Brits get confused over fictional historical figures

Read lifestyle news as you browse for historical fancy dress with Escapade A survey has revealed a degree of confusion among Brits when it comes to who is real and who isn't from history. The poll, carried out by Ask Jeeves, found that a fifth of people in the UK think Blackadder, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes are all real people, despite the former coming from a series that spans several hundred years in history. A hapless 18 per cent also reported that they thought there really was a Captain Mainwaring from Dad's Army fame, while the same number said Clark Kent sounded plausible. However, the mix-up worked both ways too, with plenty of respondents saying Jack the Ripper, Florence Nightingale and Jesse James were made up. Nadia Kelly from Ask Jeeves said the research was commissioned after staff from the website reported getting lots of requests for biographies on fictional characters. "It seems staggering that anyone would think there really was an Edmund Blackadder," she commented. Don't forget this comes after a survey found some Brits think time travel is possible though - perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. Check out the latest Blackadder fancy dress at Escapade

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