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Top 10 Sharpest Suits on TV

With Sherlock back and cutting a modern British dandyish dash, and Mad Men's skinny ties and razor-sharp suits echoing today's trends, tailoring is definitely in. We run down our favourite snappy dressers on the small screen from the chic geeks (David Mitchell) to the smooth operators (Sex and the City's Big). Mad Men's power-dressing Christina Hendricks is right up there with the boys.

Our Top Ten Picks

Stringer Bell - The Wire

Set on the grimy streets of Baltimore, this dramatic cop drama has little glamour in its setting and even less in its people. But Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) brings a touch of well-groomed style to the down-and-dirty situation – as crime kingpin Avon Barksdale’s trusted lieutenant, Stringer effectively runs the Barksdale Organisation, applying business-savvy to everything from the gang’s political and industrial ties to its street-level drug distribution.

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Poirot - Poirot

Taken from Agatha Christie's famous novels, this TV detective is dapper personified. Complete with upturned moustache and bow-tie, his dress sense is almost as shrewd as his evaluation of a crime scene. Over the years, Poirot has been played by Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, Tony Randall, Alfred Molina and, last but not least, the spiffy dresser from this list, David Suchet.

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Blackadder - Blackadder 2

In the second series, Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) gets a hunky, aristocratic make-over. Gone are the Middle Ages robes and bowl-cut hair-dos of Blackadder I, replaced with Elizabethan era velvet suits, a ruff, and a rather devilish goatee beard. Blackadder’s scheming villainy kicks up in tandem with his sense of style too, his Machiavellian attitude mirrored by smart jackets, dark cloaks and not a few daggers.

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Joan Holloway - Mad Men

Frequently compared to silver-screen icon Marilyn Monroe for her curvaceous figure and seductive style, Christina Hendricks is best known as Joan Holloway, setting male viewers’ pulses racing in the slick television drama Mad Men. As office manager of the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, Joan contends with Betty Draper (January Jones) in the fashion stakes, but bats away the blonde competition with ease.

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Mark Corrigan - Peep Show

Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell) gets ten points for effort where his wardrobe is concerned. He may not be the sexiest dresser on this list, but he gets our vote for co-ordination despite his un-cool. Standing next to slobbish roommate Jez, Mark takes pride in his appearance which, considering his geeky credentials, makes his regard for style all the more amusing.

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Big - Sex and the City

In 1998, leading man Mr Big (Chris Noth) swooped in, sharply dressed, and stole Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) heart. Despite his lothario nature, everyone’s favourite fashionista couldn’t help but fall for Big’s clean-cut charms. In Series 2, he gets married to someone else and Carrie couples up with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), but Big’s suits and seductive allure manage to keep Carrie keen for a six whole series.

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The Face - The A-Team

Lt Templeton Peck (Dirk Benedict), aka Faceman, is The A-Team’s smooth-talking, sharp-shooting, sharp dresser. As we all know, an elite commando unit was fitted up for a crime they did not commit, escaped, and now run around helping the helpless, still wanted by the Government, and looking pretty cool in the process. None more so than Face, whose tailored suits and handsome charm prove very popular with the ladies.

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Doctor Who (David Tennant)

Eleven actors have taken the lead in Doctor Who, but one in particular stands out as a stylish cut above the rest (unless you count Peter Davison’s cricket chic, complete with decorative celery). David Tennant’s reign as the Doctor, between 2005 and 2010, was characterised by skinny suits in brown or blue and a long overcoat, paired with some serious specs-appeal. Tennant’s wardrobe as the Time Lord is, well, timeless.

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Sonny – Miami Vice

Michael Mann’s 80s cop drama, Miami Vice, is famous for its slick visual style and iconic soundtrack. Starring Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, this show packed plenty of punch in its heyday between 1984 and 1989. Johnson’s Sonny regularly rocked the ray-bands, with a trademark look of big-shouldered suits, sleeves rolled to the elbow, over pastel T-shirts. Hey, it was acceptable in the 80s.

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Angel - Angel

For three series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Angel (David Boreanaz) lurked in the shadows of Sunnydale, all black-clad and brooding. But in 1999, the en-souled vampire left behind the love of his eternal life to tackle his own demons in LA. The Buffy spin-off ran for five successful series, following Angel as he battled evil, with smouldering good looks and bags of deep-coloured, big-collared style to boot.

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Jennifer Trevorrow