] | [21] |
| 5 | William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
|
Poet and playwright. Creator ofHamlet,Macbeth,Romeo and Juliet,and many more. Thought of by many as the greatest of all English-language writers. An influential figure intheatre,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.[20] | [21] |
| 6 | Isaac Newton (1642–1727) |
|
Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, theologian and natural philosopher. Originator ofuniversal gravitationand laws ofclassical mechanicsandlaws of motion.HisPrincipiais one of the most influential works in the history of science. | Tristram Hunt,historian.[20] | [21] |
| 7 | Elizabeth I (1533–1603) |
|
Queen of EnglandandIreland.(1558–1603). Brought a period of relative internal stability, and led England to victory over theSpanish Armadaduring theAnglo-Spanish War.Her reign is known as theElizabethan era. | Michael Portillo,journalist and politician.[20] | [21] |
| 8 | John Lennon (1940–1980) |
|
Pop/rock singer-songwriter, musician, activist and member of music groupThe Beatles.One of the most famous, successful, influential, covered and admired pop artists of all time. Hailed for his highly personal andexperimental music,rebellious free-spirited attitude andpeace activism. | Alan Davies,comedian and actor.[20] | [21] |
| 9 | Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) |
|
Naval commander, famous for his service in theRoyal Navy,particularly during theNapoleonic Wars.His victory during theBattle of Trafalgarwas significant in preventingNapoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom. | Lucy Moore,historian.[20] | [21] |
| 10 | Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) |
|
1stLord Protectorof theCommonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland(1653–1658). Served as the commander of theNew Model Armyduring theFirstandSecond English Civil WarsagainstKing Charles I.Though praised by historians for moving the country to a more democratic system of government, Cromwell's nomination was controversial due to his actions during theCromwellian conquest of Ireland. | Richard Holmes,military historian.[20] | [21] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"100 great British heroes".BBC News.21 August 2002.(contains the top 100, sorted alphabetically)
- ^"BBC reveals 100 great British heroes".BBC News.22 August 2002.
- ^"Ten greatest Britons chosen".BBC News.20 October 2002.[permanent dead link]
- ^100 Greatest Britons- All known clips from the Broadcast (Lost Media, BBC2 2002).22 July 2022.Retrieved21 October2023.
- ^ab"Great Britons 11–100".BBC. Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2002.Retrieved1 August2012.
- ^Bloomfield, Steve (29 February 2004)."Rebel 'plot' to topple greatest Welshman".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^Winnett, Robert (20 October 2002)."Three lead race to be greatest Briton".The Times.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^"Churchill voted greatest Briton".24 November 2002.Retrieved8 November2019.
- ^"Nurse named greatest black Briton".BBC News.10 February 2004.Retrieved23 March2015.
- ^Solambey F. (24 June 2012)."The 100 greatest Black Britons".Afrokanlife.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2015.Retrieved27 March2015.
- ^"The top 10 black Britons (but one may not be)".The Independent.8 February 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved7 June2020.
- ^abBloomfield, Steve (8 February 2004)."The top 10 black Britons (but one may not be)".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved7 June2020.
- ^abcWarner, Kathryn(2019). "The Hainault family".Philippa of Hainault: mother of the English nation.Stroud: Amberley Publishing.ISBN9781445662800.
Philippa of Hainault was a European woman and emphatically not of African ancestry, and absolutely no-one in her own lifetime or long afterwards claimed otherwise, either about her or about any of her relatives and descendants.
- ^Hingeston-Randolph, F. C.,ed. (1892).The Register of Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter, 1307–1326.London: Bell. p.169.
- ^Mortimer, Ian(2006).The Perfect King: the life of Edward III, father of the English nation.London: Jonathan Cape. p. 34.ISBN022407301X.
- ^"The complete list of the top 100 in alphabetical order"(Press release). BBC. 21 August 2002.
- ^"100 Greatest Britons (BBC Poll, 2002)".Alchemipedia. 8 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2012.Retrieved27 October2011.
- ^"Great Britons 1–10".BBC. Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2004.Retrieved1 August2012.
- ^"BBC TWO reveals the nation's top 100 Greatest Britons of all time"(Press release). BBC. 21 August 2002.
- ^abcdefghij"BBC TWO reveals the ten greatest Britons of all time"(Press release). BBC. 19 October 2002.Retrieved11 October2015.
- ^abcdefghij"Great Britons".BBC History. Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2004.Retrieved11 October2015.
- ^"Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here".BBC. 10 July 2017.