Twenty per cent of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the McCormick Tribune Foundation, said they wanted secret agent Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, in their corner rather than rely on more high profile and conventional heroic characters.

Trailing in MacGyver’s wake were a number of globally-renowned cinematic superheroes. Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, came second with 16% of the vote. He was followed in third place by Die Hard’s John McClane, played by vest-wearer extraordinaire Bruce Willis. Secret agents James Bond and Jason Bourne claimed 8% of the vote while Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, played famously by Angelina Jolie, was the highest ranked female character on the list.

Classic MacGyver exploits

A successful prime time series in the States, MacGyver enjoyed seven series on American TV and was shown in the UK too. As a crack secret agent, MacGyver’s primary assets were his cool and practical application of scientific principles under severe pressure and his ability to use everyday items creatively – especially his ever-present Swiss Army Knife and duct tape – to resolve crunch situations. As Don Cooke of the McCormick Tribune Foundation explains “you could give him a sock and piece of string and he’d somehow create electricity for a whole city”.

More examples of MacGyver’s legendary ingenuity include plugging an acid leak with chocolate, blowing open doors with a bomb made of chewing gum and patching together a hot air balloon using his trademark duct tape. No wonder he was held in such high regard by Selma and Patty Bouvier, the chain-smoking sisters of Marge Simpson.