NEWS COPY – WITH EMBED CODE FOR INTERACTIVE QUIZ
Doctor Who, Jack Bauer and DANGER MOUSE have appeared in a list of the top 24 telly heroes of all time.
The time-travelling Doctor beat Sherlock Holmes, currently played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek.
Mac-wearing detective Columbo finished in fourth, followed by counter-terrorism agent extraordinaire Jack Bauer, from 24.
The survey of 2,000 UK telly fans was commissioned to mark the release of 24: Legacy, which airs on FOX from Wednesday February 15th at 9pm.
A FOX spokesman said: "TV heroes come in all shapes and sizes, each with different skills. Jack Bauer is very much an all-action kind of hero.
"24: Legacy is the next evolution of ground-breaking real-time series 24, and introduces Corey Hawkins as CTU Agent Eric Carter, the conflicted hero for a brand new generation.
"Carter is an ex–Army Ranger who has returned to America, but his homecoming is disrupted by his past coming back to haunt him. Determined to stop the terrorist attacks that may follow he enlists the help of CTU."
Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow could only manage eighth place on the list, falling below moustachioed detective Hercule Poirot and cartoon character Danger Mouse.
And tough-as-nails teen Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer placed ninth, with Idris Elba’s Luther rounding out the top 10.
Forty-four per cent of respondents picked their top hero simply because they think they’re "cool" and a quarter believe they set a good example to follow.
Respondents wanted their TV heroes to be witty and entertaining, with an interesting flaw.
A quarter also love to see their heroes start a series as the underdog, only to overcome overwhelming odds to triumph.
A third of Brits think TV heroes are better now compared to ones on TV in the 1980s and 1990s, although six in 10 believe TV today is too violent.
When asked to pick their own personal heroes, almost half the country picked their mum or dad, with one in 10 selecting a TV character.
What people learned most of their heroes is how to treat other people, how to act with honour and treat members of the opposite sex – plus how to win a fight and deliver a one liner.
FOX’s spokesman said: "We had expected that people only wanted to learn how to throw a punch or hotwire a motorcycle from their TV heroes.
"But we found, quite sweetly, that the guidance that people are really looking for simply relates to being an honourable or good person.
"Even a hero who’s got internal conflict, like CTU Agent Eric Carter in 24: Legacy, find themselves fighting for what’s right – even if they sometimes have to do bad things to achieve them."
THE TOP 24 TV HEROES OF ALL TIME
1.Doctor Who
2.Sherlock Holmes
3.Captain Kirk (Star Trek)
4.Columbo
5.Jack Bauer (24)
6.Hercule Poirot
7.Danger Mouse
8.Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)
9.Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
10.Luther
11.Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead)
12.Napoleon Solo (The Man from U.N.C.L.E)
13.Walter White (Breaking Bad)
14.Michael Knight (Knight Rider)
15.Fox Mulder (The X-Files)
16.DCI Jane Tennyson (Prime Suspect)
17.Magnum P.I.
18.Dana Scully (The X-Files)
19.Super Ted
20.Daenerys Targaryen (corr) (Game of Thrones)
21.Xena, Warrior Princess
22.Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)
23.Captain Scarlett
24. Quincy M.D
Could you be a top agent?
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24: Legacy, Wednesday 15th February at 9pm on FOX.
ENDS
