Jump directly to the content
ICONS

Icons on BBC2 – who are the world’s greatest leaders and how do you vote?

BBC Two's Icons will air tonight at 9pm

A BRAND new BBC Two series celebrating the achievements of some of the greatest 20th century figures is airing tonight at 9pm.

Here is everything you need to know about the programme format, icons and how to vote for your favourite.

Icons is airing on BBC Two tonight at 9pm
7
Icons is airing on BBC Two tonight at 9pmCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

Who are the world's greatest leaders?

The audience will be asked who their favourite leaders are and it will be ultimately decided who is the greatest of them all.

Seven well-known faces will feature in an hour-long documentary arguing the case for four people from a different field of excellence.

At the end of each documentary viewers will be able to vote for their favourite.

The icon who wins the vote in each category will then go through to a live final on the 5th February 2019.

Leaders - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill
7
Leaders - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Winston ChurchillCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Explorers - Ernest Shackleton, Gertrude Bell, Jane Goodall and Neil Armstrong
7
Explorers - Ernest Shackleton, Gertrude Bell, Jane Goodall and Neil ArmstrongCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Entertainers - David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Billie Holiday
7
Entertainers - David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Billie HolidayCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Activists - Helen Keller, Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, Gandhi
7
Activists - Helen Keller, Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, GandhiCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Artists and Writers - Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Warhol, Adeline Virginia Woolf and Pablo Picasso
7
Artists and Writers - Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Warhol, Adeline Virginia Woolf and Pablo PicassoCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Scientists - Alan Turing, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Tu Youyou
7
Scientists - Alan Turing, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Tu YouyouCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

All the celebrity advocates will return to fight their icon's case and that of the field they triumphed in.

The icons are grouped in the following categories:

  • Leaders
  • Explorers
  • Scientists
  • Entertainers
  • Activists
  • Sports Stars
  • Artists & Writers

Sir Trevor McDonald will state the case for leaders, Dermot O'Leary for explorers, Chris Packham for scientists, Kathleen Turner for the entertainers, Sanjeev Bhaskar for the activists, Clare Balding for the sports stars and Lily Cole on artists and writers.

How do you vote for the icons?

Voting starts at the end of each programme and is open until 4pm the next day. To vote, head to www.bbc.co.uk/icons.

To find out more about the individual icons, you can explore the Icons page on the BBC website.

All seven finalists will then go through to a grand live final on the 5th of February on BBC Two at 9pm.

There will be two ways to vote in the final: via the website or by telephone.

Topics
YOU MIGHT LIKE
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MORE FOR YOU