DAVID BECKHAM IS THE ENGLISH GENTLEMAN OF 2009

THE list of nominations came in from Savile Row tailors and others, and it was a close run race.

Nigel Havers (see below) has played plenty of English gents in films and on TV, while Paul Lister came in as a surprising outsider, showing appreciation for his environmental concerns as well as for his somewhat eccentric goal to furthering them (see also below). These were the runners-up.

But Beckham scored, not only because he has displayed the requisite characteristics but also because he is such a fantastic style figure, as illustrated in this Tom Ford suit.

We thought the English Gentleman seemed in danger of extinction. The well dressed, well mannered genuine article, once so numerous, once the very image of the breed, appeared in short supply. So we launched this poll.

Dictionary definitions of ‘gentleman’ are various, including ‘a man of refinement associated with a good family’, ‘cultured, courteous and well-educated’, and ‘a well-to-do man of no occupation’. We settled for ‘a man of good feeling and instincts, courteous and honorable’. And one who appreciates that a good appearance is another form of good manners.

Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the ten finalists and the qualities that made them eligible.

David Beckham seems an admirable example of a modern day gent. Good at sport (long a characteristic associated with English gentlemen), he has been unfailingly polite and good-humoured in public, despite the reprobation that has been heaped upon him and his wife at times. Patriotic, loyal, charitable and of unblemished character (leaving aside that business of the send-off  and rumours of a Spanish fandango), he has the added attribute of being the very best style figure in the world.

Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web in 1989. This momentous achievement, which he made freely available and for which he has taken no royalties, came some years after building his first computer whilst at Queens College, Oxford, in suitably Heath Robinson style, with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television. He has had all manner of awards heaped upon but remains largely a background figure, though he was named Greatest Briton of 2004 for his achievements as well as displaying the key British characteristics of "diffidence, determination, a sharp sense of humour and adaptability" said the judging panel.

Sebastian Coe achieved fame with his sporting prowess in the 1980s, winning gold in the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics over the 1500 metres. He has continued to work for sport and now is the figure head for the London Olympics in 2012, a role that requires all the diplomatic skills that have been traditionally regarded as an English gentleman’s forte. Quietly spoken, charming, tenacious, he nonetheless has displayed an English capacity for being bluntly forthright.

Ben Fogle appears the quintessential English gentleman, a Bertie-Wooster-ish toff who came to fame as the unfailingly good-humoured one amongst a fraught bunch of island-castaways on a reality TV series. Since then he has shown his manly credentials by rowing naked across the Atlantic, establishing himself as something of a TV commentator, and further strengthened his English adventurer reputation by completing marathons across the Sahara and Kenya. Many of his activities have been in support of animal welfare, a sure sign of the gentleman.

Stephen Fry is a very English entertainer and also perceived as a man of letters. His role as the P.G. Wodehouse character Jeeves in the TV series with Hugh Laurie confirmed his place as an English treasure. Self deprecating, multi-talented and a great cricket fan, he favours the slightly dishevelled appearance of the typical English country gent but always with a ccrtain style.

Pen Hadow follows in the footsteps of the great English explorers. Currently at the North Pole measuring the sea ice, he has been described as the thinking man's explorer, a real heroic adventurer who has traversed the North and South Poles. Brought up by an English nanny who had been nanny to the son of Scott of the Antarctic, he was, from an early age, expected to be hardy, which has undoubtedly come in handy.

Nigel Havers has made a career out of acting the well-bred Englishman in a wide variety of films, theatre and TV roles. Tall, elegant and charming, and the son of a former Lord Chancellor of England, he epitomises the classic image of an English gentleman. His latest effort to help save the endangered Asian elephant entailed auctioning his lips for a kiss (site elephantfamily.org) is a typically English charity gesture.

Paul Lister is a dark horse outsider, who follows in the footsteps of many otherwise unremarkable English gentlemen in pursuing a grand if slightly eccentric dream. Born to inherited riches, his quest is to rewild a great tract of Highland land in the face of not inconsiderable opposition.  He bought the Alladale Estate, up above Inverness, and the goal is to return this area of Scotland to its natural state of some 2000 years ago, with reforestation and all kinds of wild beasts. Reticent, unassuming and quietly spoken, he is dedicated to his cause.

Trevor Phillips is the good-looking black chap who heads up the Equality and Human Rights Commission.   It has taken considerable gentlemanly skills to play an even-handed role in London politics and to be a voice of reason on race issues. Born in London, the fact that he is a close friend of Peter Mandelson should not be held against him. His support for human rights and free speech and an easy, tolerant persona qualify him as a gent.

Colonel Bob Stewart, the gentleman soldier, has received commendations and a DSO for his bravery in the field, and has maintained a good-humoured, fair and engaging public persona over a range of important appointments. His ability to balance skilfully between military, political and personal perspectives represents the English gentleman at his best. And he is much in demand as an entertaining and informative speaker.