Living Icons of the UK

At the end of last year, BBC TV's Culture Show asked people living in the UK to vote for the UK's Greatest Living Icon. The rules of the poll? Well, to be eligible, the person nominated had to be alive; they had to have been born in the UK or be currently living in the UK; and they had to have made 'an impact on British cultural life'. We, the voting public, were also asked 'will we still be thinking about them in 10 years time?'

And the winner is... It should come as little surprise, then, that the top place in the poll went to Sir David Attenborough. Now 80 years old, he has a varied and long history in broadcasting. During his time as controller of the BBC in the 1960s, he introduced colour to the UK's television sets. He's long been a campaigner on environmental issues - many years before it was considered trendy to support such causes - and his recent BBC series Planet Earth has been watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide. In 2008, the David Attenborough Studio will open in his honour at the Natural History Museum, ensuring that there will be a permanent reminder to keep us thinking of him 10 years into the future and beyond.

TOP 10 LIVING ICONS

1. Sir David Attenborough
2. Morrissey
3. Sir Paul McCartney
4. David Bowie
5. Sir Michael Caine
6. Stephen Fry
7. Kate Bush
8. Alan Bennett
9. Kate Moss
10. Dame Vivienne Westwood

I've left out most of this article because it was far too long, but I'd recommend reading it. If only for the bizarre write-ups for each celebrity... Kate Moss? 'A Nation of Animal Lovers'? What about her love for fur then?

Still, Sir David should be up there... they at least got that right.

See the full article here.