But Diana is only No.5 in list of celebrity Swindonians (From Swindon Advertiser)

But Diana is only No.5 in list of celebrity Swindonians

10:00am Friday 19th February 2010 in

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THEIR names may trip off your tongue or may leave you scratching your head with bemusement.

But according to the oracle of all things to do with films, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com), the top 10 most popular people born in Swindon range from Billie Piper to Thaila Zucci.

While Billie, who comes in at No. 1, may be an expected choice in light of her starring roles in Dr Who and Secret Life of a Call Girl, some Swindonians may catch themselves wondering “Thaila who?”

The latter, who starred in Love Soup, ranks at No. 6 ahead of, respectively, Nicholas Bishop (actor in Walking On Water, to those not in the know), Tom Wisdom (who wielded a sword in 300, an epic bloodfest about the Spartans), and Rachel Shelley (Once Upon a Time In India), who boasts her own fan club website.

Cinema fans of a certain age may be dismayed to learn that Diana Dors, the Swindon blonde bombshell who once was Britain’s answer to Marilyn Monroe, only makes No. 5.

Her voluptuous curves may once have set male pulses into overdrive in 1950s films such as Yield To The Night and the Unholy Wife, but contemporary audiences seem underwhelmed.

On a more everyday level, actor Lyndon Ogbourne, who plays troubled Nathan Wylde in Emmerdale, grabs the No. 7 slot.

Angel Long, who IMDb.com says is 29 and won an adult video award in 2003, is at No. 8, while Melinda Messenger – one-time pin-up, catapulted to fame because of her upfront assets and now a TV presenter – is 9th most popular.

The legendary Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, which he joined in 1966, and whose signature song Nights In White Satin still stirs tears among music-lovers nationwide, pops up at No. 11, one below wise-cracking Mark Lamarr, best known for a quiff and exchanging banter and barbs presenting Never Mind the Buzzcocks on BBC2.

Advertiser film writer Stephen Webb said: “Billie’s position at No. 1 is not really surprising. She has a good body of TV work on her CV, but it would be nice to see her make more movies.

“It is a shame that Diana Dors is so far down the pecking order – she was not the greatest actress in the world, but she was an icon of sorts and she is still someone Swindon is justifiably proud of.”

The full list:

1. Billie Piper, actress
2. Nicholas Bishop, actor
3. Tom Wisdom, actor
4. Rachel Shelley, actress
5. Diana Dors, actress
6. Thaila Zucchi, actress
7. Lyndon Ogbourne, actor
8. Angel Long, actress
9. Melinda Messenger, TV personality
10. Mark Lamarr, comedian
11. Justin Hayward, singer/songwriter
12. Marcus Adams, director
13. Tristan Beint, actor
14. James Saxon, actor
15. Matt Stronge, sound engineer
16. Leslie Yeo, actor
17. Chris New, actor
18. Jason Klamm, actor
19. Rick Davies, musician
20. Jon R. Brown, visual effects
21. Melanie Byrne visual effects
22. Neil Ferris, transportation department
23. Stephen Gibbons, director
24. Colin Moulding, musician
25. Sophie Grigson, cook
26. Jack Dangers, musician
27. Paul Cooke, actor
28. Chris Hill, miscellaneous crew
29. Roger Mann, actor
30. Terry Chambers, musician
31. Martin Harvey, actor
32. Kerry Potter, actress
33. Graham Whettam, composer
34. Dave Gregory, musician
35. Nick Hewer, pictured, PR executive
36. Simon Wilson, “uncategorised”
37. Gary Sherwood, actor