DB7

Greatest Brits vote from channel4.com

Helen

Whither Stanley Baker? Certainly in my top 5 actors from any country in the world and yet again those Channel 4 poll people don't seem to have even heard of him, never mind considered him for their programme. Any 'top 50 best' which can afford to waste a place for Stewart Granger (who never ceases to irritate me in films) can surely accomodate Sir Stanley.

And where is Kenneth More? Seemingly another (critically) forgotten man of British cinema. Donald Houston has always been one of my favourites, and Gordon Jackson is always consistently good, but I'm well aware that they'll never get into any of these polls.

Also, can't we have a Best 50 British Character Actors aswell, so I can at least get Sydney Tafler into one of these programmes?!

I see that Charlie Chaplin is in and yet not Stan Laurel, who I would much rather watch. I know we're all bound to disagree about these things but still..if Chaplin makes the list, so should Laurel IMHO.

I'm not that much of a fan of Dirk Bogarde but I would have thought that he would have gotten into the top 50. (I know he's of Dutch origin but he was born and brought up in Britain and is/was very 'English'.)

Some of the actresses in their 50 seem to be there more on the strength of their TV work than necessarily for their films. For just 'Brighton Rock', 'Passport to Pimlico' and 'Room At The Top' which I've seen of her, I'd definitely have Hermione Baddeley in the list.

At least the list of films seems fairly representative (I'll need more time to give it a closer inspection!) but I would personally have put 'Passport to Pimlico' in there.

deckard

I know it's almost impossible to include everybodies favourites,but where is Celia Johnson? Her performance in "Brief Encounter" alone should get her into the list.

"and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"

Lord Brett

One of the best things about going on this forum is the number of Stanley Baker fans I've come across. A few years ago I even wrote a magazine article about him entitled Stanley Baker - Forgotten Hard Man (it was that sort of magazine), so little did one ever hear about one of Britian's pre-eminent post-war leading men.

Had he been born even five years later, or lived for just a few years longer, he might have been a huge star

Third Man

Perhaps Stanley is just a unpopular name, I see Stanley Holloway didn’t make it either,definately one of my favourite British actors and I agree with the Stewart Granger thing, most irritating.

cosmic

What on earth is Elizabeth Hurley doing on there?

Steve Crook

That must be due to the votes from readers of the Daily Telegraph - or the Daily Hurleygraph as they refer to it in Private Eye.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS