Top 10 British People Of ALL TIME 🇬🇧

Over 447,000 Brits voted to name these famous British people the UK's BEST BRITS OF ALL TIME. Which name on this list of top British people surprised you? Who would YOU put on this list?
Share your top 10 British people with us in the comments!
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[@WanderingRavens]

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[@carlosyoung1629]

If I remember correctly, and it was a long time ago if I have made the mistake it was only to include brits who had passed

[@joeswanson7634]

You say you detest the song imagine .....why is this? I'm off for some tea and scones

[@markoconnell2458]

Do not praise Cromwell in front of an Irishman big mistake

[@grogugrigio1407]

Btw Queen Elizabeth II is actually Queen Elizabeth III but her mum renamed herself to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to not get each other too relative with name Elizabeth ty for ur time

[@peterattfield4342]

I recon Fred Dibnah should be on that list as well

[@simpsonwykewane]

What about Fred Titmus......subject of a song by "Half Man Half Biscuit"

[@davebram4052]

@@simpsonwykewane I have to reply to this Fred Dibnah, a right Yorkshireman, he reminds me of my past Uncle, who was also a steeplejack roofer. They both be having a piss pint of tea, builders tea.

[@grunge_surf_witch_uk9130]

He use to go past my house as kid in the 80s on his steam roller and my dad and brother watched him knock a chimney down up the road.

[@7822welshsteam]

Absolutely!

[@7822welshsteam]

@@davebram4052 He was from Bolton.

[@06802300]

My 10: Charles Chaplin, Stephen Hawking, Charles Dickens, Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Stephenson, Florence Nightingale, Alexander Fleming, Charles Babbage, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing.

[@bernardthedisappointedowl6938]

Ada Lovelace as well just for her book on computing - she had the vision where Babbage had the practicality - Turing was a fan of hers, ^oo^

[@06802300]

@@adeaston6553 There is: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing_Memorial

[@andyyyz9114]

Decent list :)

[@stefanwoodhouse2028]

Damn that's a good list

[@Auron710]

i agree with it all but id have to cram churchill into my list somewhere haha, and Jack Churchill too, he landed in normalndy with a broadsword on D-day.... >

[@felicitydavies3227]

Definetly should of had Aneurin Bevan on this list for creating the NHS. A boy from the South of Wales, whom came from a coal mining family background, whom also left school at 13 to work should of definetly been on the list. I don't even want to think about where we would have been today especially during this covid period without our NHS. Happy 72nd birthday NHS (Penblwydd Happus NHS)! 🎉🎂. Great video again Eric and Grace 😊.

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for introducing us to Aneurin Bevan :D

[@LongdownConker]

Great video guys! I would have added the following to the list Stephen Hawking for his work in theoretical physics. Sir David Attenborough for his work in conservation etc. Florence Nightingale for revolutionising nursing. Emmeline Pankhurst for her contribution to the suffragette movement. Aneurin Bevan for creating the NHS.

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed it! And great additions!!

[@laurensteenkamp7693]

As a proud Bristolian I'd like to point out that Brunel's middle name was his mother's maiden name, also one of Brunel's lasting legacies (at least in Bristol) is the Clifton suspension bridge

[@isaiditisme]

Your videos are so well put together and I love your enthusiasm, keep up the great work

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you so much!!

[@BritishFreedom]

"The Black Prince" my favourite Brit of all time... The only British General never to be beaten in battle, but more importantly, I like him because he stuck it to the French.

[@WanderingRavens]

Oh my! There's a name I don't remember! **Goes to find a documentary**

[@kennethfishwick4061]

Off the top of my head I don't believe the Duke of Marlborough, Robert Clive, Frederick Roberts or Bernard Mongomery ever lost lost a battle either. I could be wrong but I suspect there could be quite a few.

[@davidmarsden9800]

@@WanderingRavens he was the son of Edward III.

[@10wanderer]

@@kennethfishwick4061 Monty ? aahhmm what about Arnham . it failed , operation Market Garden , pompous old Git !

[@tcroft2165]

@@kennethfishwick4061 or Wellington

[@gmf121266]

History nerd here....Brunels second name was from his mother Sophia Kingdom so its basically what we call a double barrelled name to honour the Maternal family after marriage. Marc Brunel was a famous French engineer himself who came to England in the late 18th century. Father and son both worked together for nearly 20 years on the Thames tunnel project which was the first tunnel to be built under a navigable river and employed a tunnel shield device, something never tried before. It was originally a pedestrian tunnel but It is now incorporated into the Underground crossing the Thames at Rotherhithe. Its no wonder Ismbard followed in his fathers mighty footsteps and even surpassed them later. Sir Kenneth Branagh portrayed him at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

[@hectorthorverton4920]

I just wondered: if Isaac Newton had been a US citizen, gravity would probably have been patented...

[@WanderingRavens]

Sorry friend, only Americans are allowed to not float away!

[@moonwalk6896]

Ada Lovelace. Not to be confused with Linda ...

[@Davey-Boyd]

Linda Lovelace! A blast from the past that is!

[@davidmarsden9800]

@@Davey-Boyd more like a blow.

[@10wanderer]

@@davidmarsden9800 that,s hard to swallow

[@tcroft2165]

AL was inconsequential and even her contributions are highly disputed.

[@davidmarsden9800]

@@10wanderer that's going deep.

[@markrichardson3421]

How about Alan Turing? Could have been a very different World War II if he hadn't built one of the first ever computers and cracked the German enigma machine.

[@allenwilliams1306]

Turing did not actually build the first computers (the Bomb and then Colossus). That was down to a brilliant chap and his team from the, er... Post Office Telephone and Telegraph Department, Tommy Flowers.They made the dream a reality. And they were definitively the first ever computers as we would understand the term, firstly with a specific use, and afterwards, programmable. A pity that tosser Churchill ordered that they should be destroyed towards the end of the war! What a cretin. Oh: I included the phrase “as we would understand the term” in relation to computers, because originally a computer was someone, usually a woman, who was employed specifically to perform complicated calculations quickly and accurately.

[@zaftra]

@Pnoch Eowell no they didn't.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

@@allenwilliams1306 actually the principles of the machine designed by Babage were extremely similar to a modern computer and Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithm.

[@idleyorkshireman3962]

Smashing video guys. Also, love how you even know William Wilberforce is let alone think he should be in there. He should, very cool chap, especially in current climate...people should know him.

[@WanderingRavens]

Yes! He should be much more well known!

[@allenwilliams1306]

@@WanderingRavens He is very well known indeed. It is just that slavery did not exist in Britain itself in his time, and had not for hundreds of years. His interest was in slavery in the Empire, and, not being a domestic concern, did not, and does not engage the British population.

[@theSFCchannel]

I would put Tommy Flowers there, Turing designed the Colossus , but it was TOMMY Flowers and 19 GPO workers that made his dream a reality.

[@demos113]

A true unsung hero. :-)

[@CaptainCalculus]

Turing designed the Bombe, not the Colossus. Different systems.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

Ada Lovelace was programming computers way back in the mid 1800s.

[@tonycasey3183]

Thanks for another interesting video. Not my cup of tea, but keep up the good work.

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

The theory of gravity and calculus makes Isaac Newton a major figure in world history. But I think his biggest contribution to British history was as Master of the Mint, he made the currency reliable. The Bank of England was established around this time and a stable currency made the Pound and City of London global powers.

[@WanderingRavens]

Haven't heard about his association with currency! Is there anything Newton didn't do??!

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

@@WanderingRavens Appear as himself on an episode of Star Trek. Stephen Hawking is - so far - the only person to do that* *He appears as a hologram of himself, technically, along with holograms of Newton and Einstein, who are playing poker with Data.

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

@Wandering Ravens his main passion was alchemy - the mystical attempt to transmute base metal into gold. It is possible he actually succeeded. When you look at the timeline alchemy fell out of favour at about the same time as the Bank of England and modern finance came into being. Following the inflation that was caused by the influx of gold and silver from the Americas anyone as bright as Newton who found a way of making gold would keep it a dark secret injecting only so much gold as needed to build a vast trading empire. Probably not true but the co-incidence is remarkable 🧐 it more plausible than a lot of modern conspiracy theories. 🤓🤫

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

@Wandering Ravens anything he didn’t do? probably “have sex”

[@ftumschk]

Newton's invention of the reflecting telescope was a major breakthrough for astronomy. His innovation of telescopic mirrors allowed for much larger instruments to be made than if we'd been stuck with lens-based "Galilean" refractors. Centuries later, it would take a 100-inch reflecting telescope (basically a Newtonian one) to allow Edwin Hubble to discover the expansion of the Universe.

[@mango4ttwo635]

Princess Di on the list is truly depressing

[@WanderingRavens]

Did seem a little out of place

[@michaelscott7166]

The survey was done in the early 2000s, there was still a boatload of Diana hysteria back then.

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZytopWFZd97qdU

[@irishdivajeffries6668]

Boudicca!

[@WanderingRavens]

She should have been on this!

[@slightlyconfused876]

What for? Massacring thousands of innocent civilians and then being inept enough to get massacred in turn? You notice that she didn't actually have any long term effects either. Pretty ineffective all round.

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

slightly confused What did you expect? She had her land stolen, flogged and made to watch her two daughters being raped by roman soldiers.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

@@slightlyconfused876 No long term effects? Really? By AD60 the Romans had managed to almost bury the knowledge of the defeats in the Second Punic War. Boudica wiping out a good chunk of the Roman armed forces in Britain and leveling Colchester (which was full of Roman Veterans) cracked at least the image of Roman invincibility.There is a possible link between that and the Jewish Revolt that led to Jerusalem being leveled in AD70 along with several other revolts. There is a school of thought that Nero's debate with the senate over pulling out of Britain due to the Boudica revolt which in turn led to his downfall and the nonsense about him fiddling while Rome burned. That was obviously propaganda as the more average Roman citizen thought he was a good leader.

[@the13thdukeofwybourne77]

@@gordonlawrence1448 Now that's what I call a put down!

[@moonwalk6896]

No Margaret Thatcher? Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity!

[@leedsman54]

We'd have been in shit creek if Mrs.T hadn't come along to face the unions that were calling strikes over nothing every few weeks. And please don't whine about the miners, coal was on the way out anyway.

[@DIGZDIGZDIGZ]

Thatcher is marmite. Half of the people love her, the other half hate her. The Argentinians definitely hate her though so that's a bonus 😂

[@Ionabrodie69]

leedsman54 Agree wholeheartedly strongest leader bar none ( although Churchill was a whisper away. )

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

But Churchill is still on there though.

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

@Winston O'Leary He was as evil as Hitler

[@petersymonds4975]

Love your videos. ACIREMA reminds me of that wonderfully named village in Dylan Thomas's “Under Milk Wood”. That was LLAREGGUB, in theory near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Peter

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoy our videos! And thank you for introducing us to LLAREGGUB :D

[@mmigesh4735]

Read it backwards.

[@petersymonds4975]

@@mmigesh4735 If you can get hold of Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas read it, there's a lot of subtle Welsh humour in it. Peter

[@alisonanthony1228]

Listen to Richard Burton read Under Milkwood. Never has a voice blended so well with the poetry. Burton was born to read Dylan Thomas.

[@miloherdale166]

Princess diana was mostly on there because her death was so recent

[@WanderingRavens]

Makes sense

[@Otacatapetl]

@Rob Crossgrove I also think she simply wasn't up to the job, which I admit is a tough one. I remember saying to my wife I was sick of seeing her face on the front of the newspaper every single day. (No, Diana, not my wife.) It really was over the top at the time. The very next day she was a dead'un and I felt pretty bad. I mean, I didn't wish her dead or anything. I'll always remember it as it was my niece's wedding. Still, it's an ill wind...

[@andyg3]

Fred Dibnah!

[@Davey-Boyd]

He was a really nasty man. Very cruel to his wife.

[@cropstar]

Where's Carl Fogarty and Lemmy? Great vid as always!

I thought of you the other day when making black currant jelly and having some black currants with strawberries last night. Did you try a kir royale?

[@joshward1148]

Why the hell is David Attenborough not number 1!?

[@WanderingRavens]

RIGHT?!

[@Bexyboo88]

I was looking through the comments to see if anyone else put it as I was thinking exactly the same!! :D

[@replevideo6096]

He is a sell out to the climate change death cult. A great man who destroyed his reputation in his twilight years.

[@Ionabrodie69]

Replevideo Wash your mouth out with soap .!!!!!

[@desmondobrien68]

Attenborough jumped on the climate change bandwagon very late in his career and that's recorded on BBC fact

[@spaolozzi53]

Aneurin Bevan should definitely be there, dump Diana to make room. So she spent some time doing charity work, I and thousands of people like me volunteer for charities but we don't do it for the photo ops.

[@allenwilliams1306]

Diana: deluded cow.

[@cleoldbagtraallsorts3380]

@Rob Crossgrove What about all the medical staff who had contact with patients and had to draw blood etc at that time when it was a disease with a definite death sentence. They were far more heroic.

[@mjwoodroff8446]

Aneurin Bevan made 45. The full list actual goes as far as 100

[@zingyyellow554]

Aneurin Bevan fellow Welshman and instigator of the NHS, probably has saved more brits than anyone

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

I'd give that credit to the amazing NHS staff...but yeah Bevan should be on the list.

[@garjones99]

They ran the same poll and supporting shows on the international BBC World channel a few months later and the winner was Isaac Newton.

[@user-hh8up5yg3c]

Hello, I am a student who went to middle school after taking Eric's class at Changhyeon Elementary School. It's a pity that I can't see you, but always try!

[@WanderingRavens]

Hi!! This is Eric! :D I hope you're doing well! Can you remind me which class you were in? What was your English name? 😆

[@user-hh8up5yg3c]

My English name is Seo Sang-kyung, and I was in grade 5, class 2. I remember the fun and memories of your class... I'll support you in the future, waiting for another day.

[@davidcook7887]

상경서 . He is now Eric W Raven. He is an American who talks about British culture to British people from France. He is confused! Fortunately he has a saving Grace! We Bri

[@davidheafield1436]

Another recommendation for Nye (Aneurin) Bevan , we can only thank him for sparing us the horrendous health system that the USA has ........ Why is the concept of “all pay in and all take out when it’s needed” such an anathema to American?

[@grahampackham681]

Because in the US you are a "revenue stream" and not a patient, it's all about making money and not about healing humans.

[@desmondobrien68]

To America the NHS is socialism is my guess

[@markjohnson9476]

He didn't invent the NHS. The Tories did. He just passed the law

[@royboy6890]

The only difference in the US and UK healthcare is that the americans have to voluntary pay for health insurance and the UK its compulsory insurance as in national insurance. Quite a lot of US companies include health insurance as part of the contracts. I'm not knocking the UK system by any means but with what I pay, I could probably get private treatment and better unemployment insurance for less. I'm quite happy to pay the extra so people on lower wages can benefit.

[@davidheafield1436]

Royboy 68 ...carry on fooling yourself pal.

[@robclaridge6236]

Brunel is most famous for his "Clifton suspension bridge". Worth a look in to. If you ever come to Bristol to see it, I would love to buy you both a pint/coffee. You guys are so lovely.

[@WanderingRavens]

That's very kind of you, Rob! Just another incentive to visit Bristol ;)

[@aliceneighbour1666]

There is a lot about Brunel in Swindon, Wiltshire, England

[@andybaker2456]

I know you guys have a great thirst for British knowledge, so hearing you refer to the "Thames River" made me think of another nugget to add to your repertoire. In the UK we tend to put River before the name, so it would be the River Thames, River Tyne, River Avon, River Taff, River Clyde etc. etc. P.S. Well done for pronouncing Thames correctly! 👍

[@WanderingRavens]

Oh! We had no idea! So thank you for setting us straight on that :D

[@benjapin]

Avon is from the Welsh for river, so it’s really the River River 🙂

[@RosLanta]

Though even more often we just refer to 'the Thames' or 'the Mersey' etc.

[@andybaker2456]

@@benjapin A bit like when people talk about Koi Carp, what with Koi being the Japanese word for Carp an' all! 😁

[@MikeRees]

@@benjapin heh about half the rivers in the world are called River River if translated

[@mango4ttwo635]

Watt Tyler, Cromwell was a kinda revolutionary in order to become dictator. A dictator that left in place a design for future democracy. A complicated historical figure. Brunel: not just the biggest ship, the first ship made of metal, not wood

[@chrislyne377]

He ignored and reduced Parliament to an irrelevance, his rule was backed up by military force and he designated his son as his successor. A democrat he was not.

[@WanderingRavens]

Very complicated. Love studying his battles! He was a brilliant tactician.

[@peterbrown1012]

The civil war happened because Charles 1st dismissed Parliment because they wouldn't give him what he wanted, when Oliver Cromwell became Lord protector (King in all but name) he did the same thing.

[@fergalmoore862]

Cromwell was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Irish people.

[@TheBreadthatcausedLesMis]

@@WanderingRavens Cromwell also banned quite a lot of things like Christmas, pubs, theatre, sports etc. As he was against them on religious and moral grounds. It was only until Charles II came back that things were reinstated.

[@markjakeway2035]

You see everyone remembers Issac newton for Gravity but really his three laws of Motion and the ideas that became known as Newtonian mechanics that are far more important. It allowed precise calculations to be made regarding velocity, acceleration, forces, and made sending men to the moon possible... remember the classic line from the Apollo film with Tom hanks - 'we just put Issac Newton in the driving seat'. Additionally he developed , discovered, invented (delete as you see fit) Calculus. I know the Germans claim it was Leibniz as well, but of as a patriotic Englishman that is just not true of course, although he may have helped a little. One of my most exciting moments in my life was to look on one of the original Newton's Principia on display in the Bodeian library in Oxford.

[@rosiecass5837]

Loving the content guys! My top pick for best brit would be Billy connolly (he is from Glasgow) OR Jimmy Page. They are both GODS in my eyes. Can't wait for the next video! X

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed it! Great additions :D x

[@zzz9304]

Guy Fawkes deserves a mention.

[@wencireone]

What a guy😁👍

[@WanderingRavens]

Not too familiar with Guy Fawkes. From what I understand, he didn't have any lasting impact on British politics. Set me straight? :D

[@slightlyconfused876]

Now if he came back again today and did the job properly this time he'd get my vote.

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

Wandering Ravens Catholicism in England was heavily repressed under Queen Elizabeth I, particularly after the pope excommunicated her in 1570. During her reign, dozens of priests were put to death, and Catholics could not even legally celebrate Mass or be married according to their own rites. As a result, many Catholics had high hopes when King James I took the throne upon Elizabeth’s death in 1603. James’ wife, Anne, is believed to have previously converted to Catholicism, and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was Elizabeth’s Catholic archrival prior to being executed. There were even rumors, inspired by his diplomatic overtures to the pope, that James himself would become Catholic. It soon became clear, however, that James did not support religious tolerance for Catholics. In 1604 he publicly condemned Catholicism as a superstition, ordered all Catholic priests to leave England and expressed concern that the number of Catholics was increasing. He also largely continued with the repressive policies of his predecessor, such as fines for those refusing to attend Protestant services. Guy Fawkes and others attempted to blow up Parliament and kill King James in the belief that it would encourage Catholic’s to stand up and fight. As we all know it was a total failure.

[@stevebarlow3154]

@@mrjohn.whereyoufrom Queen Elizabeth 1st was fairly liberal and tolerant of other religions by the standards of the times. The catholics put to death were involved in a number of plots to assassinate her. In particular a number of Jesuit priests came to England with the specific aim of killing her.

[@neilymanadventures6577]

Nye Bevan and Jennie Lee, husband and wife, he created the NHS and she created the Open University. Clement Attlee, probably our greatest Prime Minister. Alexander Fleming,discovered penicillin and comes from my part of the world. Alan Turing broke the enigma code

[@ricmac954]

The best of the best 👍

[@allenwilliams1306]

Clem Attlee, deputy Prime Minister during most of the War, provided the support that Churchill needed to become PM in the first place. Despite his myriad faults, no other Conservative leaders had the backbone or inclination to oppose Hitler “come what may”, and Chamberlain's replacement had to be a Conservative, because they held the majority in the Commons. Attlee has never been given the credit that is his due for his actions at this crucial time, or for his, and other Labour ministers', complete running of the Home Front for the rest of the War. The people, and, particularly, the servicemen of the time knew this, and responded by booting out Churchill (whose usefulness had expired) in 1945. Attlee then presided over the post-war transformation which defined Britain at least until Margaret Thatcher sharpened her claws, and, arguably, ever since, because the failures of Thatcherism have now been revealed. Clem: the Greatest Prime Minister!

[@franl155]

Harold Godwinson, the last English king of England before the Normans took over.. He took his army on a forced march up north, fought a battle, defeated the Vikings, then had another forced march back to meet William - and still held him off for the better part of a day.

[@geosword6]

Loving the irreverence in this video. 😁 I've not genuinely laughed out loud at anything for a long time but Eric describing the 'total mess' that was life before gravity was invented, all with a perfectly straight face had me spitting my drink out for laughing! Brilliant!!

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you appreciated the joke 😆

[@lazyoldmanathome7699]

And there's me thinking it was discovered and not invented.

[@henryroxfil3382]

6:03 grace is a lucky lady

[@WanderingRavens]

😆

[@RosLanta]

Not someone many people will have heard of, but one of my favourites (certainly my favourite local - she was from Liverpool) is Eleanor Rathbone. Suffragist, one of the first female MPs, uni lecturer, and a key campaigner on issues including women's and children's rights (both in the UK and internationally - e.g. in India and Kenya, on issues from female circumcision to child marriage), human rights, and refugees (including campaigning to take in Jews and dissident Germans during WW2). She campaigned for a family allowance that eventually became the child benefit system in the UK today.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

It used to be called family allowance a few decades ago.

[@x3nine96]

Kitty Wilkinson. Liverpool's 'saint of the slums'.

[@doegywhail728]

5:43 we’re through the looking-glass, people.

[@johnboy2562]

Douglas Adams would get my vote!🤖📖😄

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

Tied for first place with Terry Pratchett

[@allenwilliams1306]

“I see comedy as...” Thank You, Mr Different Adams.

[@mattcrooke8321]

It always makes me laugh when John Lennon is included in these lists of great people. He was not a nice person at all. It’s well documented about how he treated his first wife and his son. His son has written about the abuse in the past. Ps I know you didn’t compile the list, but I wanted to add this comment before everyone started pouring all over him and how much of a great musician he was. On a positive note, your videos are superb. It’s always interesting to get the American perspective on us Brits!!!

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed the video! And thanks for sharing a bit more insight about John Lennon with us!

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

As a wise guy once said, “it's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a bitch or another", and it's difficult to disagree.

[@mattcrooke8321]

Derpimus Maximus ha ha! That’s so true

[@mattcrooke8321]

jordan blakeley I couldn’t agree more 👍🏻👍🏻

[@davidmarsden9800]

@@Jorpando true especially in the mid to late sixties he kept them going and in the cultural forefront.

[@andrewbaker7839]

It was Isambard's father Marc who built the first Thames tunnel, although his son did help.

[@petejones7878]

Kier Hardy, Robert Tressel, and Dickens

[@x3nine96]

Tom Paine ...

[@AMayT1992]

Not sure who I'd remove, probably John Lennon, but it always shocks me when Florence Nightgale doesn't appear in a list like this. Churchill was also not great. He may have down some great things for the country, but also, he did a lot of bad too.

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

To be honest I wouldn't consider being Prime Minister during WW2 to be that great, others who were less evil could have gotten us through the war.

[@abbyhuntley3171]

Really appreciate the nanosecond of Freddie ;-)

[@circus1701]

Wife waking me in the morning: Wife: Princess Diana been killed in a car crash in Paris Me: What took them so long!

[@downsman1]

Outrageous! An absolute travesty! Where is the name of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington? The greatest general Britain ever produced, every time he met the French he thrashed them. He was, on land, what Nelson was at sea and even served as Prime Minister in his later days. Also, in company with King George IV, he founded England's third oldest university, Kings College London.

[@glastonbury4304]

As much as I like Princess Diana, she's hardly one of the greatest Brits, if she looked like Camilla she wouldn't make it into the top 1000 🤷🤣🤣

[@royboy6890]

The question wasn't greatest it was best. Churchill was on there for his efforts defeating Germany in WW1 but can anyone (without looking it up) tell me who helped defeat them in WW1 and why he's not in the list. It's just a popularity survey and naturally people will pick people they consider popular to them. Kate might get in the top 1000 but the establishment will prevent her getting higher. After all they dont want another Diana scandal.

[@glastonbury4304]

@@royboy6890 it was top 10 Brits of all time, do of assume greatest or best will do , all stupid semantics

[@glastonbury4304]

@John Mitchell nope because we can join in 🤣🤣🤣

[@autisticackermann100]

It's nothing to do with looks, people love Diana because she was a good, present mother (something they had NEVER seen in the royal family before), she was far more normal and non-judgemental, she was kind, she was present with the working class people and didnt just sweep them aside - she used to hand write replies to all of her letters. The only reason people "dont mind" that she had an affair is that Charles was cheating on her since before they were even married with Camilla (who was also married and this is why she would never make it onto the list) and was such an awful husband that he triggered her to develop a very severe mental health disorder. so what if she wanted to shag her bodyguard? her husband refused to live with her, or talk to her, cheated on her publicly with a married woman, and made her life miserable. She would have divorced him if they werent in the royal family.

[@glastonbury4304]

@@autisticackermann100 well one good thing now is the royals can marry who they want, not what's forced upon them...if that was the case in Charles and Diana's day then everyone would of been happy

[@bernardthedisappointedowl6938]

Something of a 'Bill and Ted' adventures feel to this - no bad thing, ^oo^

[@coliniancooke8848]

Brunel's tunnel was not just the first one under the Thames, it was the first one underwater in the world.He also built the Great Western Railway including the tubular suspension bridge over the River Tamar and the Box Tunnel, the longest in the world at the time.

[@joolzessam1824]

I would remove John Lennon and Princess Diana. I would add Joseph Bazalgette (1819 - 1891). He was the Chief Engineer who created the Sewer Network for Central London (the same one that is still used today). A great achievement in itself but it was also instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics. I would also add Henry VIII. I know this is a strange one but hear my reasoning. I nominate him because he created the Church of England which meant we broke away from the rich and powerful rule of the Catholic Church making us independent from the rest of Europe. If it had not been for him I would not exist. My ancestors were French Huguenots (Protestants) from La Rochelle who were persecuted by the French Catholics which included the Nobility. If it had not been for Henry VIII my ancestors would not have had anywhere to flee to and would have been killed in the genocides. They were the first people to be called refugees and this is why a french word is still used today to describe people fleeing from persecution.

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for taking the time to add some names to the list! And I think it's incredible that you can trace your family back to the Huguenots!

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

It is also arguable that a Roman Catholic England would not have established colonies in America - Catholic Spain and Portugal carved the new world between themselves and would have claimed precedence. No non-conformist Protestants, no mayflower pilgrims. No Quakers, no Pennsylvania. etc. etc.

[@joolzessam1824]

​@@WanderingRavens Luckily for me my mum was a genealogist. There were several waves coming to England. My ancestors were not the first to flee and hung on until they really had no choice. We have traced other family lines back even further than that. On my dad's side we have trace back to the early 1600's (Northamptonshire).

[@joolzessam1824]

@@ShiningBlueCircle Good point. Hadn't thought of that.

[@worzelXtreme]

Anyone else think David Attenborough should be on a top ten list, he`s a national treasure

[@alanc.1213]

He is now a sell out to the Climate nutters and the shill BBC.

[@jackpalmer7577]

"Living inside the belly of Britain's oldest enemy" tore a new mouth where my throat used to be. Crying 😂

[@zercon1131]

I think Vera Lynn would be a worthy candidate. Born during the First World War, entertained troops in Burma during the Second World War as few entertainers were there. She did a great deal of charity work and topped the UK album chart at the age of 100. She was a person we all could rally around and was even quoted by the queen during her address on corona virus. Plus she lived to a 103 years old meaning she had an impact in UK life for almost 80 years.

[@hotspace1145]

Why wasn't Freddie Mercury here 😭

[@WanderingRavens]

SAME

[@hotspace1145]

@@WanderingRavens hahaaha I love Freddie lol ❤️ he's my hero

[@chrislyne377]

He was 58 on the list

[@Westcountrynordic]

@@WanderingRavens Freddie wasn't born in Britain. For the record Freddie was born in Zanzibar

[@davidwallin7518]

@@Westcountrynordic Mind you, old Winnie was half-American (his mum was a Yank)

[@aiylah7723]

Ok Tom Holland has to be on this 😂😂 Edit: Half if these people I didn't know existed

[@WanderingRavens]

😂😂😂

[@hotspace1145]

Same I never knew half of them 🤣

[@rubitoblondie]

Perhaps since this list was made so long ago it might be fun for you to ask your subscribers and everyone in general who they might consider the top 10 or 20 Britons of all time. Just for fun and a glimpse at how generational perceptions differ. Might prove to be fascinating :D Oh and also I enjoy your content very much :)

[@WanderingRavens]

Great idea! We'll do that! So glad you enjoy our videos :)

[@royboy6890]

@@WanderingRavens If you do a poll please try to word it so as not to include people's favorites. Something like greatest or influential brittains or you will get peoples favourite musicians or footballers as shown on this thread. Its strange no ones mentioned any of the spice girls on this thread 🤣

[@Josh-gw3ms]

I was surprised the guy who made digestive biscuits and Tunnocks Tea Cakes wasn’t here, heart broken

[@sentinal2337]

The Queen is above all lists...

[@WanderingRavens]

Good point

[@yorkhawk]

She actually came 24th

[@allenwilliams1306]

She is on my list as public enemy number one!

[@YorkshireScottASMR]

Quite frankly if John Lennon's is on the list Freddie mercury should definitely be on there.

[@radcliffeammies2755]

John lennon is 10 times better than Freddie

[@MrLeoHaslett]

RADCLIFFE AMMIES completely agree with you

[@qasimmir7117]

My top ten. 10. William Shakespeare 9. Edward Jenner 8. Isambard Kingdom Brunel 7. Isaac Newton 6. William Wilberforce 5. Lord Nelson 4. The Iron Duke 3. Alan Turing 2. The Black Prince 1. Winston Churchill Honourable mention: Freddie Mercury

[@COMEINTOMYWORLD]

I would add Daniel Defoe, Emily Bronte, Christopher Wren.

[@HootMaRoot]

France was not Britons enemy they were England's enemy, France was actually good friends/allies of Scotland

[@WanderingRavens]

Great point! Thank you for setting us straight on that one!

[@psychdjh]

@@WanderingRavens although in medieval and restoration periods Scotland and France had been allies ('the Auld alliance'), Scotland had already been part of the UK for nearly 90 years by the outbreak of the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars with France (1793-1815). In that time, the UK was involved with several wars with France, including the Wars of the Spanish and Austrian succession, and the US War of Independence. Although to be fair, there are very few countries in the world the UK hasn't had a war with at some point...

[@ftumschk]

Indeed. There were also friendships/alliances between Wales and France in mediæval times.

[@neilbuckley1613]

And being an enemy of France is not uniquely English. The Spanish, Germans and Italians have all had very good reasons to hate the French for their aggression.

[@ShiningBlueCircle]

The last naval engagement between France and the UK was in 1940 - Churchill ordered the Royal Navy to fire upon the French fleet (ostensibly to prevent it from falling into German hands) with the loss of 1300 French sailors lives.

[@vangvieng1]

Churchill was vile. People should actually study history before they post nonsense.

[@DIGZDIGZDIGZ]

If you haven't already, I believe you can have a tour around the HMS Victory (Nelson's ship) in Portsmouth. Or at least you could when I was a kid (not sure if they still do it or not), definitely worth doing if you are ever in Portsmouth anyway.

[@Callrissian]

I would personally exchange John Lennon for Charles Babbage "Father of the computer"

[@nathaneccleston3738]

1) Clement Attlee 2) Winston Churchill 3) Issac Newton 4) Charles Darwin 5) Alan Turning 6) William Shakespeare 7) Charles Dickens 8) Lord Nelson 9) Alfred the Great 10) Elizabeth I

[@cuthbert246]

How Princess Diana gets on the list is beyond. Brunel was a genius.

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad to learn about Brunel! Watched a documentary about him after shooting this video. How did one man do so much?!

[@DIDCOTTWIST]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is my call for greatest Brit.Bridges ,Tunnels The Great Western Railway and Ships

[@sddsddean]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel got his name from his father and mother...Marc Isambard Brunel ( a French civil engineer) and the English lady he married, Sophia Kingdom. Marc designed the Thames tunnel at Rotherhithe (which is still in use today), but Isambard was the resident engineer. He almost died when the river broke through during the works and during his convalesence in Bristol, entered the competition to design a bridge at Clifton. The susupension bridge was completed to a modified design after his death as a memorial. Although the SS Great Britain was the biggest ship at the time, it was eclipsed by the SS Great Eastern, which at 692 feet long, was the biggest ship in the world until the RMS Lusitania was built 48 years later! It also was instrumental in the first econmically successful trans Atlantic telegraph cable, as it was the only ship big enough to carry all the cable at once!. She was scrapped in Liverpool and the only piece of her that remains is her jackstaff, which is used at Liverpool FC's ground at Anfield as a flagpole. Can you tell I'm a bit of a Brunel fan?! Loads more I could tell you.

[@hayleyblackmore7076]

The darkest hour shows a lot of information about winston Churchill you guys should react to weird British town traditions

[@philbourke3750]

Charles Tyrwhitt. His shirts are world-famous for more than one reason: quality and perfect fit.

[@JohnSmith77777]

Hi I wanted to give a modern perspective on Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The man was a innovative engineer on the cutting edge of the latest technology of his time and used this to create grand culture changing projects. He was also quite showy and good at selling himself. Truthfully we have his modern equivalent at present in Elon Musk, developing mainstream electric cars, reusable and cheap space transport and fround transportation systems with hyperloop & the boring projects. Brunel's created the modern world up to World War 2. 1.Firstly the construction of tunnel building under the Thames (creating the London tube system and therefore all following subterranean metro systems. Interestingly his 'cutting mechanism' produced the basic layout of modern cutting/boring machines , although his was human powered rather than machine powered. Effectively a cutting face where Brunel had 3 levels in a circle of pickaxe diggers, behind them the wheelbarrow rubble transporters then behind that was people immediately building the tunnel supports and structural tunnel lining behind. ... The whole mechanism was was moved forward and so on. Even the machines which Channel tunnel built 1988-1994 used the same process (but with machines rather than human wielding pickaxes 2. Construction of the Great Western Railway. simply put Brunel created the finest and most level railway of its time. He took railway and steam power from a localized, niche concept for transporting in a local area in a fast commuter transport system that we recognize today. 3. He then took his experience of steam technology and applied this to ships. The SS Great Britain was the first transatlantic steamship. Isambard Kingdom Brunel effectively brought the revolution of cargo and passenger ship sailing. He is the cause of paradigm shift that was the end of the sail ship and its replacement with metal built steam ships. As I say his modern equivalence is Elon Musk ( both good at selling themselves /ideas) or in American history UK equivalent of Thomas Edison. Brunel was a huge part of the 1st industrial revolution in the world and created many things that make modern Britain to this day. He deserves his place in the top 10. Churchill will always deserve his position at No1 because without Churchill's leadership in holding a uncompromising against Nazi Germany means we still have a UK today. It is entirely probably that without his fortitude 'the powers that be/risk adverse civil service would have reached a compromise with Hitler and thee UK would have become a Satellite state of the 3rd Reich. That would have meant no 2nd front, American/UK/Soviet cooperation not happening, the ceasefire on the eastern front and the consolidation of Nazi rule over central Europe with the UK being a subservient satellite state of the Reich. The UK would not have been fortress island allowing the ability of mass American military buildup to then open the 2nd front with the invasion of occupied Europe with D-Day.

[@Bob_just_Bob]

Loved this video! You two were especially spunky today! 😁. Churchill as #1 wise choice. I’d put Darwin and Newton 2nd & 3rd for his contribution to Science, Shakespeare 4th then Mr Blobby certainly couldn’t be put above Mr Bean or Mr Bond as backup fictional members though Basil Faulty maybe. Speaking of which I would certainly include John Cleese and the rest of the MP clan! The rest I don’t know enough about to comment

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed it! I'm finally over all my tooth pain, so we were feeling especially spunky :D

[@Bob_just_Bob]

Wandering Ravens Great to hear that’s over with!

[@lazyoldmanathome7699]

Spunky is not a nice word in the UK.

[@almostideal1306]

I remember when this poll was taken and people argued that nobody had done more to the monarchy than Diana, when Oliver Cromwell was on the same poll

[@richesmatthew]

It would be great to see a reaction video of the epic rap battle of history video where is was Churchill and Roosevelt to see if you the myriad of references. (Pro tip the background where it goes black and white was their armies main like of offence).

[@tomosprice8136]

My Personal list: 1) Nye Bevan 2) Isaac Newton 3) Isambard Kingdom Brunel 4) Clem Attlee 5) Charles Darwin 6) Arthur Wellesley 7) Horatio Nelson 8) Florence Nightingale 9) Alan Turing 10) Stephen Hawking

[@rowls2429]

Think of Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the British version of Thomas Edison. Brunel was more practical though - building infrastructure rather than widgets or gadgets.

[@MegaBoilermaker]

The US Navy have a warship named after Winston Churchill, and it always numbers a British officer amongst the crew.

[@samuellawrencesbookclub8250]

My Personal List: 10) Alexander Graham Bell 9) William Shakespeare 8) Charles Dickens (Yes, I do think Dickens was a better writer than Shakespeare) 7) Christina Rossetti (And Rossetti was a better poet) 6) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Less a better writer, more a generally better person) 5) Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) 4) Sir Francis Drake 3) Florence Nightingale 2) Mary Seacole (Her father was Scottish, and she was a subject of the Empire, so yes she counts as British) 1) Alan Turing

[@Shaun_Garratt]

Interesting list, scared me for a moment seeing Mr Blobby in the thumbnail! From the time this came out, wouldn’t have surprised me, haha. Surprised to see Cromwell in there and as others have said, Diana likely wouldn’t be there if list was more recent. Hard to think who else could be there, so many historical figures are looked at in a bad light these days due to their views/actions of the time not being acceptable now.

[@nat3007]

Yes their actions look horrible from a 21st century perspective but it doesn't mean we can't learn about them it is perfectly possible to be both bad and good and values change all the time with society. My grandad who is 94 never learnt to cook because when he was growing up that was considered womens work. I know its not on the same scale as historical figures but still it shows shifting values. Mr Blobby was purposely designed to be terrifying for a comedy show and accidentally ended up being loved by children.

[@RainbowSauceGames]

My mum is a retired teacher and used to work in a pretty rough school so has come across many interesting names and I’m pretty sure she said she taught a Heaven Lee! (Don’t quote me on it though) So, funny you should mention that name! 😂

[@gmf121266]

Btw....Winston Churchill was officially half American as his Mother was American socialite Jenny Jerome. I think the special relationship we have with America can be said to be a lot to do with his influence and appeal in the States due to his background.

[@ItzDylanM]

My most favourite brit of all time is Sir Christopher Lee. His life could be made into multiple movies and they all would be entertaining asf.

[@gavinpotts6747]

I'd add Alexander Fleming (penicillin) John Logie Baird (tv) James Young Simpson (anaesthetic)

[@Alan_Mac]

^^^ spot the Scot ;)

[@Georgexb]

Fun fact about Brunel: Whilst performing a coin magic trick for his children, Brunel accidentally got a coin stuck in his throat. This story made the papers and became national news. It stayed there for a while until Brunel designed and built a device to hang himself upside down with and remove the coin. His contraption worked and again made the news.

[@WanderingRavens]

Wow! That's a wild story!! XD

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

Boudica would have been in my top ten. Not only did she unite all the various tribes but she nearly drove the mighty Roman Empire out of England. Evidence of her rampage still exists. Layers of soot where she burnt down entire towns can still be found in London and Gloucester.

[@spacechannelfiver]

dickens, nightingale, bell, logie-baird, darwin, newton, turing, lovelace, beveridge, henry II, victoria and that's eleven

[@allenwilliams1306]

Marconi?

[@bicolouredprawn]

H.G. Wells was always a hero of mine.

[@Oscar-vv6dn]

Elizabeth affirmed James if i'm not mistaken, on her death bed. She was more worried of Mary Stuart because she was alive and could claim the throne. James was like 6 when Elizabeth died.

[@maccladoz]

These sorts of things are always subjective but in my list I would have to include the likes of Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson, Ozzy Osbourne, Marc Bolan and David Bowie.

[@lesleyannismay8295]

Florence nightingale, Emline pankhurst and Grace darling all woman but they did great things

[@WanderingRavens]

Great additions! Thank you!

[@violetskies14]

My top 10: Mary Seacole, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Emmeline Pankhurst, Boudica, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Mary Shelley, Alexander Fleming, Benjamin Zephaniah.

[@sidsnot6952]

What about posh spice????

[@royboy6890]

@@sidsnot6952 I knew there would be one 🤣

[@davidkerr4728]

I had a look at the full list ( Top 100 Brits ) Cannae believe Maggie Thatcher made it in at #16, us Scots partied like their was no tomorrow when she died. It's really interesting these kind of polls , cause England has about 84% of the vote in these kind of polls .

[@mikesaunders4775]

I have to say I find all polls like this ridiculous.I am English and can see the disproportionate influence my compatriots wield in their choices .I rarely agree with other'greatest' lists either.