The most famous people in Sussex according to Wikipedia

DIGITAL publication The Pudding has made a name for itself with its informative, essay-style features.

The website has now designed a map of the UK which lists each town based on who the most searched for celebrity is from that town... according to the fact checking website Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is a site that allows users to research the histories of people, places and events from across the world.

To celebrate the most famous people to have links to Sussex, The Argus has used the map to search from Hastings to Bognor, Hove to Horsham and everywhere in between to find out who the most famous people in Sussex are.

Jamie Walker reports

1. Tom Baker - Rye

Best known for his role as the fourth Dr Who, Tom Baker is an actor who was born in Liverpool.

The 85-year-old played the part of the famous Doctor from 1974 until 1981.

He then won over a new generation of followers as the narrator on the hit comedy series Little Britain.

After living in Europe for a period of time Tom moved to Tunbridge Wells before settling in Rye.

It is believed that he still lives in the East Sussex village and has often spoken about his love of the county.

2. Dame Vera Lynn - Ditchling

English singer Dame Vera Lynn has been enchanting fans for more than 80 years.

She has lived in Ditchling since the 1960s and is a popular figure in the county.

With songs like White Cliffs of Dover and We’ll Meet Again, Dame Vera was a popular singer in the Forties and Fifties but continued to release songs until 1982 when her final song I Love This Land was released to mark the end of the Falklands Conflict.

Her 2009 compilation album, We’ll Meet Again, made her the oldest living artist to top the charts.

3. Ronnie Barker - Littlehampton

Ronnie Barker was an English comedian who made his name in hit shows like Open All Hours, Porridge and The Two Ronnies.

The latter of the three saw him team up with Ronnie Corbett and become a powerhouse of the British comedy scene.

Ronnie spent a lot of time during his life living in South Terrance, Littlehampton, before moving out of Sussex in his later years.

Ronnie Barker died in 2005 due to heart failure but is still considered a famous local figure because of his popularity during the time he lived in the West Sussex town.

4. Sally Gunnell - Steyning

A star of the 400 metre hurdles, Sally Gunnell won over the hearts of the nation in 1992 when she won gold in the event at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

The former runner, now 52 years old, was born in Essex but is now settled in Sussex with her family.

Sally is never shy about being seen out and about in her home town of Steyning - whether it’s dropping her children off at school or being active in the community.

Sally is not the only Olympic hero to be based on the south coast as decathlon gold medalist Daley Thompson also lives in Sussex

5. The Cure - Crawley

Formed in 1976, The Cure have been at the forefront of Goth rock and the post punk movement.

Their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released in 1979 and since then the band, fronted by enigmatic Robert Smith, released12 further studio albums... the last of which was 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

Songs like Friday I’m In Love and Just Like Heaven have ensured that the group remain as popular now as they were in their heyday.

They continue to perform sporadically but have not toured since 2016.

6. Piers Morgan - Lewes

A controversial figure throughout his career, Piers Morgan is never far away from the top stories hitting the headlines.

Hailing from Lewes, the Arsenal supporting television host is currently seen grilling celebrities on Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid and on his talk show Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.

Before his time on the small screen Piers made his name working for a number of national newspapers including The Sun, News of the World and The Daily Mirror.

7. Gwendoline Christie - Worthing

Actress Gwendoline Christie has had a meteoric rise to stardom.

She trained in gymnastics as a youngster and had jobs in Brighton before graduating from the Drama Centre in London in 2005.

She had small roles in various shows and films until her big break came in 2012 when she appeared in the hit TV show Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth.

She also made headlines in 2015 when she was offered the role of Captain Phasma, silver suited leader of Stormtroopers in the First Order, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

8. Gary Moore - Hove

Irish guitarist Gary Moore was born in Northern Ireland and made his name in the country’s music scene - featuring in groups like Skid Row, a blues rock band not to be confused with the American rock band of the same name.

He would then go on to feature in rock band Thin Lizzy, with former Skid Row singer Phil Lynott.

Moore would be part of the band from 1974 until 1979 - with a gap between 1977 and 1978.

At the time of his death in 2011 he was living in Hove with his family.

9. Richard Fairbrass - East Grinstead

The man who is known for being too sexy for his shirt, Richard Fairbrass is the charismatic leader of Nineties British pop sensations Right Said Fred.

The band’s 1991 hit I’m Too Sexy peaked at number two in the British charts and went on to hit top spot in six countries around the world.

The group’s founding members, Richard and his brother Fred - for who the band is named - were born in Kingston but were raised in East Grinstead.

10. Jayne Torvill - Heathfield

World famous figure skater Jayne Torvill made headlines across the world when she and skating partner Christopher Dean performed their free programme at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

The routine, skated to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero is now one of the most famous routines in all of figure skating - scoring 12 perfect 6.0 marks from the judges.

Jayne continued to teach figure skating and appeared alongside Dean as guest teachers in the TV show Dancing on Ice.

Jayne now lives in Heathfield with husband Peter Christensen.

11. Leo Sayer - Shoreham

The most famous man to come out of Shoreham - at least according to Wikipedia - Leo Sayer may not sound like he comes from Shoreham, but that is mostly to do with the fact that he now lives in Australia.

In his formative years he went to school in Shoreham and then Goring, before studying art and graphic design at the West Sussex College of Art and Design in Worthing.

He moved to Australia in 2005 and is now an official resident of the country... but he still makes time for his beloved home county.

12. Rag n Bone Man - Uckfield

Hailing from Uckfield Rag ‘n’ Bone Man is a singer who put in the hard graft to make it out of Brighton’s bustling music scene and establish himself on the national stage.

Having played small venues across the city in the early years of his career, the singer broke into the mainstream in 2017 with his hit song Human.

During his upbringing the singer went to King’s Academy in Ringmer and Uckfield College before pursuing a career in music.

It’s fair to say he has done well for himself.

Some other celebrities from across Sussex that were the top searched people from their hometown are:

Alfie Deyes - Brighton

Theresa May - Eastbourne

Davina McCall - Wadhurst

Rudyard Kipling - Burwash

The map not only covers big cities across the country but also spans to smaller towns and villages where you may not know that big name celebrities hail from.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool’s most searched for celebrity is of course Sixties sensations The Beatles.

In Birmingham a musician of a different kind tops the list as Ozzy Osbourne is the most searched for celebrity on Wikipedia.

The former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is the most searched for person from Woodstock, and Stephen Hawking tops the list in both St Albans and Cambridge.

Other notable names include Ed Sheeran, who is top of the search list in Halifax, William Shakespeare from Stratford-Upon-Avon, Liam Neeson from Ballymena in Northern Ireland and Mary, Queen of Scots, from Edinburgh.

The full map of the UK can be found online at The Pudding’s website - www.pudding.cool.