Press Release

R2D2 WINS BATTLE OF ROBOTS
Amazon.co.uk Survey of Best Robots on Film or TV

R2D2 has come top in a poll to find the best robots on film or TV. The poll was undertaken by leading online retailer Amazon.co.uk and IMDB.com (Internet Movie Database), to mark the forthcoming release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD box set.

C3PO (R2D2's stalwart Star Wars side-kick) came fourth in the poll, giving "the odd couple of sci-fi" a third of the total votes cast. There was stiffly jointed competition to be crowned Top of the Bots, with Bender from Futurama (2nd), Number 5 in Short Circuit (5th) and Robocop (6th) ranking well in the survey of almost 8,000 fans. R2D2 came first with 22.9% of the votes and Bender a close second with 20%.

In the final list, the quintessentially good robots triumph over the forces of evil--with the Daleks from Doctor Who, representing the only baddies in the list.

"R2D2 and C3PO add a certain degree of comic relief to the Star Wars films. However, as well as making us laugh, they also represent loyalty and friendship. Film fans can instantly identify with this and it goes some way to explaining the results of the poll and the enduring appeal of the Star Wars films", comments Fiona Buckland, Editor at Amazon.co.uk. "It seems incredible that these robots have been with us for almost 30 years, but it is that longevity that so appeals to fans--this is reflected in our DVD Top 100 chart where Star Wars Trilogy is currently at number 1, even though it's not released until September.

"Also interesting is the breadth of spread of the favourites-they come from over five decades of sci-fi films and R2D2 and Bender top the poll at numbers 1 and 2 respectively, yet they were created nearly 30 years apart. It's an accurate reflection of the audience's ongoing fascination with technology, and its rapid development over history--it seems we all crave 'more input'."

Poll Results - Top 15

1. R2D2 (Star Wars) - 22.9%
2. Bender (Futurama) - 14.2%
3. Crew from Mystery Science Theater - 14.2%
4. C3P0 (Star Wars) - 10.1%
5. Number 5 (Short Circuit) - 5.1%
6. Robocop (Robocop) - 4.2%
7. The Iron Giant (The Iron Giant) - 3.7%
8. Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet) - 3.3%
9. Gort (The Day the Earth Stood Still) - 3.0%
10. Rosie (The Jetsons) - 2.7%
11. The Metropolis Woman - 2.3%
12. The Daleks - 1.7%
13. Twiki (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) - 0.8%
14. V.I.N.Cent (The Black Hole) - 0.7%
15. Amee (Red Planet) - 0.5%