Stephen Fry – a man of influence

Photo: BBC

Actor, author, activist and a self proclaimed nancyboy Stephen Fry has been named the UK’s most influential man of 2013, topping a survey that polled over 40,000 males for the market-leading men’s lifestyle site, AskMen.com

 The British polymath was shown considerable support by AskMen readers, typically aged 18 to 40 years old, following his vocal human rights campaign for a boycott of the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi – because of Russia’s new anti-gay laws. Alongside his high profile film, theatre and TV work, Fry’s increasing social media influence sees him followed by an incredible 6.3m accounts on Twitter – almost four million more than Prime Minister, David Cameron – who fails to make this year’s Top 49 list.

Fry, the 56 year old from Norfolk, who first rose to fame in the 1980s beat Wimbledon champion Andy Murray into second place, who had another successful year on the court. In third place was Apple Inc.’s Senior Vice President of Design, Sir Jonathan Ive – who masterminded a bold new look for the operating system on more than 300m iPhones and iPads worldwide.

For the first-time, the reclusive London-born brothers, Sam & Dan Houser made the list – due to the phenomenal success of their latest video game, Grand Theft Auto V which became the fastest-selling entertainment release of all time, selling almost 30m in its first 60 days on-sale this year.

The top 10 also included the author of Game of Thrones, George R.R Martin, and the star of The Fifth Estate and Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch. British males also voted in their thousands for Bryan Cranston, the respected star of the critically acclaimed TV show, Breaking Bad.

Elsewhere, The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson was the most influential UK politician in 26th place, while Ed Miliband made the list at 46. Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Nick Clegg did not make the list.

Mike Goldstein, Publisher, AskMen, said:  “Stephen Fry’s influence has been recognised by our readers – he’s used his position and massive social reach to raise awareness of Russia’s questionable laws. As this year’s list demonstrates – it’s been a massive year for Brits internationally, with men like Sir Jony Ive and the Houser Brothers influencing society here in the UK and beyond.”

For the full rundown, please visit the  AskMen.com Top 49 Most Influential Men – UK Edition 2013 microsite.

1)Stephen Fry

2)Andy Murray

3)Sir Jonathan Ive

4)Sam & Dan Houser

5)George R.R. Martin

6)Benedict Cumberbatch

7)Christopher Bailey

8)Bryan Cranston

9)Elon Musk

10)Robbie Rogers

11)Peter Dinklage

12)Russell Brand

13)Barack Obama

14)Jamal Edwards

15)Daft Punk

16)Idris Elba

17)Edward Snowden

19)Peter Capaldi

20)Ben Whishaw

21)Calvin Harris

22)Alex Turner

23)Usain Bolt

24)Peter Tatchell

25)Louis Tomlinson

26)Boris Johnson

27)Armando Ianucci

28)Robert Galbraith

29)Pope Francis

30)David Beckham

31)Jamie Oliver

32)Gareth Bale

33)Harry Styles

34)Prince William

35)Rudimental

36)Alan Rusbridger

37)Gary Neville

38)Steve McQueen

39)Piers Morgan

40)Kwon Oh Hyun

41)Mo Farah

42)Jimmy Anderson

43)Mark Millar

44)Jose Mourinho

45)Agi Mdumulla & Sam Cotton

46)Ed Miliband

47)Ted Sarandos

48)Paul Dacre

49)Jay Z

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