Brits back Homer for president

Given a choice, it seems that UK residents would rather see Homer Simpson in the White House than anyone else.

11:00 26 October 2004

Given a choice, it seems that UK residents would rather see Homer Simpson in the White House than anyone else.

In his time Homer has rubbed shoulders with Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, George Bush Senior and a wooden cut-out of current president George W Bush and the viewing public (at least in Britain) think the nuclear power plant worker is ideally placed to be next in line for the Oval Office.

The poll comes as the real-life race to become US president hots up, with little between the two candidates and just seven days left to campaign.

In Springfield, Homer was once elected sanitation manger - campaigning on slogans like "can't someone else do it?" and running a dirty tricks campaign against his opponent.

Some 2,000 readers of TV magazine Radio Times voted on which US television character they would most like to see elected president. Homer romped home in first place, ahead of the West Wing's fictional president Josiah Bartlet in second.

In a manifesto written for the Radio Times by The Simpsons' writing staff, Homer says: "I promise there will be fewer nuclear disasters with me as your mayor than with me as your nuclear safety inspector."

Dr Frasier Crane came third in the poll, with Sergeant Bilko fourth.

Gil Grissom from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was fifth with ten per cent of the vote.

The top ten
1 - Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
2 - Josiah Bartlet (The West Wing)
3 - Dr Frasier Crane (Frasier)
4 - Sgt Bilko (The Phil Silvers Show)
5 - Gil Grissom (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)
6 - Jack Bauer (24)
7 - Dr Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show)
8 - Phoebe Buffay (Friends)
9 - Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)
10 - Roseanne Conner (Roseanne)