Top 10 British Soap Hardmen: EastEnders, Corrie & The Toughest Characters Ranked

Everyone thinks they know the hardest man in UK soap history until you force one rule on the table: one on one only. That’s what we do here, turning British soap nostalgia into an all out ranking with receipts, arguments, and just enough research to make it dangerous.

When we finally land on our number one, we want you to argue back. Listen, share it with a mate who’ll disagree, and leave a review if you enjoy these ranking specials. Then send us your next list idea and tell us who we’ve missed.

Transcript

Welcome And Ranking Format

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello, workers who remember the UK Nostalgia Podcast. In this week's episode, we are running a top time so far.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

Somewhat of a specialist subject for us this one.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Well, these lists have been done before in newspapers and stuff. There's a couple of YouTube channels that have done them. But I think where it's pretty I don't think anyone could argue we're the hardest podcasters in the game. I think that's pretty pretty. I don't think anyone would argue.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

If you want to listen to local hard men, then this is the place, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

This is the place for you. But this is a thing that we're doing, by the way. We're going to start doing a couple of these, maybe one a month, where and I've I've got a little jingle here that you've not heard, Liam. I'll be honest, I've not heard because I've not created it yet. It doesn't exist yet, but we've just thought of doing it now. But we're going to do some ranking episodes. Um because we'll we do I like rank. You know me, I love a list. So you're a complete rank. I'm a ranker, aren't you? We are a well, let's just play the theme tune. Let's just play the jingle.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Fucking rank go.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Yeah, so that's the first time any of us have have heard that.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Yeah, don't know what that's gonna sound like because I've not not actually completed it yet. I've probably got into this.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

We're gonna mix in a few ranking episodes. We are I don't we're not entirely sure kind of what a format for that will be yet. I don't know if there'll be like a monthly one, if there'll be a secondary release, which is a ranking episode.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

And if you want to know, obviously, if people have always been wondering, oh, I wonder who what you know what is the best, I don't know, song of the 90s. Let we'll tell you. Just if you've got any ideas, let us know. And we'll put that we'll write. Yeah, if you want things right now. We'll see where, yeah. By the way, genuinely, this is the most research I think either of us have ever put into an episode with this one, isn't it, Liam?

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Uh which is not saying a lot in sort of terms of sustained research, yeah, because I think we have watched various soaps, and we are we we have had this debate away from the podcasting world several times. So we've we've sort of given this some thought before, and yeah, we have we have looked into we've kind of tried to do sort of pros and cons for each of our top ten, and and it's very personal this. So this is our this is our ranking. We've we've kind of come to an agreement offline, yeah. Yeah, you could change obviously you listening, you might have you might have a completely different order, you might have some people in there that we've forgotten about. I think I think we've been fairly thorough. So hopefully we have captured the top ten. But yeah, what we're gonna do is go from ten to number one. We're gonna give you pros and cons for each. Uh we've got a few honourable mentions.

Ground Rules For Hard Men

unknown 3:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Oh, by the way, this is just just before we start, this isn't a fight. So we're not saying who's the best villain, we're not saying who's the best. Yeah, there's chiller.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Like obviously, Richard Hillman was uh killer. It's not about body count. It's it's no these people one-to-one. I I wouldn't say like it's it's not a boxing ring, is it? It's it's on the hard road. I think it I think it's in the south.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

So it's either in the uh the wool pack. Is it the wall pack? It's the wool pack, isn't it? Yeah, it's either in the walls outside. Yeah, on the cobbles outside the rover's return, it's on Albert Square, it's on uh what's the place in Oliho it's called? Um I don't know what that's called, actually. Um it's outside Tony Hutchinson's house, who's probably had that same house for 20 years anyway. They're fine out there, or it's on the uh on Brookside Close. No one on this list from Family Affairs, um and no no neighbours. No name, yeah. This is UK only. We might do another one, you know. We might do another one. There's no name. I can't think of an odd man from neighbours anyway, to be honest.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

What would Drew?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Remember Drew? Yeah, no, I don't I'm not sure. They have the the business, the sort of business man who was a bit known on. Oh, Paul Robinson. I don't think he were an odd kid. Yeah, I don't think he were. I think Jim Robinson would have had him, to be honest. But yeah, but they were not talking about neighbours, we're not talking about the uh the American soaps. No one from Family Affairs has made it on the grounds that we've never seen an episode of Family Affairs, is that right, Liam? Er I think they were an odd man in there, played by Pete Callan, but I don't I can't remember. No, I don't think I've ever seen Family Affairs. Um El Dorado, obviously, they were nothing in that. So the these are the big the big four. I think the big four, Emberdale Coronation Street, oh, big five, sorry, but Emmerdale Coronation Street, East Enders, Holly Oaks, and Brookside. Yeah, so let's go straight into our top ten.

Honourable Mentions And Near Misses

SPEAKER_01 5:23

But first, you want to do some honourable mentions, in fact.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Oh, do you want to start with him?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Okay. I saw some honourable mentions who we've not got in this. Uh Pat Phelan, who from Coronation Street, I think he's more of a psychopath than hard. I think he's a tough character, and I think he's top 20. I just don't think he's, you know, I think the 10 that we've got would be. I don't know him well either. I think Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Yeah, I I I know the name, I don't know the character, but yeah, it doesn't make it that wasn't sort of any debate for me. He he's outside of it for me.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Jimmy Corkel was in the top ten for a long time, just based on the fact he's a complete loose canon and he's the headbutt king, isn't he?

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Yeah, someone uh on one of the things that I read said it he once headbutted someone so hard he nearly knocked himself unconscious.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Imagine that. I typed him into YouTube and it's a YouTube compilation uh of all Jimmy Corkel's headbuts. It's about it's only about a minute long, but that's quite a lot of headbuts, isn't it? A minute worth of headbuts. It's a good career, yeah. Yeah. Uh Dennis Rickman, and I know you you were a big fan of back in the day, and he's very good, but as we'll get on to, he got shown up a few times, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Yeah, he's probably one of the sort of technically better fighters on the list. I think he was uh he was introduced as a boxer. Um but yeah, he got put in his place by a couple of people on the list, so we couldn't we couldn't make a case for him. He certainly started in my top ten, but yeah, he's he's he he didn't he didn't make it, he didn't pass a challenge.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

And one person who is not known as an odd man at all, but I've never seen this man be knocked out, and it's Kevin Webster from Coronation's.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

I mean, there's possibly an argument based on what you said that he could be the number one. He's has he won every fight he's ever been in. I think Tyrone knocked him out when he were having um an affair with him. I think Tyrone took a swing at him, but I think he he didn't fight back.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

I think I don't think he's ever been knocked out, and he's always fighting Kevin Webster, he's always angry, isn't he? Yeah, I used to love a right hander on the on the street outside, didn't he? Sol, what's going on here? Sol! Hey, you can't say that Sol. I was talking to um Noel Eggburn's actually, and he said that we should have um David Platt. Not not because he because he is a he is a psychopath, isn't he? Really?

SPEAKER_02 7:33

He's had a few sort of mad moments, yeah. But I mean ultimately when when you put him head to head with any of these top ten, he's getting hammered. He's got no chance.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Let's do the top ten then, Liam. I'll you let you open up with our number ten.

Number 10 And 9

SPEAKER_02 7:46

So number ten, it's a first shout for Emmerdale, and it's Kane Dingle. Um, I'll read out the the the pros, the case for why he should be in the list. Uh he's had a long career, so two decades as a soap hard man. Um some sort of come and go and have the moments, but he's been around for quite a long time. He's genuinely sort of feared and and people are intimidated by him in the show. He's not a shouter, he's uh quite a sort of cold hard man.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard him shout, Kane. He might have, but I don't I don't, he's more of a sort of what you better watch your mouth. I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah, he's just gonna do an accent then. You better watch your mouth. See no, he's not cotton, is he? No, he's not cotton at all. He's just uh I don't know if he's got he's he's got any accent, Kane, actually. No, then it's a bit Yorkshire, isn't he? But he's not that Yorkshire as some of the others that we'll get on to.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

He wants to watch the center around me. Um and uh I mean I I'm not sure how strong a sort of case this is for him as a hard man, but he's been involved in emotional storylines but hasn't lost his edge.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Yeah, I d I think that it is we I mean, I'll tell you what, you do I'll you do the fors, I'll do the against, and we'll do it vice versa. So that the because the again sort of leads in that some critics argue, and I don't watch Emmanuel much anymore, but I um I've done a lot of research by going on the digital spy forums for most of this, uh, from my side of things. And some critics argue that his intimidation style has become a bit too predictable in recent years, and he's he's become a bit soft, he's still tough, but he's not the most no longer the hardest man on the street anymore, whether Emmerdale is on the farm anymore. So I and we'll we'll get on to another one who comes who's coming a bit later, who's sort of taking his crown, and he's not old. You know, these are going to be in the prime, don't get me wrong. Yeah, he's probably not as ruthless as well as others on this list. This is why he's at number 10. I'm sure there were people shouting and screaming saying, You've got to have Kane top five. I think in a one-on-one fight, this guy is tough, he's hard, he can be terrible.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

I mean, that's impressive, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he's not as ruthless as some of the others.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Well, well, we have uh there's somebody else on the list that that probably justifies for me where where he sits. So yeah, yeah, he comes in at number 10. I think I think that's credible. I think I'm quite happy. To be honest, I'm quite happy with the top ten, but yeah, I think I think that one works for me. The next one, so you you tell us number nine, but I yeah, yeah, I'll do the one. This one for me is more difficult to play, so I think you could argue.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Really hard this one, yeah. Number nine is Dan Sullivan from East Ender. So when we did this list initially, I just put it on who I remembered being because we we did a list each and we got together. I think I had in top three because I just remember him being looking genuinely solid. He's obviously in Rise of the Foot Soldiers, and he's hard in that as well. He's probably the most imposing man of the entire in the entire list, I think, is a huge, huge pre uh uh presence. I remember him throwing his weight around and getting the better of Phil and things like that and using weapons and but then as we'll get on to the case again, maybe a little bit of a bully.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Yeah, I mean a lot of sort of the things that that we found on him sort of said that, but I I don't know. I I think the thing he's got in his favour, which the others can't really claim, is because as you said, he's been in Rise of Foot Soldiers, so we've seen him in some sort of You don't play Dan Sullivan by the way, but effectively he kind of does, doesn't it? I mean it he plays um oh I can't remember his name, strongly. Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Yeah, he's he is he looks solid if he came after you. So if you were like showing off online on Twitter and someone said, Right, I'm gonna come meet you, and you went, Oh go on then. And then he came around you called him, oh fuck, I've been around.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah, he's a big guy. I mean, he's he's been sort of marked down for being a a bully, but yeah, I don't know whether that's a weakness when it comes to a fight. I I don't think he's scared of any of these people. I I like I say, I I am happy with the list. He he's one I th I could think you could push up much higher. But I mean he's at number ten. Uh sorry, he's at number nine. Um sorry, I'll just c just close the notes down.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Yeah, well is it is at number nine, uh, and and the some of the people who are higher than him from East Enders he has lost two.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Yeah, but again, um I mean yeah, we we can only rank him on on what we've seen of him. But the the writers kind of kind of nerfed him, I think. They they they took away some of his sort of I don't know, I I actually think potentially he could have he could have beaten some of these people, but but yeah, that didn't suit the story that they wanted to tell. And that's yeah, we can only judge him on that, I suppose, can't we? So I mean some of the things against him, so I've got a notes back now. Outplayed by Mel. I mean Mel Owen should have that knocks him down as a hard man.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Maybe not, but it yeah, maybe, but it was a bit humiliating for him that Mel Owen got the better of him.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

So Phil kind of eventually in the end got the better of him. Gran overpowered him when it came to it. Well, uh obviously you won't be surprised to hear he'll feature again, both of those actually. Um he's not a fighter, as such, he's just a big guy who likes to throw his weight around. Um and again, I I don't know how true this is, but certain possibly the way it was written. Uh maybe I didn't see every episode of him, but if intimidation fails, his game will collapse. I mean, yeah, I I don't know. Uh ultimately they can't all win. I think he yeah, he sits a number nine. I think almost the next one is this is the most controversial one. Number eight that this one and the next one could be switched.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

I think the most controversial one is nextly, but I want you to do it. Number eight.

A northern farmer enters the mix

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Number eight, so it's the Harden Farming Man, Jack Sugden from Emmerdale. Yeah. So I I mean a really interesting one, because not as such a fighter, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 13:39

He came up with no lists, by the way. This guy, this is one of my sort of picks, and I showed some sort of thing. You can't disagree, actually. Yeah, and I I showed some stuff to you, and you were like, Do you know what? He's gonna have to be top ten this guy. This guy's not known as a hard man at all, Jack Sugden. If people don't know a runabout, he just wears a flat cap a lot, don't I?

SPEAKER_02 13:56

That's not why he's a wily old man, but he has that sort of rugged day-to-day strength of somebody who's outside working with working with his hands, doing physical labour all day every day. Uh, old school Yorkshire man. He'll stand his ground against anyone. Yeah, he won't be bullied. He's he's not kind of gonna somebody who's gonna be pushed around. Um not violent, but just just tough, just hardy. Just just uh yeah, you you kinda I don't think you'd want to sort of come up against him if if you he probably wouldn't want to fight you, but if you pushed him far enough, I think that you're gonna be in trouble.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

I mean he beat Tom Merrick apparently in a scrap. I don't know who Tom Tom Merrick is. He beat uh a character called Billy Hopwood again, I don't know them. So Andy Sugdon who actually apparently I when I was reading that he he beat Kane at one point in a fight.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Andy Sugden is could have been on the list. He's harder than he probably seems Andy Sugden, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

But Jack overpowered him when they had a bit of a feud. Uh he's won several sort of altercations in the wool pike, you would say he came came out as a winner. And he got put in prison. Um and I think it's something he didn't do, wasn't it? Yeah, Crime didn't come in.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

He started I think burning down the farm itself.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Um and he got um so he got sent down, but in prison he he stood up to the kind of prison local hard men and and he held his own.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

So yeah, they're playing pool. It's a classic prison soap scene where you're playing pool. I think I think where next, mate. And he's going, What? We've we've put our ball. No, no, no. I don't like you. You better learn what's happening here, mate. You better and he goes, You what? And he like wrestles him to the ground, sucked on, and that's a prison hard man. Do you know what I mean? So this guy's no shrieking violet at all. Shriek shrinking, isn't it? Shirking, shirking, shirking. Is it shirking shrinking, shrinking? What did I say? Shriek, shrieking and shark, shrieking and shirking. Yeah, shirking, shirking. The f the case against him the f I don't know, he lost both his sons in late years, but you know, you can't be old forever. Not in his prime, yeah, and he was getting old then, and he was fighting his sons in their prime. I think the one that people will say though is he's not he's not a killer, he's not he's not a fighter, really. He's he hasn't got a really a violent man, is he? He's just no, he's not a psychopath at all. But if someone comes at him, he'll it's in what uh uh Tony Soprano was called a str uh the strong silent type, isn't he, Jack Sugden?

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Yeah, why can't people just keep themselves to themselves these days? Yeah, that yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

I think Tony Soprano and Jack Sugden. Do you think he was talking about the character Jack Subdon? It'd be brilliant, he said. Well he said it's what is it, Gary Cooper's I think it's what happened to Jack Sugden, the strong silent type? That'd be amazing, wouldn't it? Um but yeah, I think Tony Soprano and Jack Sugden would have been um an absolute like match made in heaven. I think I'd have so much respect for him uh tell and I but like you say the reason he's the the reason he's not higher The reason he's not higher is basically because he's not a gangster or a villain or a psychopath or a fighter. But I think if Dan Sullivan Dan Sullivan and him you know were not I think if Kane Dingle said what you're doing, Jack, and then they start pushing and shoving, and I genuinely think Jack's Ug's gonna get the better of Kane.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Yeah, yeah. Dan Sullivan I'm not so sure, I don't I don't know, but yeah I'm I'm willing to accept that if they're in the they're in the wall pack, push comes to shove, Jack is he's not gonna back down and he and he lands a clean right and I think probably probably Dan Sullivan comes back with a a sung-off shotgun or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

But you've you've made mind you you might have a shotgun being a farmer. Like a Tony Martin. Tony Martin had a shotgun, didn't he? Certainly didn't work for him, but yeah. Anyway, number seven, so that's number eight, Jack. So we're doing

Brookside joins the party

SPEAKER_01 17:44

number seven. We're going to uh a soap that doesn't exist anymore. We're going to Liverpool for Brookside, and it's of course Barry Grant. So Barry Grant, one of the original, if not the original, soap gangster, I think. So I mean I've I've read that he is the prototype for every modern soap villain hard man. Um a genuine criminal background, a genuine gangster. Took out various other gangsters and thugs in Brookside, not afraid to use violence, street wise, calculating, respected. What I like about it, he knows when to fight and he knows when to retreat and come back when the when he's you know what I mean, when he's in a in a better position. He's a he's a clever, clever fighter. Um, very good psychologically, not the biggest, but probably the most dangerous because he's a genuine gangster. And I I don't know if you ever remember this. He definitely I always remember my dad soul says it to this day. Where if I mention Barry Grant, he apparently one of his uh things that he used to say is I'll burn you. I'll burn you. Burn you.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Yeah, I mean you I didn't really used to watch Brookside, but my grandma and granddad did, so I used to see it when I went to theirs. And yeah, I remember him being a genuinely intimidated character, and and he kind of it was well written enough that it it he was hated because he was such a nasty sort of piece of work that's like.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

But he comes back in the final episode ever. By the way, the last episode of Brookside is genuinely fantastic. It was on about 11 pm. Phil Redmond comes back, obviously. Um, and it's on about 11 pm, and it gets really, really violent. And I think it is the most violent sort of Brookside. Um, and he comes back, Barry Grant, to sort out the the the guy who's terrorising the estate, basically. Oh, it's um honestly it's a brilliant piece of television.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

Is it the last one where some of them get together and and kill?

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yeah, hang that guy. Yeah, they hang him outside his house. It's proper brutal scene for us all. Like they literally hang this guy, and I think Barry Grant sort of just comes back to set the feelers out and stuff. He ends up uh with Claire Sweeney, doesn't he? Um in the 'cause obviously she gets in Remember Claire Sweeney went from that as being a normal um what were her name? Lindsay Corkle went from being a normal I don't know, just like a normal sort of next door, you know, girl next door to like some sort of like having shotguns on her and stuff and getting his balls in like loads of gangland things.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Yeah, the the downsides for Barry Grant. So he did lose in a scrap to Jimmy Corkill who nearly.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

I think anyone on this list could look lose to Jimmy Corkle.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

I mean, this is chaotic. Yeah. A lot a lot of people will hold up when they want to downplay Barry Grant, is uh Sinbad, actually. I did him. Yeah. Which I love that name, Sinbad as a song. Sinbad, yeah. Um Sinbad's absolutely amazing. I mean, I not necessarily a negative, but it was it was kind of he overreached at one point and was put in his place by the sort of real uh Liverpool gangsters. Uh he's quite a clever calculating man, but he's he's not necessarily got the brute force to deal with someone at the top of the list. Uh and when things get messy, he's he's kind of not he's not got that that just sort of mad energy to deal with sort of some people that we've got higher up, I think.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

He's everyone above him, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Yeah, I I think for me, everything above this we're now getting into the sort of I mean as as it should be, we're getting towards the top. But I think six onwards for me is where we start to meet the real the real nutcases almost.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you want to go for number six then, Lane?

Here he is, so he he is

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Barry Grant at seven, number six.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Uh I'll go number six, so I will. It's uh it's Jim McDonald. Jim McDonald, yeah. So I mean he sort of faded almost within his own career, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Because he he kind of by the way, he's died in here. Just remember just uh this will be coming out, I don't know, two weeks after, I think. He in the soap, he died recently. So we should probably do this as a homage to uh Jim McDonald this entire episode actually.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Oh what is they've written him out? Is he gone?

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Yeah, they written him out, he's died, yeah. He's dead, yeah. Uh in the soap. Um Steve weren't very happy, obviously, but you know, he rolls with the punches, doesn't he, Steve?

SPEAKER_02 21:40

So he's uh an old school brawler, bites with a huge amount of emotion and just pure anger, brute force. Uh he's not afraid to get in first if if the moment takes him, he'll he's straight in. Uh Jez Quigley was a local gangster in Coronation Street, and Jim wasn't having it. Uh, even though Quigley had a baseball bat. Jim dealt with him without too much.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

Do you remember that scene?

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, yeah. Quite quiggling.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Kill him eventually. Quaggle. I think you're a coward, Quigley. Quigley. I think you're a coward. Quagley. And he he was quite good, Quigley, because he was like, come on. And he's got his baseball, but I think he was quite um quite good uh Quigley as a Yeah, he was not pushover, but Jim Jim dealt with him comfortably. Literally killed him, yeah. Literally killed him. Not over a didn't kill him on the spot, it was like days later. It was something that I think one of Jim's punchers connected. Something to do with his kidneys or something.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

Yeah, he ended up in hospital and he died, yeah. Um physically imposing, he's got that kind of menace to him when he wants it. Um incredible one-on-one fighter. So it in terms of scraps, I don't think he was he was bested many times, although well, we'll get to it on the on the downsides, actually, so I'll leave that for now. Yeah, uh absolutely unpredictable, mad. Just at any moment, who knows what he's gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Probably the biggest temper, the shortest fuse of everyone on the list, I think. Uh Jim McDonald, because there'd be times where he'd be seething. Like, is there any scene where he's not seething by Jim McDonald? He's always like, seems to be sat there, but you better watch him out there, Steve.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

Should I chap over there is gonna get it? So he is. Yeah, Liz is like, come on, what you're on about, Jim. He's uh he can take uh he could take a punch, so he's not it doesn't bother him if he gets if he gets whacked back. He's quite happy to have a scrap with anyone. Prison hardened, so he spent time in prison. Yeah, I've not actually got this on the elves, but I think he's uh he's ex-military.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

I think it he Yeah, he is ex-military as well. Yeah, I don't think he was like in some of the others that we're gonna talk about a higher rank as them in terms of combat. No, I think he's just just army.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Um I mean say just army, that's obviously still impressive, he still had some training. Um I mean again, I I don't see this as a bad thing, but apparently Peter Barlow kind of wants best of him. But I think this is when he was sort of quite drunk, which will take us on to the case against the.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Yeah, I'll go on the case again. So obviously did lose to Peter Barlow during a row. Peter Barlow's not renowned as being a pushover by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think he's an hard man. Jim was weighing in here. I think he fights with emotion rather than strategy. I think like you're coming up against some of the people, you know, he's coming up against in the in the top four, and they've probably got a little bit more about him in a fighting sense. Uh, I think he burns out fast as many a time as there's times where he's fighting with the police. I think he tried didn't he like Robert Bank with a torn-off shotgun? Yeah. But um he like beats a few policemen up at the start, and then he it very quickly burns out. He's done, yeah. Yeah. Very heavy drinker, which we cannot overlook here because all the obviously we'll get to another big drinker very, very soon. But this guy was a massive, you can't, he wasn't always at his best. I think if he's had one too many I imagine he's a whiskey man. If he's had one too many whiskies, you're probably gonna get on top of him, aren't you?

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Yeah, and I mean the the sort of fight it's in the prime, but even in the prime, there's a there's a chance that you catch Jim when he's being he's being on the booze. So even in his prime, you you might not get prime Jim. So yeah, uh the last thing on there on the notes we've got is Yeah, he's not a gangster, he's he's not a gangster, no, he's just a local. I mean, he really is a local hard man, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 25:13

That's he is a local hard man, and in a fight was what we're doing. That might not, you know, I mean that that shouldn't go against him. But I don't think he's uh I know he killed Quigley, but he didn't really mean to kill Quigley, he just meant to be. Come on, Quigley Why does he call everyone by the second name anyway? Does he do that with everyone? Come on, Webster. Imagine that. Come on, Norris. We should have had him actually. Um I've just realised that Chuck Chuck Norris and um oh no, Norris is his first name, isn't it? What's Norris's Norris Cole, isn't it? That's all right. Well yeah, Norris Cole, he's not in this list. Um, but yeah, the fact that I don't think he is a killer, and I think the top five, I think I'm right. Maybe one of them's not a killer, actually, he's just probably a bit harder than than Jim. Um, yeah, just puts him at number six. And number five, Liam.

There's a fox in the hen-house

SPEAKER_01 25:59

This is a difficult one there. So he's not a man that I've seen No, it's not what we had to have him because he comes up on all the lists that I've seen, uh, all the research that I've done, all the digital spy forum things that I've gone through. It's a Hollyoaks man, and it's Warren Fox. And yeah, you know, shout out to Lindsay Marshall, who uh you used to work with and I still work with, because when we I were talking to her at work um about who we have in, you know, we're doing this and who should be having stuff, and she said, You've got to have Warren Fox. And we we have to because he's pretty much got it all. He's a he's a killer, he's a genuinely good fighter, he's intimidating, he's more than just a local hard man than Steve McDonald was. He he you know he's fought gangster. Who did I say? Steve, yeah. Steve's not hard at all, is it now? Um he's beat up uh Justin Burton badly, he took out Brendan Brady in one of their classes, uh clashes, overpowered Steve Hay multiple times, he's dominated gangsters and thugs, he's he he looks the part, he's a big lad, he's a powerful man, and he'll fight anybody. And I think that's that's the things that you need to be an hard man. And I think we would I think if we didn't have him in our top five, it purely because we both don't really like Hollyhawks that much.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

No, I think he's a good all-rounder, he's a he's a solid option for the top five. I think the biggest problem I have with him, and it's it's not his fault as a character, but because it was shown at six o'clock, because it was kind of aimed at a younger audience. You can't be hard before seven pm. Yeah, you you you can't a lot of his intimidation is sort of calling somebody an idiot, or like it's not the new one on the old late night though, which I imagine he's been in, when they can spend every character that says yeah, giving him a chance to be more of the the hard case, but yeah. I I don't know, most of my time watching him was him saying things like if if they bloody do that again, I'm gonna bloody strangle him.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Like he's not a scouser. He isn't he? No, he's not a scouser, he's just a northern man. He were in Emmerdale later on, actually, playing a very similar character, I believe. Um, no, no, he's not a scouser, no. No, he's like he's looks like uh you better watch your back, you honestly. You better watch yourself. It might be a Manchester man or a Yorkshire man.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Anyway, one of the definitely Manchester, yeah, maybe he's Manchester Man.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Yeah, maybe Manchester.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Yeah, um yeah, well, the the case against Warren Fox. So apparently in the final ever showdown, I haven't seen this, but Brendan Brady took took the better of him. So he's the is he a northern Irish guy? He's the guy with a mustache, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Yeah, he's the guy with his mustache who always like sort of combs his mustache. No, they don't comb it, do you know like with his hands and runs it strokes his mustache, yeah, all the time, Brendan Brady. Yeah, I could never take him seriously as an art man. Brendan Brady. He just I don't know why. For like an actual Yeah, he is yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He is um he is gay. I think one of the things in the storylines he was gay, and Warren Fox obviously, you know, played on that and stuff, but I think he hated being gay because he was supposed to be this I'm I'm this hard case, so that were like a bit of a what do you call it, a complex side to the to the character.

SPEAKER_02 28:57

We actually talk about um a gay character. I I mentioned too Christian from East Enders. He's not made the top 10, but I I think he was a no nonsense. I don't think he was intimidated by the Mitchells. He was uh he's in great shape, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Oh yeah, I think like he's he's a gym bro, isn't it? Like he went to the gym. Um but no one looked like again, people might be laughing, Christian. What are you talking about? I won't I think he'd he were a very stupid like Jack Sugden. I think Jack Sugden had solid, solid man. Yeah, just solid.

SPEAKER_02 29:23

He's not you know, not a killer, but you but I reckon he'd he'd have done a little bit of sort of punch bag training and stuff as well. I reckon he could have thrown a punch, but anyway, it doesn't make the top ten. Uh the the other arguments against Warren, so beaten by Fraser Black's men. I don't I don't know that storyline, but I mean the implication there is several men beat him up.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

I don't think it does any damage to him.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

Um several times in different storylines, he has been overpowered. Um he wins kind of more than he loses, so he's he's written as the kind of another local hard man, but when he comes up against the the elite, he has been put in his place. And yeah, the the last note there is as you've said already, you can't really be a hard case before 7 pm, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

But late night Oli Oaks is brilliant because obviously every every character it's the same show, but they just swear once every character gets the swear word. It's like when that's the selling point, innit?

SPEAKER_02 30:18

Alan Shearer on the rest of his football thinks he has to swear like once every sort of few minutes, doesn't it? Because he's allowed to. Yeah, that's what late night Oliver late night Alan Shearer. Come on, Gary, what are you fucking talking about?

SPEAKER_01 30:30

Yeah, but you're right though, you can't be off before 7 pm. And I don't think it makes much difference in coronations, but the Ollie Oaks is more aimed at kids, like not kids as in children, but like 90-year-olds, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Younger generation, so yeah, I I don't know. Let's move on. I think more at five is probably I think it's a good benchmark, borrowing at five. But now we're moving into the to me, there's a there's a big step up here. So number five.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

I'm eating my I'm doing the old job punching your hand with your fist like that, yeah. I'm doing that.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

Come on, and people may think obviously if they've watched him this character for a long time, yeah, absolutely has faded, but we're talking

The first entry for this family

SPEAKER_02 31:08

prime. So this is Phil Mitchell from EastEnders. Uh he's been shot, he's been stabbed, he's had liver failure. Um he's been shot, he's been stabbed, he's had a liver failure. He's he's been beaten up several times, but always comes back for more. He's uh an absolute bulldozer of a fighter.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

He's a good fighter, he's a good fighter, Phil.

SPEAKER_02 31:30

Yeah, straight in, no problems. Um tons and tons of fights, and you know some of these characters like Jack Subdon, I've probably only seen him fight three or four times. Yeah, Phil's been in multiple scraps, quite happy to have a fight with anyone. Yeah, he did he did better Dan Sullivan in the end. Um I don't think he he sort of won every altercation, but ultimately.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

No, I think he made the the final showdown. Yeah, he got he got he got the better of him, yeah. Run him out of the run him out of the Albert Square.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

I mean, 30 years as well, he's been he's been top dog or one of the top dogs on the square. So he's got he's got the time in the bank, and uh your note there says that he's the knockier 3310 of Hardman. He's just still there, isn't he? He's still going.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Yeah, he's still going. You're not gonna get rid of him. Uh I saw not so long ago, what, three or four years ago? I saw him in a fight. Um, I don't watch East Enders anymore, um, but I saw him in a fight um with with somebody, and this guy went, Yeah, what are you gonna do, old man? You still think you're the top dog, and he am he hammers him. But he is slower, it's quite well written, it's quite well acted, actually, in a fighting sense, because he's I you the people who grew up with Phil remember him as like this battering rhyme, just like ah, do you know what I mean? Like smashing people about. He is slower, but he's still got the experience. You still won't want to get on the wrong side of Phil. Yeah, he's a wily old fox, isn't he? A wily old fox. The case again, so this is tough this. He lost to Grant when they were both at the peak. Um, and I do think he's always been seen as the less tough one. Obviously, spoiler alert, Grant's gonna be in this. Um, do you agree with that, Liam? Is I um I think that's true.

SPEAKER_02 33:00

Yeah, I think when when it's really come down to it, I think Phil's perhaps more of a strategist in terms of yeah, he's more brain. But yeah, I think when when they have gone head to head, he's come off second best.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

I think that's fair to say. I think he were more reliant on intimidation and pure brute force than athleticism, unlike the top three fighters possibly that we've got. Um he's not got long in the tank, as he, I think. He hasn't got long in the tank. He's not never even in his prime, I don't think he had long in the tank. As you said, he did lose to uh Dan Sullivan. He even got overpowered by Shirley Carter, who I genuinely I genuinely considered as a top ten entry, Shirley. Because you were on about Big Mo, weren't you, at one point being in it?

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Yeah, I think Big Mo were no nonsense. But yeah, surely I I assume this was in his heavy drinking days. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

Surely yeah, I'm shot by Lisa Fowler. Can't do anything about that, but it were a bit he obviously lost, you know. If you've been shot, you're never going to be the same again. You're not gonna come back with the same sort of once you'd been shot, I think he'd lost a little bit of his. Do you know what I mean? Um he is an alcoholic, now getting away from that. He's not all he's very rarely in the right physical stage.

SPEAKER_02 34:11

Yeah, he's another Jim McDonald that even in his prime. More so I think drunk, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

I mean he didn't he go um he he got drawn dish, didn't he? Remember when they like had to, I don't know if they paint his face yellow or something like that, because uh his liver were packing down that much because he was drinking that much.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Yeah, I don't know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

I I wouldn't say wrong, but I don't remember that story. And he's not a train fighter. He's not a train fighter, unlike um the top three are maybe not trained, but they are actual fighters, whereas Phil maybe.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Yeah, they have they have skill in fighting, whereas Phil's just a tough man.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Yeah. So I'm into the top top three, yeah. Uh would you say any of these could be number one?

SPEAKER_02 34:51

Or do you think um number two's tricky for me because I based on sort of what we've looked into, I I kind of absolutely accept his position, but I I don't know enough about we've we've watched some clips, you sent me some clips. I know your mum and dad sort of seemed that you've got to be in there. So I'm I'm happy with where he sits, but I've not kind of seen him play. I I actually think no, I'm I'm quite happy with the top three. I think number three. So there's number three is yeah, there's top three hard men in UK soaps.

An actual fighter, top tier time

SPEAKER_01 35:25

History and the prime, and number three is Zach Dingleam.

SPEAKER_02 35:29

Yeah, I'm I'm happy with that. I think he's a tough, tough guy, no nonsense, being in a few scraps, written as a bare knuckle boxer, so absolutely can handle himself, not not afraid to throw hands with anyone. No, uh he's he's physically he's quite intimidating, he's a big guy, he's very broad-shouldered.

SPEAKER_01 35:50

Oh, he's built he's built like a brick shit house, Zach Zingle. And people, by the way, who might be younger might be saying, What? Zach, he's an old man. This guy in his prime took Kane didn't dingle down in a father and son subscribe.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

That's one of the reasons why Kane sits where he sits because Zach very firmly put him in his place when it came down to it. Um I think he'd still hand out a good pace then today. Yeah, and and that this was prime cane and and older Zach, and he's still giving him a good beating.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

Um fight anyone, he's a short fuse.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Yeah, I this look is a he's not a short fuse in a sense though that like uh necessarily like the next two. Explosive. I I think he he needs he needs a reason. Whereas I think the top two actually maybe don't. They're they're quite happy just to kick off with anyone. But I think if he feels he's been wronged, he's quite happy to have a scrap with anyone, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Uh but yeah, but is it look the fact is a bare knuckle boxer, it that's surely.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

Yeah, I mean straight away that's that's you know he's written as a character who fights, yeah, not in a boxing ring, but kind of fights on the hard road. The hard road, right? Give me some cases against Liam, though. So later on he's lost to Kane. Again, I because it's in his pine doesn't worry me. Uh he's lost to Butch, but again, as he was getting older, nothing.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

I said by the way, I'm on Digital's pie, and someone said he uh he lost to uh Butch Dingle, and then some and then in brackets they put a major upset.

SPEAKER_02 37:15

Yeah, it would be, wouldn't it? Yeah, he's uh he's not a he's not a I mean I don't know if I agree with it. I'm reading the notes out here. Not a smart fighter, a pure brawler, but I I don't know if that's true of a bare knuckle boxer. I think you have to fight smart. I I've done some boxing and some MMA, which is not bare knuckle, but no, but you you think is it Liam Zingle, Zingle, Liam Liam Dingle, Liam Zingle. But you you have to you you can't be a bare knuckle boxer and just not be a smart fighter, I think. Because it's too abolished. I mean even like your hands, you have to look at you can break your hands and stuff. So I I'm not sure that one's true.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

To be honest, I put that one in, and I I'm yeah, you're probably right there. It's me who's put that note in there, and uh that were a that were a um an opinion, but yeah, I think yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 38:00

But we've got to try and separate them, so we're being critical. Um doesn't live in a tough area, so East Enders and Brookside, you know, you've got sort of gangsters. Yeah, rough area, various different characters, and and obviously he's living in a rural sort of farming.

SPEAKER_01 38:16

That said, I've just realised Emmerdale have got more hard men in this list than anyone else, but it's not it's doesn't necessarily mean it's a tough area.

SPEAKER_02 38:23

No, he's not he's not dealing with the the sort of yeah, the the the nonsense of some of the sort of actual gangsters, I suppose. Like he doesn't have to Zach Dingle doesn't deal with those in in his sort of day-to-day. Uh not ruthless. So again, I think he underneath it all, Zach Dingle is he's a good man. I think he's yeah, he'll beat you in a fight, but then he'll help you up and probably take you for a pine. I think the top two that I'm gonna come to, I think once once Dave lost it with you, that's it, it's all over.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Fair enough. That is Mr. Zack Dingle at number three, and number two, it's his uh another Emadale man,

Hard for us to argue too hard for this one but, the facts stack up, and hes there on merit

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Liam. I'll let you do the case for. This is someone who's new to both of us, though. My mum, I'll talk to him about this because oh, you've got to have this guy, Graham Foster. He's he's actually died in Emadale, but he's come back, which is a classic art man trap, innit? Well, um, yeah. Um, I didn't know anything about him. I did a bit of research into his story, looked at a few videos. Do you know what? If I'd have had a bit more time to research, this guy might have been number one, William.

SPEAKER_02 39:25

Yeah, it's it's debatable. I mean, I don't think he has the pure size to deal with. People have probably figured out he's not number one, but I'm not sure. So so I mean huge sort of pro for him. So he's SAS level training, he's special forces, um, he's calm, he's cool, but he's lethal when when he needs to be or wants to be. He's not a pub brawler, so he's not like some of the ones on the list who are just kind of diving in, swinging, Les Battersby style. He's he's absolute cold calculated. You know, the violence kind of has some yeah, what's the word? It kind of has some strategy behind it because of his training. Um he doesn't need to shout, he's not a screamer, he just deals with things when he replays it.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

I don't think I I I've not watched loads of him, but he's very like you better watch it.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

So apparently, and again, I've not seen this particular clip, but he takes three people, three men down in a fight with no problem.

SPEAKER_01 40:18

It's a brilliant clip, yeah. No problem. Three, I think it's Kim Tate, Kim Tate sends three um three people after to to kill him. It might not be Kim Tate, someone sends anyway. He's like martial arts, man. He's like and he's wearing a suit as he's doing it.

SPEAKER_02 40:32

Yeah, which again is a nice bonus. Um his backstory is uh I mean apparently another alcoholism, another alcoholism story. They all love the drink, they all love the drink. He's got some trauma, he's got some military, military loss, so I don't know exactly what that is. Something on the battlefield, I assume. Yeah, uh, he's he's tougher mentally, probably than anyone else on this list. I think he's just got that stoic just just meanness to him, hasn't he? Like it's just absolute no nonsense. Uh he dealt with Kane Dingle in a really controlled and tactical way.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

This is I don't know if you saw this clip. I don't know, I sent you a million clips of this these this man, but this one is brilliant because like I think Kane just thinks he's gonna do his old brawling bully boy too. He's not having it. Yeah, and he in his shot, he's genuinely shot Kane. It's like, oh shit, who's this guy?

SPEAKER_02 41:22

What do I do? But yeah, so that that's the case for Graham Foster. Uh give us some reasons why it's uh the case against.

SPEAKER_01 41:28

The first one I don't know if it's that big of a thing. He's not a pub fighter, he's not someone who's gonna go into a pub and cause a scene. He's not I don't imagine he's been in that that that sort of environment that much. I think he's strong, but I don't think he's a tank like the next man on the list in particular, and others on this list. I don't think he liked fighting. He only fights when he has to, which is not that's a great thing to be as a man, but not when you're looking at the hard man list. Not really a big personality, but I don't know again, that might be even more scary that he's a you know, he's a quiet, quiet man. Kane did catch him off guard once. Um it was it was uh a sneak punch, but he did get him off guard. Maybe he's not quite as you know aware as maybe you need to be as an elite fighter. And he did actually die. Someone hit him with a weapon and he died, but he didn't actually die and he came back. Um again. Not really it's we're getting to the proper top stuff here, so it's really hard to pick out things. Yeah, there's not many weaknesses for him. He's uh I think the only re the biggest weakness is his size, I think. I don't think he's like compared to the number one. I just don't think he has the size over him.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

Yeah, so so you can do the case for the the top dog if you want.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

Well, I'll tell you what, we'll do a top ten, what we've got, to get to

Countdown To Number One

SPEAKER_01 42:36

number one. Should get some music on. Do we have do you can you do top of the mop pop's music because I read it out? That's Bill. Um yeah, let me know what it is, yeah. Uh oh my dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun I forget it. Number ten, Kane Dingle, number nine, Dan Sullivan, number eight, Jack Sugden, number seven, Barry Grant, number six, Jim McDonald, number five, Warren Fox, number four, Phil Mitchell, number three, Zach Dingle, number two, Graham Foster, and at number one, the harvest man, as voted by me and Liam, it's obviously Mr. Grant Mitchell. Are you happy with this, Liam?

SPEAKER_02 43:17

Yeah, I mean, as soon as we start talking about this, and we're we've had multiple debates over this, and I think he's always come out on top. I don't think there's ever been a time when Grant hasn't finished top.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

Um, do you want do you want to do the the case for? I'll do the case four, then we'll end with maybe a few things that could go against him and you can make up your own minds. The case four, X Forces, you know, obviously training. I think he certainly served in the Falklands, didn't he? I think that's his story. Yeah, yeah. Huge build, absolutely huge. I mean, I think it's easy to he's a gorilla of a man, isn't he? Yeah, you sort of like nowadays as well. Like you you see, he's he's sort of doing his Ross Kemp on gangs or he's even in extras. He they sort of play on the fact that oh, here he is, you know, big hard man. When he's Grand and he's looking sinister. You are it's like fucking hell. Like this guy.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

It's just like uh literally the bull in a china shop phrase. It's just it's just yeah, it just dominates the room, doesn't it? When he's in full flow.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

Yeah, and I read that he has literally knocked out every tough guy in the square. So he's knocked out Eddie Royal. Do you remember Eddie Royal? Yeah, not very well, but yeah. Tricky Dickey. I don't know, Tricky Dickey. Richard Richard Cole, I think we were called Tricky Dickie. I don't know, obviously. Richard Cole knows that he's called Tricky Dickey. I'm not sure anybody knows. David Wicks once uh David Wicks was again. Lindsay Marshall said that we should have considered David Wix were trying to dance with Sharon in the Vake, and and Grant just knocked him out, cold one punch, boom, see you later. Early days were any wicked because I don't know enough about him. Yeah, Dennis Rickman. So Dennis Rickman was gonna be in our top ten. He thought it could hurt Graham. He he he was one of the few who said, you know what, I'm gonna have a go at Graham's gonna win it. I'll go and sort him out. And uh yeah. He got picked, yeah, he got picked up and thrown onto a piano. Uh yeah. So it's yeah, he yeah, he just dealt with him. The DiMarcos, Beppe DiMarco was another one who keeps coming on these lists of like oh I didn't realise Bepe was seeing us like Di Marco. Bepe weren't, was he?

SPEAKER_02 45:14

His brother was Bepe was uh I suppose they just basically just did an Italian Mitchell brothers, didn't they? Because he was the sort of the thinker, and then he had the big yeah, the big guy next to him. He had them all, but yeah, no, no trouble for for granted.

SPEAKER_01 45:28

Um Steve Owen. Um I watched some clips, he just hammered Steve Owen. Steve Owen weren't really in our case, but he he taught the talk. Good actor. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. Steve, what were his name? Martin Kemp. Uh Johnny Allen, who we were gonna have, but we thought that he doesn't fit the brief, does he? So he actually intimidated Grant and Phil. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

Because he was a real gangster who probably could have just had him killed.

SPEAKER_01 45:50

But but in terms of one-on-one, I think they beat him overall, though. I'm pretty sure Phil and Grant together, didn't they? And then there's that time where Michelle got uh shot by Doug A. Um uh that this mad army man, I don't know if you remember him, Dougie. No. Anyway, it's all big, it's all kicking off. Grant wrestles a gun off him, and this guy's like a mad, you know what I mean, a psychopath. And Grant were just like, no, I'm having that bang. He is the ultimate. If someone says who's the soap hard man, I don't care if you've got everybody comes, he snaps into your mind, don't he?

SPEAKER_02 46:23

Yeah, and I can picture him in his leather jacket bursting into uh the poor ball or into the present, you stupid loser. Yeah, I mean the the case against him, and it's not a strong case against him, but it he did lose to Phil.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

So when Phil was at absolute peak rage, I think there's a thing with this is when um I think Phil, I think Grant let him. I think Grant I can't remember has he Shaq Sharon? I think is that why I think.

SPEAKER_02 46:49

There's some reason behind. I don't think Grant was really fighting back. I think he let Phil beat him. Um so the the kind of ultimate the real gangsters in the square have actually got the better of him a couple of times. Um taken down by Keanu Taylor. I don't I don't know that that's a much more recent storyline.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

Yeah, he's a younger man, but again, Grant, what is he now, Grant? He's gotta be sixties, hasn't he? Yeah, I'd say so, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's gotta be, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's not really again, you know.

SPEAKER_02 47:18

So I mean ultimately this is not a downside because this is exactly what we're judging him on, but wins one-on-ones but can be outsmarted. So yeah, I think in terms of long-term strategy, it's not impossible to think that there are people who could kind of get the better of ground, but but in a one-on-one, which is exactly what this list is, I don't think anybody beats him. Uh he's stronger and more skilled, but I mean again, I don't know how true this is. Apparently, people people think that Phil can take a little bit more punishment.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

I I'm not sure that's true. Well, I wrote this, I said Phil's probably more able to take pain like Mike Parry. Because Phil he gets shot, he gets stabbed. But you could argue Grant's never found himself in those positions because he's too hard.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

Yeah, people all his live people have thrown challenges at him and his head buttoned him away, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 48:06

Do you think Mike Parry would um do you think he'd like put himself in the top ten if he had to? Like, do you know what I mean? I bet Mike Graham would actually.

SPEAKER_02 48:13

Yeah, probably. Yeah, I think they both can't.

SPEAKER_01 48:16

I think Mike Graham sees himself as a gang. Remember when Mike Graham used to do that podcast with what's his name, Kevin O'Sullivan. And they're on the cover, they were both sudd-like gangsters in my big long coast. Brilliant. Liam Narth

Your Changes And Future Lists

SPEAKER_01 48:28

is our top ten. That's the first ranking that we've ever done. Um I I loved doing it some research, actual research into this just by typing in you know, do you know what as well though, by the way?

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Like, I know you've you've put most of the research in, but I'm actually really happy. I've thought about this list a few times and I've thought about moving some of them around, but I'm actually I I think that's spot on. Let us know if you would change anyone, if you want anyone dropping out, if you want to put somebody in there we've not considered. Yeah. Really intrigued to know people's thoughts. Um I'm hoping for the most part, people think that's a decent ranking.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

I think like I said, there might be people in Brookside or even Holly Oaks that we don't we haven't seen that much of that people might say, Oh, you've missed uh Tony Agana, which can't really be Tony Agana. Tony um Tony I couldn't even say Tony Cascarino, I can't think of as just a normal Tony Mitchell out. Um that you know, he were a solid in Brookside. I don't remember Tony Mitchell.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

Yeah, and and these characters, I think, I think as I scroll back through the list, they've all got enough sort of enough footage for us to be able to judge them. I think if somebody's sort of come in and had a moment, yeah, that's definitely. If you want to go and check it, if you want to check us by all means. Yeah, um, but yeah, no, I think I think it's a really strong top three. I think Grant Mitchell, again, Graham Foster. Everything we've seen and watched and read suggests he's right to be at number two, but I I've not seen enough of him uh in sort of soap watching, but certainly happy with him where he is. Zach Dingle at number three. Yeah, I like that. That's kind of just uh yeah, not the nutcase, just the the sort of nice, tough guy who sits at number three.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

Yeah, who would you most like to have as a mate out of this top ten, Liam? Um probably Jack Subton. I do Jack Subton, I can imagine is a bit boring.

SPEAKER_02 50:22

Yeah, it'd be a boring bastard, wouldn't he?

SPEAKER_01 50:23

Um, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 50:30

Probably particularly probably Zach or Gran. I think if you're on the right side of Gran, I mean obviously Nigel, he had a good relationship with Nigel, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 50:39

So yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm thinking probably Zach, actually, because I think Zach could just he'd get you a pint. I think before he'd hit you, he'd tell you. That's that's a line here, Liam.

SPEAKER_02 50:49

He needs a good belt today, mate. Yeah, whereas I think Phil and Jim McDonald's is a bit of a nasty piece of work. Jim Jim's just a nutcase, Jim's all right. Barry Grant's really nasty piece of work.

SPEAKER_01 50:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:00

Yeah, I mean it's gotta it's gotta be Zach. But like I say, I think the irony is even though he's he's he's top of the shop, I think Grant would be sound as long as you're kind of on the right side of him.

SPEAKER_01 51:09

Well, you sure you're not imagining him as uh Scrooge, are you when he when he uh turns to the good side? He's even quite hard in Scrooge, actually, isn't he, thinking about it?

SPEAKER_02 51:18

Yeah, he can't he can't sort of there's only so far he can turn it down, isn't there? Like it's just there all the time. So yeah, Ros Kemp, Grant Mitchell is the soap hard man.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Um yeah well I enjoyed doing that list lately. So if you've got any more lists that you want us to do, we will conclude conclusively. If you've ever thought, I wonder what is actually the best or the hardest or whatever it is, we'll let you know, won't we? Yeah, we can figure it out.

SPEAKER_02 51:42

No shit.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

We can figure it out. Thank you very much, Liam. Uh and uh yeah, we'll see you soon for more ranking.

SPEAKER_02 51:49

Rank you very much. Get out of my pod. Oh, do you know what? I was just thinking it should be Peggy Mitchell or was she supposed to be an hard case? She obviously not, but she's supposed to be mad, weren't she? Sadly, no longer with us.

SPEAKER_01 52:02

Mates with Dale Winton. Thank you for listening to Who Remembers.

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SPEAKER_01 52:07

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