We all know how great David Attenborugh is don’t we? We’ve also bestowed our greatest honour on his Planet Earth show too. So it will come of no surprise to find out that David’s great year continues with the news that he has been crowned Britain’s greatest living icon in a poll held by the BBC’s The Culture Show.
He beat off the likes of Morrissey and Paul McCartney in a list that saw musicians take up four of the top ten spots.
In addition to a number of actors, the top ten also saw representatives from the fashion world, model Kate Moss and designer Vivien Westwood. Read over to see the list in full.
1. David Attenborough
2. Morrissey
3. Sir Paul McCartney
4. David Bowie
5. Michael Caine
6. Stephen Fry
7. Kate Bush
8. Alan Bennett
9. Kate Moss
10. Vivienne Westwood
[Mof Gimmers - who sadly didn't make the list]
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I believe the title bestowed upon David was the greatest living CULTURAL icon, which immediately throws up the problems of these overblown titles being attached to phone-in popularity polls. Sir David Attenborough is a great cultural icon not only for his extensive and exemplary work in the field of natural history television, but also for his wide-ranging committment to great broadcasting in general. It should not be forgotten that he did excellent service as Controller of BBC2 from 1965 to 1969 – among the programmes he commissioned were “Match of the Day”, “The Ascent of Man”, “The Likely Lads” and “The Old Grey Whistle Test” which demonstrates a pretty broad and egalitarian cultural viewpoint.
I don’t dispute the result, which I think is just and well-deserved. But look at the miserable lightweights that made the finals with him. It was hardly fitting competition, was it? I can see Maccer and Michael Caine being there, with Alan Bennett creeping in at the lower levels. But it’s hard to see how most of the rest would appear in any list that made an objective comparison of these people’s relative cultural contribution. But then, when the Culture Show dumbed down by putting a vacancy like Laurene Laverne in as a permanent host, nonentities like Morrissey and Kate Moss were always going to get far more attention than they ever truly deserved. I mean really, where is Kate Moss’s comparable body of work? And, while enjoying many of Morrissey’s momentary successes, one can hardly say he’s had a similar cultural impact to the likes of McCartney or Bowie.
I quite agree Jezza. It would seem you’re a little kinder to Mozzer than I because I for one would only have him in a list titled ‘Most Overatted Swine of the Century’… and as for Kate Moss… well, her cultural impact can surely only be that of someone who has made a few teenage boys quite pleased with themselves in lonely moments and perhaps an advert for the joys of rehab.
Mof Gimmers
TVScoop