Superman tops sci-fi heroes poll

Superman is flying high as the greatest ever sci-fi screen character, beating Doctor Who's The Doctor and a host of Star Wars creations.

The Man Of Steel - memorably portrayed on screen by the late Christopher Reeve - topped a list of well-known names in a poll compiled by the makers of board game Stratego.

Runner-up in the survey was Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the original trio of Star Wars movies, while another star of the films, the Jedi master Yoda, was third.

The highest-ranked female character in the list - to mark the release of a new game Stratego Sci-Fi - was Ripley from the Alien movies, played by Sigourney Weaver, who was in 21st position.

The top incarnation of The Doctor was David Tennant at number 20, who was beaten by the Daleks at 13 and even the Tardis at 16.

The best placing from the popular long-running Star Trek series was Captain Kirk (William Shatner) at number seven, in the poll of 2,000 people.

The game's marketing manager Katherine Pierce said of Superman's win: "He is the archetypal hero, and clearly as popular now as he was when he first appeared in comic books over 70 years ago."