Great Britons was a British series on great Britons throughout history, broadcast on BBC2 between October and November 2002. Viewers of the series had a chance to vote for their favourite Briton, whether alive or dead. A special edition, called Great Britons The Top 100, was broadcast on 20th October 2002; when Anne Robinson counted down the viewers' top 100 favourite Britons, John Peel made an appearance at number 43. [1] [2]
In Margrave Of The Marshes (pp.441-2, Corgi edition), Sheila relates that the family were surprised to find John in the list at all, but that he was so pleased to think that he had beaten King Arthur, Chaucer and Sir Walter Raleigh, and was thinking of making some reference to the honour in Margrave's title. However, his ranking did not please everyone: one member of the Dawn Parade is said to have grumbled, "Can't believe they gave that Greatest Briton shit to Churchill when there's a man among us who still plays Half Man Half Biscuit on the taxpayer's buck."
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Johnny Rotten....87th Top Briton Of All Time
Peel commentating on Johnny Rotten, who was voted 87th Great Britons in 2002