Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a poll that came out on Monday, which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.
The survey found that 47% thought the 12th century English king, Richard the Lionheart, was a myth.
And 23% thought World War II prime minister Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.
Three percent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain’s most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself.
Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington also appeared in the top 10 of people thought to be myths.
Meanwhile, 58% thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Holmes actually existed; 33% thought the same of WE Johns’s fictional pilot and adventurer Biggles.
UKTV Gold television surveyed 3 000 people. — AFP