While the debate rages as to who is Britain's greatest, the Daily Echo's Fiona Griffiths reporter looks at the contenders and asks locals who would get their vote . . .

FROM Viscount Horatio Nelson to Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and David Beckham, so many Britons have contributed in their own way to making this country great.

But who is the greatest Briton of all time?

It's not an easy question to answer, but the BBC wants to know who your role models are in the 21st century.

Last night saw the launch of the new BBC 2 series, Great Britons, and over the next few weeks ten high-profile presenters will each spend an hour passionately promoting their chosen Great Briton.

Viewers will get the chance to vote for their choice from a top ten list, whittled down from 100 nominees - from Boudicca to Bono and Richard III to J K Rowling - picked by Britons nationwide.

Tonight Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson will be the first to argue his case for the greatest Briton when the programme focuses on 19th century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

But does Brunel get your vote, or do you have a more worthy winner of the greatest Briton title in mind?

Former Saints boss Lawrie McMenemy found it too difficult to settle on just one name.

He said: "Certainly from a football point of view someone like Alf Ramsay, because he was the manager that won the only trophy England has ever won and it did mean so much.

"I'd also say Shakespeare, for all his words that are still being quoted and learnt at school.

"But generally speaking I think Winston Churchill was such a great leader at a time when everyone needed to pull together and he lifted everyone's spirits."

Winston Churchill proved a popular choice in the Daily Echo's own poll, and the wartime Conservative prime minister also made it into the BBC's top 100.

Churchill, who lived from 1874-1965, led Britain through the Second World War negotiating with allied leaders during his time in office between 1940-45.

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu said: "It's a very hard task because I could say King Alfred the Great, Churchill or Shakespeare. But I think one really has got to say Churchill.

"He almost single-handedly enabled the nation to survive the Second World War."

Hampshire County Council leader, Ken Thornber, also went for Churchill because he was "a great leader in times of great crisis", and Saints legend Matt Le Tissier agreed.

But when it comes to picking a great sportsman, Matty's choice is surprisingly not a footballer.

He said: "I think Steve Redgrave because he won five gold medals and he's diabetic as well. He's overcome all these obstacles, and the amount of training he had to put in is just ridiculous and something I would never even consider doing."

Southampton athlete, and former European and Commonwealth 400m champion, Iwan Thomas, also picked 38-year-old rower Redgrave, who has won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games. Redgrave is certainly the greatest Olympian Britain has ever produced.

Iwan Thomas said: "What he's achieved in his life and the way he's conducted himself make him the greatest Briton in sport at least. He's very professional and very inspirational.

"But I'd also say Alexander Bell because he invented the telephone and I'm always on the phone, or The Beatles because they were pretty special and influential in music."

Viscount Horatio Nelson was a popular choice with Meridian news frontman Fred Dinenage and Hampshire cricket star Robin Smith.

Nelson, who died at the naval Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, was one of the most successful and famous of the British fleet commanders, despite being blinded in his right eye and losing an arm.

Fred Dinenage said: "He was an incredibly brave guy and he changed the course of history with the battles he won. He overcame tremendous adversity and injury and was a really inspirational man."

For literature lovers like TV presenter Esther Rantzen, who lives in the New Forest, picking Britain's greatest was an easy task.

She said: "It has to be Shakespeare because he used the English language in a way which had never been used before and created phrases, poetic phrases and insights which are still of value today.

"He explored jest, mortality, relationships and kinship as nobody had before or has since. Almost single-handedly he made English the language that almost all the world now speaks."

Hampshire police chief constable, Paul Kernaghan, went for Oliver Cromwell, leader of the puritanical Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War, who established religious toleration in England in the 17th century.

Chief constable Kernaghan said: "He laid the foundations for parliamentary democracy as we know it and during his time Britain became a major power.

"He declined the throne and held true to his principles."

Few royals made it into the running - although Queen Elizabeth II does come into the BBC top 100 - but Southampton music star, MC Alistair, broke the mould with his choice of King Henry VIII.

Alistair, most famed for his work with Southampton singer Craig David and Artful Dodger, said: "I'm going for Henry VIII simply because when he had a little bit of "woman trouble", rather than going through the traumas of having arguments he chopped their heads off.

"That's not a sexist remark because that could work both ways."

Southampton's Lord Mayor, Brian Parnell, chose William Wilberforce, the English reformer who entered Parliament in 1780.

He said: "I'm going for Wilberforce because of his abolition of slavery and the freedom which that has brought to so many millions of black people."

Southampton Itchen MP and Home Office minister, John Denham, revealed his science background - he studied chemistry at the city's university - by picking physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, who laid the foundations of physics and discovered the law of gravity.

Mr Denham said: "In addition to his mathematical and scientific achievements, he also marked the transition from a world dependent on superstition and magic to one with rational foundations that paved the way for Britain's industrial and economic success over the following centuries."

The Daily Echo poll of greatest Britons threw up only one woman nominee - chosen by women.

BBC South TV news presenter Sally Taylor and Romsey MP Sandra Gidley both settled on Emily Pankhurst, who launched the militant suffragette campaign in 1905.

Sally said: "She was prepared to stand up, alone to begin with, and fight for what she believed was right. She's been hailed as the leader of the women's rights movement and it's largely down to her that women today have got equal rights."

Mrs Gidley added: "She did a lot to start women off on the road to equality by securing the vote for a start.

"However, there are so many great Britons to choose from that it would be nice to have a desert island-style list of ten."

REVEALED: THE TOP TEN

McCARTNEY is out and Lennon is in, while Diana, Princess Of Wales makes the grade but her former husband Prince Charles does not.

The top ten greatest Britons of all time - chosen by the public - were finally revealed at the weekend.

None of the finalists, to be put to a final vote to find the greatest for a BBC2 series, are still alive.

For the next few weeks historians and celebrities will profile their favourites in a series of programmes for the station.

Thousands of votes have already been cast over several months to find a top 100 who will be counted down as the great Britons series kicked off last night.

Among those in the lower reaches who failed to make the ten were Captain James Cook, Sir Francis Drake and Sir Bob Geldof.

The Queen fails to make it into the top ten, but Elizabeth I does.

The full list is:

Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Winston Churchill

Oliver Cromwell.

Charles Darwin.

Diana, Princess of Wales.

Queen Elizabeth I.

John Lennon.

Horatio Nelson.

Isaac Newton.

William Shakespeare.

BBC2 controller, Jane Root, said: "I think the top ten is a really interesting mix of contenders and we've got some fantastic presenters all desperate for their Great Briton to win so we're in for a really exciting competition.

"I hope people all around the country will be moved by the passion in their argument and will join in the debate and get voting."

Among those arguing for their favourites will be comic Alan Davies who will be putting the case for Lennon, while Jeremy Clarkson is behind Brunel.