ITV to salute '50 greatest stars'

Ant and Dec are among the five TV partnerships recognised

Stars ranging from Tony Hancock to Ant & Dec have made a list of the UK's 50 greatest TV stars, with viewers invited to decide which they like the best.

Coronation Street's Bradley Walsh will host a one-off show later this year to announce the viewing public's verdict.

The show will celebrate the "actors, presenters and comedians who have kept us entertained over the past 50 years".

Technically, though, there are 55 names on the list as partnerships like French & Saunders are counted as one entry.

Men outnumber women almost five to one in the list, while a fifth of those nominated are no longer living.

The majority of these are comedians, ranging from Peter Cook and Tommy Cooper to Leonard Rossiter and Les Dawson.

Phoenix Knights star Peter Kay, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and The Office creator Ricky Gervais are among the relative newcomers on the countdown.

"It will be interesting to see who the viewers vote to come out on top," said Walsh, who - unlike his Coronation Street co-star William Roache - does not feature on the list.

"Thousands of faces appear on our screens each week but only a rare few achieve greatness," reads the programme's website.

"This is your chance to say which stars you think deserve to be classed as the very cream of television talent."