I've got to admit that I'm surprised that I've not done this one before. I'm sure we've all got our favourite fictional characters. I started to make this list and I realised that there is a little theme going on here.
1. Commander Ed Straker. He was the boss of SHADO, the shady organisation protecting the world from UFO's in the Gerry Anderson series. I think the series stands up pretty well for something made in the early 1970's for TV. Straker was a complicated character, but he was always decent and honest, whilst being conflicted by the fact that his job was basically to pull the wool over the eyes of the general populace.
2. Jack Regan. I loved the Sweeney and I loved Jack Regan. He was a hard case, hard drinking, a deeply flawed character who often got it wrong. The Sweeney was probably the first cop show where sometimes the villains were nasty and got away with it. Regan was a tad amoral at times, but I always felt I'd like a boss like him.
3. Marshal Will Kane. The Marshal in High Noon. The film is my all time favourite. I love Gary Cooper's portrayal. He's a bloke who has balls and is prepared to do the right thing, when everyone else runs scared. A true role model.
4. Mr Spock. If I'd been asked this when I was sixteen, I'd have gone for Captain Kirk, but I realised that Spock was a far better example of humanity, even though he was only half human. I genuinely believe that if the USS Enterprise was a reality, Spock would have been a far better captain and Kirk's recklessness would have ended up destroying it. Spock was highly rational, whereas Kirk was emotional and impulsive. Whilst it made good telly, in the real world, it would have ended up killing his crew.
5. Norman Stanley Fletcher. Porridge was a brilliant series, IMHO the best sitcom ever produced. The wisdom of Fletcher was a joy to behold. I'm not really sure if Porridge accurately portrays the life in one of HM Prisons, but if it did and you ended up in one, you'd want Fletcher to be your cellmate.
6. Ivanhoe Martin. Ivanhoe is the lead character in the Jamaican masterpiece "The harder they come". A tragic figure in a brilliant film. Well worth a view if you have a minute. He is a man trying to make it against all the odds, who both succeeds and fails, meeting a tragic end.
7. James Bond. Now this is a bit complicated, as they've had a few. My favourite was Roger Moore. He seemed to me to be the only one who enjoyed his job. Whereas Connery et all seemed to be cold, ruthless psychopaths, Roger Moore seemed to be a bloke who could have a bit of a laugh whilst doing his job. Whereas Connery et all never really seemed to enjoy the company of the beautiful women they seduced, Moore looked as if he was having a blast. If her majesty is going to give you a licence to kill, surely you should enjoy the job a bit. Generally when Roger Moore was Bond, he'd end up in a lifeboat with a beautiful woman having a damn good time. The rest of them always ended up looking miserable.
8. Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk. Marylin Monroe played the Ukulele playing singer in Some Like it Hot. It is a wonderful film with many amazing performances. As a musician and band leader, all I can really say is that I'd love Sugar to be the singer in my band!
9. Jeff Tracy. The man who built the Thunderbirds. I thought long and hard as to which of the cast was my favourite. I'd probably have picked one of the boys when I was a kid, but in truth Jeff was clearly the most admirable. Whilst our real life billionaires have space programs to facilitate the rich to go into space, Jeff used his billions to save people's lives and make the world a better place. I do wonder whether Bezos et all have ever considered setting up their own "International rescue" with planes and equipment to avert disasters with their small change.
10. Will Munny. Clint Eastwoods portrayal of ruthless killer, turned failed hog farmer, who is hired to avenge a murdered prostitute is a masterpiece. Munny is a man who you'd simultaneously not want to meet but also have beside you in the trenches is brilliant. There are many wonderful characters portrayed by Eastwood, but Munny is by far the most interesting.
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