As the special 50th anniversary show of Doctor Who is set to air tomorrow, we have conducted a study to find that the tales of the time travelling hero make us feel most proud when it comes to British TV. Despite some claims that TV standards are dropping, over two thirds of Britons are proud of the content our TV industry produces, with a clear top five TV shows coming out as cream of the crop.
Britain is proud of Dr Who
The character of Doctor Who captures the nation’s hearts, earning top place in pride levels against top selections from other shows. Following the time lord is Jim Royle of The Royle Family with a fifth of votes, closely followed by Alfie Moon from Eastenders. The nation’s top five characters to be proud of are:
- The Doctor (27% of votes)
- Jim Royle of The Royle Family (20% of votes)
- Alfie Moon of Eastenders (16% of votes)
- Lady Violet of Downton Abbey (15% of votes)
- Hayley Cropper of Coronation Street (14% of votes)
This trend bucks with the over 65s who pick Lady Violet of Downton Abbey as their number one TV character, with over a quarter (26%) opting for the dry wit of the character, played by legendary Maggie Smith. In second place for this age group is Anna Smith, also of Downton Abbey, revealing this age group as true Downton fans, perhaps enjoying a nostalgic view of times gone by. When it comes to the actors who play Doctor Who, respondents voted David Tennant as top choice which rang true across all age groups bar one, those aged 45-54, who picked John Pertwee as their number one doctor with 46% of the votes. Dave Tomlinson, Senior Product Specialist at Plusnet commented,
“We always prepare for a great rush of people catching up or streaming shows like Doctor Who, and we expect a lot of fans to be tuning in this Saturday whether on TV or online to watch the return of Paul McGann. “It is great to see such a legacy live on and get more and more popular as new generations come along, and looking at the research, everyone will be able to enjoy a long-awaited dose of their favourite doctor David Tennant!”
The research was conducted by Bryter on behalf of Plusnet November 2013 with 2,051 overall UK respondents Will you be watching the Dr Who tomorrow evening? What TV makes you proud? Let us know by leaving a comment below.