It's elementary for the top named screen detective

Robert Downey Jr who played the most popular screen detective of them all, Sherlock Holmes (photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

After a little detective work, our nation’s favourite sleuths are revealed

They are some of our most beloved screen characters – detectives – and on the release of this month’s

Agatha Christie adaptation of Death on the Nile starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot we look at who has been voted number one.

Elementary, my dear Watson! Sherlock Holmes has not only been named the UK’s number one big screen detective, but also the UK’s favourite mystery thriller movie, according to new national research.

The study saw the Guy Ritchie film take top spot (16 per cent), beating Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho (15.8 per cent) and the prequel to Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express (15.5 per cent), according to the study carried out by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of the latest Agatha Christie novel to hit the big screen.

Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the iconic investigator also landed Sherlock top spot as the UK’s favourite detective from the big screen (27 per cent), with the classic Agatha Christie character Hercule Poirot (22 per cent) following in second and all-out action hero John McClane (20 per cent) from Die Hard rounding off the top three.

Agatha Christie novels are often known for their suspenseful settings, but it was classic crime movie The Italian Job which won the UK’s vote for favourite cliff-hanger of all time.

The highly anticipated remake of Death on the Nile has hit cinema screens, yet it was the movie’s prequel

Murder on the Orient Express which was named the nation’s favourite Agatha Christie novel, winning almost a quarter of the votes (23 per cent), with Death on the Nile coming in narrowly behind with 19 per cent.

However, there was still another victory left for the Christie classics as Hercule Poirot was identified as the owner of the best big screen moustache of all time (26 per cent).

Dustin Hoffman’s performance as Peter Pan’s nemesis Captain Hook in Hook (18 per cent) finished runner-up and Sacha Baron Cohen’s comical character Borat rounded off the top lip top three (15 per cent).

Showcase Cinemas UK general manager Mark Barlow said: “The big screen has provided us with so many mysteries to solve over the years, that it’s very hard to pick a favourite mystery thriller.

“However, Robert Downey Jr’s unique portrayal of Sherlock Holmes did an amazing job of keeping the audience in suspense.

“It also comes as no surprise that Murder on the Orient Express made the top three, with Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of iconic detective Poirot coming in close second as film fans favourite big screen detective.

“We can’t wait for cinemagoers to see the latest instalment, Death on the Nile, when it is released. We know it will have guests on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.”

There was a significant generational divide when it came to choosing the nation’s favourite mystery thriller, with one in five 35-44-year-olds voting for the Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman psychological thriller Se7en, whereas over 65s voted for Murder on the Orient Express (24 per cent).

Participants who were 65 and over also voted Hercule Poirot as their favourite detective of all time (33 per cent), with all other age groups choosing Sherlock Holmes.

q Death on the Nile has hit Showcase Cinemas nationwide and you can book tickets at your local cinema now via https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/death-on-the-nile website.