It's a shame that so many Englishmen, who actually have far better role models, are also heavily influenced by American cultural products.

I don't think anyone could argue that Doctor Who is not a bettter role-model than John Wayne, for instance! And while we admire the cold, piercing intellect of Sherlock Holmes, we identify with the warm, fallible and all-too-human Dr Watson! We also, more recently, have Viggo Mortensens' self-doubting, passionate and compassionate Aragorn to look up to.

Harry Potter is a missed opportunity. Either consciously or unconsciously, JKR based her Golden Trio of Harry/Hermione/ Ron on the classic Star Trek triad of Kirk/Spock/McCoy. Thus Harry, who could have been a fine role model for young lads to aspire to, became the typical Alpha Male: a charismatic maverick who plays by his own rules and takes his whole burden on himself, despite the crowd of willing friends and allies that surround him.