The Nation's Favourite Egghead Revealed

Sir David Attenborough has been named the nation’s favourite egghead.

The 91-year-old Blue Planet narrator and veteran broadcaster beat QI presenter Stephen Fry and actor and actress and activist Emma Watson to claim top spot.

D:Ream keyboardist and scientist Professor Brian Cox came fourth while Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch was fifth.

Revolutionary physicist Stephen Hawking also appeared in the top 20 list of eggheads you would want on your side at the pub quiz.

Greg Tatton-Brown from Play Absurd by online casino Casumo.com, who commissioned the study to mark their coverage of some of the UK’s most absurd sports, including egg throwing in Lincolnshire, said: “Celebrity culture isn’t always the place you look to for a good dose of intellectualism, but our list proves there is room in the public consciousness for some proper brainboxes.

“Sir David Attenborough has delighted our screens for decades, and has imparted his knowledge about biology, geography and the environment to millions of people around the world.”

As for the intellectual celebs most likely to get on our wick, The Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson, Question Time host Jeremy Paxman and ex-Countdown mathematician Carol Vorderman found themselves in the firing line.

Sherlock was named the smartest show on television followed by The Big Bang Theory and Black Mirror.

Doctor Who and Criminal Minds also scored highly.

University Challenge is considered the 'brainiest' gameshow followed by The Chase, Mastermind and Pointless.

One in four of those who took part in the survey, conducted by OnePoll, wish they saw more intelligent celebrities in the media, and more than one third would like them to be more outwardly kind and generous.

When Brits really want to put their brain to the test, reading a book is the most popular intellectual pastime, followed by watching a challenging gameshow or an engaging film.

Only seven per cent of Brits think intelligence is an important trait for their friends to have, however 35 per cent consider it a vital trait for their romantic partner to possess.

When it comes to our feelings about the intellectually superior, two in five confess to admiring them, while one in seven experience a twinge of envy.

Forty three per cent think you can spot if someone is intelligent just by the way they look or dress.

According to the study a pair of glasses, smart shoes and a bowtie are all the fashion choices of a person with a skyrocketing IQ.

Seventy five per cent of Brits consider themselves generally intelligent people, yet two thirds wish they were smarter than they currently are.

And 11 per cent have been publicly referred to as an ‘egghead’ as a term of endearment in the past.

If Brits had the opportunity to become an ‘egghead’ in any subject of their choice most would like to dedicate their brainpower to learning a new language, followed by becoming an expert in a specific period of history.

Just over one in ten would like to master one of the core sciences and 9 per cent would like to unpick the mysteries of mathematics.