Inspired by a piece in yesterday's Telegraph, in which they selected as their Briton of the Year HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Now while the Duke is in many ways a splendid man, I'm not sure he quite warrants this particular accolade.

My choice for Briton of the Year would be Richard Parks who, in less than a year, scaled the highest peak on each continent (seven all told) and trekked to all three Poles to raise money for charity. A quite amazing physical feat.

Who would your choice be (feel free to substitute other nationalities as appropriate)?