They have an effect on every facet of modern life. And the characters featured in a US book out today have one thing in common - they are all creations of fiction.

The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived aims to explain "how characters of myth, legends, television, and the movies have shaped our society, changed our behaviour and set the course of history".

Topping the list is a home-grown American character, the Marlboro Man - a macho cowboy who emerged in the 1950s as an advertising creation to help sell cigarettes.

But the firm is unlikely to be pleased, as the book points out that Marlboro Man's biggest influence on society has been to cause the death of millions from cancer.

The rest of the Top Ten list has a heavy British presence. At number two is Big Brother from George Orwell's novel 1984, the face of government control, while at three is King Arthur, who the book's three authors say embodies for many the ideal monarch or leader.

Santa Claus is in at number four because he "makes us believe we are entitled to goodies just for living in an affluent society and governs our entire economy for the last quarter of the year".

Shakespeare scores twice in the top ten, with Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, while Sherlock Holmes and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are also there. And so too is Dr Frankenstein's Monster, from the mind of Britain's Mary Shelley.

Germany is represented by Siegfried, the warrior hero of Teutonic nationalism who the authors say was responsible for propelling his country into two world wars.

British creations placed lower in the list include at No 15 Lady Chatterley, D.H. Lawrence's character who transformed sexual standards and "paved the way for Sex and the City". James Bond is at 51 for "combining intrigue, sex and British suavity with the highest technologies of our modern age".

And there is even space for the Loch Ness Monster at 56, described as "the most fabulous animal in the world: Nessie's influence on the cash flow of Scotland has been significant".

Authors Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter say: "The idea came to us that influential characters didn't have to exist, that fictional characters were just as important in our lives, even in some cases more so than real people."

THE TOP TEN

1. The Marlboro Man
2. Big Brother
3. King Arthur
4. Santa Claus
5. Hamlet
6. Dr Frankenstein's Monster
7. Siegfried
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Romeo and Juliet
10. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde