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It's the clash of two titans of telly on UKTV Drama - Colin Firth and Sean Bean. Vote for your favourite leading man here:
[link]

And tell us who deserves to win...... right here!

No contest - Sean should win. Any chance we can see the scores during the poll?

Sean's range of roles is much more diverse than Colin's. The man has played everything.....from a doting, devoted Dad to a psychopathic murderer. Hollywood blockbuster's....indy films....theater.....television series.....you name it, he's done it! He's taken each and every one of those roles and played them to the hilt. The man doesn't have to open his mouth to convey his thoughts in a role....he says it all with his eyes.

He's a "working actor". He doesn't sit on his duff waiting for the role of a lifetime or one that's going to be paying out only the big bucks. He's given up lucrative offers to play characters in small, low budget films because he believes in the roles.

He's also just a regular kind of bloke, who shys away from all of the Hollywood whoopla, and is content to just take in a pint at the local pub or watch his beloved Blades play. No fake facade here.

He's that wonderful combination of rugged and manly with a touch of bad boy, yet soft spoken and shy and quite the gentleman.

Just the best all around perfect package!!!!


By the way, David. Just thought I'd let you know that the pic you have posted on the Gallery of Sean holding that beautiful silver sword, is not from "Sharpe". It's a PR pic of him taken when he played Boromir in the "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"!!!

Have been a fan of Sean's for more than 14 years. Why? In my book the man and the actor have to go hand in hand. From what we can learn, Sean comes over as such a decent and intelligent man; kind, loyal, interested in life, the natural world, family, friends and his craft. As an actor he is a joy to watch. His charisma is huge and his screen presence such that your eyes are drawn to him whether he is the focus of the scene or not. He has that inner vulnerability that shines through whether he is being evil or good and makes you care. His characters come through as individuals in their own right so I never watch a film of his thinking 'there is Sean Bean' but completely believe in the person I see on screen. Sexy, talented and completely without side - what's not to love?

haha You don't miss a trick! But are you sure about the Boromir photo? We sourced it from ITV's sharpe library...

The channel want to hold back the results so that they can announce it on-air on Monday 9th April

David, will they both be there for the announcement? If so, how do I get a ticket??

No contest...Sean Bean is the one.

He is a wonderfully versatile actor, an incredibly handsome man, and the most masculine prescence on screen of his generation (or any generation). He's also his own man and I admire him for keeping his integrity despite the lure of Hollywood.

Colin is the man.....absolutely, no contest!

Although Colin is associated by the general public with Mr Darcy, he is a versatile actor who has played a wide range of roles. Colin has the ability to convey a huge amount of emotion with just a look. He's sexy, handsome, intelligent, loves his wife and children, is socially conscious and seems unaffected by fame! In a quote from P&P - "He is a man without fault". What's not to love?! Whether Colin wins or not, there are thousands and thousands of "firthaholics" out here who will always think he's number 1!

Why would we need a poll??
Sean Bean's the one! The only one!
Not only is he a gorgeous looking man (it should be called illegal to look that great!), but also such a versatile actor, who so melts with his characters (as long as the cameras are rolling) that his performances look effortless. He even makes his bad guys so good that the audience feels for them, not to mention that he steals every scene he is in. Not on purpose, but it is his quiet presence.
No wonder I felt for him back then as Ranuncio

No offense to Mr.Bean or his fans, but it seems most do not have knowledge of Colin's varied resume. If you peruse it you will note that he had done little in the way of romatic comedies before Fever Pitch. I, for one, am taken to his dark/damaged/dramatic roles myself.
Apartment Zero, A Month In The Country, Tumbledown, Master of the Moor, Donovan Quick, Where The Truth Lies, Trauma - to name a few. Yes, he has done his share of romances, but my favorites are The Secret Laughter of Women and Girl With A Pearl Earring. (As opposed to P&P, BJD, etc.) If you want smouldering and conveying with looks and the eyes, try that one. He only has 50 lines of dialogue the whole film.
Colin IS each role, the essence of the character, he becomes the character. Even when the script is crap (reference Playmaker here) his performance is superb.
The man is versatile, talented, credible, versatile. He has kept his family life out of the spotlight and balanced that with the chaotic world of acting.
He is also intelligent, witty and socially conscious. Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous and has aged magnificently.
If you have the misconception that he has not done drama, check again, you might be surprised.

PS - Sorry about the typos

I like Colin Firth, really he's a great actor and he seems nice enough, but he's no competition for Sean Bean ! Everything Sean does seems to come so natural to him, he's an actor, even when he's in one of those fancy Hollywood movies, he's still an actor and not a movie star.

A great actor and a wonderful man, with his heart on the right place, caring for the people he grew up with, he always does everything to support his hometown and never lost his roots. Always true to himself and his fans know and respect that very much in him.

Versatile, great in his job, down to earth,beautiful and that wonderful voice. What more is there to say ? Sean must win, because he's simply the best !

Well I know a lot of Mr Firth's work. Nice and nicely acted, but apart from Tumbledown, Fever Pitch and P&P, it is only nice ...
No offense, he apparently is a nice person, and a good actor, but he is simply not up to the one and only! Sean Bean, that is.

Sean Bean should win he's the best, great actor great man. Nobody else could play Richard Sharpe the way he does, when he acts the part he is the character. Anything he does is great. Sorry but Colin Firth just can't compete. Bring on the next Sharpe film, even the repeats, repeats, repeats.
Please show 'Sharpe's Challenge' as soon as possible.

I believe that Sean Bean is one of the finest actors this country has produced. He has, over the years played a comprehensive range of characters from psycopathic killers to gentle widowed fathers, with great skill and integrity.

Both men are extremely talented but I believe Mr. Bean is clearly the superior actor.

From my American point of view, it's Sean Bean, hands down. I've actually enjoyed some of Firth's work, but never would have bothered if I hadn't discovered Sean Bean first.

Bean has been believable to me as any character I've seen him play; even if the movie itself isn't that great, he still shines. In interviews he comes across as a nice, normal individual in spite of all the fame and fortune. You gotta admire someone who stayed true to his upbringing after all that.

I think this man is one of your greatest national treasures, and for the life of me I can't imagine why he isn't getting more really good roles over there. That's perfectly fine with us American ladies if you want to keep sending him our way - he's certainly earned a place in our hearts!

Sean Bean wins absolutely!!! Sure Colin's a decent actor and all, but I beleive Sean is a better actor. Sean smolders in ways that Colin can't (must be those green eyes!), for me anyway

It's Sean, of course!

It has to be Sean, he has everything a woman dreams off having in a man. Sexy body, lovely eyes and great personality that comes across everytime he is interviewed on TV.

man you have got to be kidding..sean...handsom? must be a brit thing..Colin is so much more..all the things written about sean are true of colin..he has done stage, tv,movies...not just P&P and other romantic stuff..but serious dark stuff..the only thing i remember about sean is the bad guys he has played..I suggest you do a little research on colin be for dismissing him as some light weight..he is not..he is well thought of in the industry..
and i think his lean , slim runners body, and wonderful long graceful hands are a real turn on..not to mention his lovely hair and dark eyes..sigh..
and dont forget the kiss in bridget jones..voted the best as i recall , mans a great kisser...bet his wife liva would agree on that one...lol...
I have many of his movies..and i look forward to having many more...
fran

Colin is the sexiest as well as the most cultured, well spoken, has a heart for good causes like Oxfam & Amnesty Int'l, and is a decent bloke as well-a solid family man. He is a true renaissance man, plus he speaks Italian.

His smile is beatific, I love his manly cleft chin, belissimmo dimples, curly locks, deep chocolate brown eyes, and his voice gives me shivers up my spine!

I like that he can handle most different genres in films and TV-rom-com as well as period dramas, and some cutting edge mystery-horror like Trauma or Apartment Zero.
I can't wait to see him soon as a roman legionnaire in 'The Last Legion'. Hubba Hubba...long live dearest Colin Andrew Firth!

Sean being handsome isn't just a British thing, darlin...he has a huge and active fanbase in the US, as well as around the world.

I love Colin, really, I do. Mr. Darcy sank me long ago and it doesn't matter what time it is or what I have to do in the morning, if P&P is on tv, I'm stuck til it's off. It's that good and he's that wonderful. But he's not Sean.

Why Sean? He's rugged and charming, dangerously edgy yet sensitive, earthy and mysterious... and add to that that honey velvet voice and more talent than a fair amount of Hollywood stars and how can you not vote for him? Sure, he's made a very good living playing the bad guy, the very bad guy, the questionable bad guy, and the tragic hero, but oh, can he shine as a true good guy. He has range and depth. When he is on screen, he simply simmers, pulling you in. When you care more about his characters, his bad guys, than the leading 'heroes', you've got some serious pull there. I've never seen anyone come close to touching how much depth and empathy he puts even into his worst villains (okay, Ryder didn't have much empathy...but WOW was he SMOKIN HOT! Yeah baby! But I digress...).

As for the iconic role of Richard Sharpe, here he is a good guy. He's a rogue up one side and down the other, but his morality is good. Perhaps a bit chaotic, but he does what needs to be done and does it with a basic sense of right and wrong. He's a brilliant strategist and soldier, a down'n'dirty fighter, and at the core of it all, a true gentleman. Now how many Hollywood boys could pull that off?

And this doesn't even touch the man himself. Both shy and sensitive with that touch of arrogance of knowing who he is, he's intelligent and kind and down-to-earth. He's kept his roots and keeps them strong. He's who he is and no one will change that. I'm not saying he's perfect, cause heaven knows he's not...but I think, in total, he's a helluva man. I could go on and on about that, but I have some more voting to do.

BTW - I think that first sword pic is actually one of the set off the back of the King Arthur audiobook cd...done long before Boromir. Same sword (I know my swords...), same general look. I *could* go look up pics if need be...

frnimay............


Believe me. It's NOT a "Brit thing" as you said. Some of the women who have replied here, like myself, are American. Half the Sean boards I'm on are 50% American, so it's got nothing to do with being British. We're all just full blooded women who happen to know what drop dead, sexy is!