The Million Dollar Man. Picture: North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy, Seventeenth-century cleric Titus Oates fabricated a Catholic plot to assassinate Charles II, accusing over 80 innocent men. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots is a milestone for the gay-rights movement, one being commemorated with everything from parades to documentaries. There's no British villain more sinister than "Jack the Ripper", the name given to a Victorian serial killer thought to have been behind the violent murders of … The timing of the British pantomime at Christmas and the role reversal of the lead characters (the principal boy being played by a girl and the Dame by a man) may have also evolved from the Tudor “Feast of Fools”, presided over by the Lord of Misrule. The first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, Sir Francis Drake left an often forgotten legacy: his drum, which it’s said will beat of its own accord to summon the Elizabethan sea dog back from the dead should England be in danger. Picture: Moviestore collection Ltd / Alamy, ‘I’ve seen a rhino shed tears’ – Kenya's animals through the eyes of its rangers, School closures in Covid lockdown: latest news on when they could reopen, Israel expands Covid-19 vaccination drive to include 16- to 18-year-olds in effort to keep exams on schedule. All have had varying personalities and traits, but some have certainly been more memorable than others, with many gamers making strong attachments to several of the best characters in COD history. George Lucas turned to some of our finest classically trained actors to bring a touch of gravitas to his swashbuckling space saga. The timing of the British pantomime at Christmas and the role reversal of the lead characters (the principal boy being played by a girl and the Dame by a man) may have also evolved from the Tudor “Feast of Fools”, presided over by the Lord of Misrule. BRITAIN brings you the weird and wonderful details about Britain’s heroes and heroines. Call out history's most terrible people, and see how your picks stack up against everyone else's. And what would Hollywood be without a dose of British bad guys? Here, British Vogue revisits some of the best portrayals of female villains in Hollywood history. Learn more about the British … Terry-Thomas played one role repeatedly and played it well, that of the weak, philandering, swindling, upper-class bounder – the archetypal cad, in fact. But what … The feared and hated Matthew Hopkins, who called himself "The Witchfinder General", was responsible for the execution of as many as 300 women for witchcraft in just a two-year period during the English Civil War. Picture: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy, Dubbed "the most violent prisoner in Britain", Charles Bronson has been in prison almost continously since 1974, during which time he has fought with over 20 wardens and attacked countless inmates. For the Tory-inclined Western Mail ‘the butcher of Drogheda and Wexford’ becomes the ‘Gwroniad Rhyddid.’ Gomer’s designers have added eighty-six pictures to … Idris Elba gave the role bite in the 2016 remake. Here’s THR’s list of the all-time greatest. There's plenty of great villains in Disney's rogues gallery but of late, one of them has gained more attention than her rivals - the evil sorceress Maleficent from the 1959 Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty.A 2014 live-action film tries to portray her as a misunderstood protagonist with a tragic past, but a hero with devil's horns is a hard sell, even when played by Angelina Jolie. Manchester United vs Liverpool, FA Cup fourth round: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction? Picture: Rex Features, There's no British villain more sinister than "Jack the Ripper", the name given to a Victorian serial killer thought to have been behind the violent murders of at least five women in Whitechapel. And while not all Hollywood baddies are British, a disproportionately high percentage of them are. Egyptian pharaohs with British accents, foreign settings where everyone speaks English—why are movie accents and dialects so reliant on stereotypes? The house has now been demolished. Everyone knows Brits make the best on-screen super-villains - Jonathan Self picks out his favourites. Anyone can vote on this list of vile villains and evil lunatics, making it an accurate, real-time ranking of the world's worst people ever. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was the one percent before there was a … England has never known anything like it." Call out history's most terrible people, and see how your picks stack up against everyone else's. Legend claims that he was eventually killed by an angry mob. Tom Ripley, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith. And a Bond film wouldn’t be a Bond film without a wannabe world dictator. He is said to have put lit matches under his hat to terrify his victims, and had unruly black hair that "covered his whole face, and frightened America more than any comet that has appeared there a long time". Demonised as a traitor in his home country, he relocated to England after the war, but was viewed with mistrust even there. - They separated in 1992. The greatest villains in literature. Here he is played by with villainous relish by Laurence Olivier. Among the baddies menacing 007 have been Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Jonathan Pryce, Steven Berkoff, Sean Bean, Robert Carlyle, Julian Glover and Toby Stephens. Jack the Ripper - She married Charles, Prince of Wales. However, his greatest claim to wickedness may well be as the voice of Scar in Disney’s take on Hamlet. Eadric Streona. Terry-Thomas played one role repeatedly and played it well, that of the weak, philandering, swindling, upper-class bounder – the archetypal cad, in fact. Captain William Bligh. Picture: Everett Collection/Rex Features, In 1685, Judge George Jeffreys ordered the execution of 200 men and sent another 800 to Barbados as slaves for their role in an uprising against James II. He says of himself: "I'm a nice guy, but sometimes I lose all my senses and become nasty." Over a long career, he’s played most of the great villains, from monsters to wizards. Adopting a crisp German accent, he made an impact on Hollywood as the mastermind thief foiled by Bruce Willis in Die Hard (in Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Gruber’s brother is improbably played by Jeremy Irons). Eadric Streona (died … Alfred the Great (849–99) Alfred the Great is really the father of England. It's perhaps the nature of grown-up literature that it doesn't all that often have villains, in the sense of coal-black embodiments of the principle of evil. What would be Independence Day be without the Brits? Some in the Lit Hub office argued that it was Julian who was the real villain in Donna Tartt’s classic novel of murder and declension, but I give Henry more credit than that. Explore an A-Z of selected concise biographies which depict famous and notable historical figures. A fairly modern list as I didn't want to start an argument as to whether King Arthur or Robin Hood actually existed, so they didn't make the cut. Dip into our gallery of some of Britain's most legendary villains – if you dare. One Who Confronts ... American and British armored units crossed into Iraq on 20 March 2003. Anyone can vote on this list of vile villains and evil lunatics, making it an accurate, real-time ranking of the world's worst people ever. Gwennap Pit, Cornwall: ‘The most magnificent spectacle this side of Heaven’, With love from Father Christmas: J.R.R. After giving this subject plenty of thought, I recognize that my all-time favorite heroes from British literature are (in alphabetical order): Mr. Darcy, Ross Poldark, and John Thornton. Picture: Everett Collection/Rex Features, "The Wicked Lady" was a well-spoken highwaywoman who preyed on vulnerable travellers on Nomansland Common in Hertfordshire during the Civil War. Sanders languidly voices the heartless tiger Shere Khan in Disney’s 1967 animated version of The Jungle Book with spine-chilling skill. . What most people know about him is the legend of the spider that is supposed to have inspired him when hiding in a cave, but the important thing is his massive impact on British history. In short, these are some of the most evil people in history. The former include Churchill and Thatcher, Ian Botham, Big Issue founder John Bird, and Mr Cameron’s parents; the latter are Marx, Scargill, Tony Crossland, 1960s town planners and Richard Beeching … However, André was captured while smuggling Arnold’s papers and the plot quickly unraveled. Two hundred years ago, he was the most hated man in America, and the most feared. His villainy is in his carefulness, his coldness, his self-preservation at all costs. I notice Hollywood has a long history of having villains with upper class British accents. Before Alfred the idea that … The feast was an unruly event, involving much drinking, revelry and role reversal. Explore an A-Z of selected concise biographies which depict famous and notable historical figures. Bringer of Light. You Know Him As: If you've read Mutiny on the Bounty, or seen one of the … It's perhaps the nature of grown-up literature that it doesn't all that often have villains, in the sense of coal-black embodiments of the principle of evil. Oh, Henry—brooding, brilliant, bone-tired Henry. It’s worth noting that few British movie villains are ever Irish, Scottish or Welsh, although Robert Carlyle comes to mind. The feast was an unruly event, involving much drinking, revelry and role reversal. There's lots of villains in Gotham, but only one literally has nine lives. From Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula to Alan Rickman in Die Hard and from Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate to Ian Holm in Alien, the majority of wrong ’uns speak with an English accent. 60 Great Fictional British Characters show list info. https://www.listchallenges.com/some-great-fictional-british-characters A reader has drawn our attention to the British Prime Minister’s list of heroes and villains from British history, which is variously rather endearing and somewhat mawkish, as set out in a recent interview for the Mail on Sunday. . 40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time From serial killers to cylons, mobsters to murderous moms — counting down the TV characters you love to hate ‘When Hollywood wants someone to play the bad guy, it casts a Brit,’ said the great film critic Barry Norman. After Edward II fell from power, Despenser ended up being hung, drawn and quartered (pictured). What would be Independence Day be without the Brits? Half of trucks 'carrying only fresh air' as Brexit and Covid hit exports. British actor Mark Strong, who played Jim Prideaux in the 2011 remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), is often cast as cold, calculating villains. Even take Disney, for instance. Tolkien’s enchanting Christmas letters to his children, Country Life’s 2020 Christmas Double Issue: What you’ll find inside the biggest-ever issue of Country Life, Country Life's Top 100 architects, builders, designers and gardeners. "Fraser of Africa" was a strip in the Eagle in 1960–1961, following the adventures of a white hunter in colonial Tanganyika. One contemporary described his behaviour as being "beyond anything that was ever heard of in a civilized nation. There have been 16 different Call of Duty games so far in the franchise, and, throughout those games, there have been a wide variety of characters that people have been able to play as, with, or against. In short, these are some of the most evil people in history. Aaron Burr is well-known for his killing of Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel. And the rest is history. 1. Picture: NICK RAZZELL/Rex Features, Ten Rillington Place in London's Notting Hill seemed like an ordinary home in the 1940s and 50s, but it was here that softly spoken former soldier John Christie murdered at least eight women, including his wife, usually by strangling them after they'd been gassed. In the role that landed her an Oscar, Zeta-Jones plays the light on … The one villain to constantly one-up Batman, Kyle is seductive, stylish and very, very smart. Picture: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy, Edward Teach or "Blackbeard" was a fearsome British pirate who raided countless ships in the West Indies and off the east coast of America. A villain (also known as, "black hat", villainess in its feminine form) is a fictional character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. Arnold and his wife Peggy developed a plan for Arnold to smuggle American military plans to the British with the help of a young British soldier named John André. The greatest villains in literature. It’s worth noting that few British movie villains are ever Irish, Scottish or Welsh, although Robert Carlyle comes to mind. Henry, The Secret History, Donna Tartt. The Queen in Snow White, Lady Tremaine (the evil stepmother in Cinderella), the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Maleficient in Sleeping Beauty, Cruella de Ville in 101 Dalmations, even George Banks in Mary Poppins could be seen as a sort of soft antagonistic … Picture: Classic Image / Alamy, The Kray Twins had their fingers in virtually every criminal pie in East London in the 1950s and 60s, organising countless armed robberies, murders and attacks. Here are the 15 worst strongmen in history. Terry-Thomas in School for Scoundrels. 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