My Hero (British TV series)
A British sitcom about a bumbling alien superhero on Earth.
My Hero is a British sitcom about a superhero, created by Paul Mendelson and broadcast on the BBC from 2000 to 2006. The story follows Thermoman, an alien from the planet Ultron with multiple superpowers, who falls for a British nurse after saving her life and spends his downtime between missions on Earth. Though highly intelligent by Ultronian standards, he has no grasp of human customs, which makes him seem foolish and leads to frequent mix-ups.
Ardal O'Hanlon played Thermoman (under the alias George Sunday) for the first five series, with James Dreyfus taking over as George Monday for the sixth and final series. The supporting cast stayed mostly the same throughout: Emily Joyce, Lill Roughley, Tim Wylton, Lou Hirsch, Hugh Dennis, Geraldine McNulty, and Philip Whitchurch. Unlike many British sitcoms, Mendelson co-wrote episodes with a large writing team. Episode counts varied: series one and two had six each, series three through five had ten each, series six had eight, plus a Christmas special in 2000 and a Comic Relief short in 2001.
Viewing figures dropped by the time Dreyfus joined, but the show remained a regular on British TV, with frequent repeats on Gold. In the US, it aired on PBS and briefly on BBC America. UKTV showed the first three series in Australia, and BBC Entertainment repeated them in Scandinavia. Three of the six series came out on DVD: two on Region 1 and one on Region 2. The first three series were added to BBC iPlayer in 2026.
The plot centers on George Sunday, who seems dim but is actually Thermoman, and Janet Dawkins, a nurse at a local surgery in Northolt. George falls for her after saving her life, and the series follows their struggles with Janet’s annoying parents, her self-absorbed doctor boss, and George’s constant misunderstandings of human society. After the second series, the writers added the couple’s marriage and children—Ultronian babies who can talk, think, and use superpowers—and the challenges of family life. In series six, George loses his old body and takes a new one, calling himself George Monday, and starts working as a doctor alongside Piers at the surgery.
The cast includes Ardal O'Hanlon as George Sunday (series 1–5), a dim superhero smart about alien matters but clueless about humans; James Dreyfus as George Monday (series 6), his new alias after financial troubles, still misunderstanding Earth culture; E
- created_by
- Paul Mendelson
- broadcast_years
- 2000–2006
- network
- BBC
- country_of_origin
- United Kingdom
- genre
- Superhero sitcom
- main_actor_series_1_to_5
- Ardal O'Hanlon
- main_actor_series_6
- James Dreyfus
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Superhero / Sitcom / Science fiction
- Creator
- Paul Mendelson
- Writer
- Paul Mayhew-Archer
- Director
- John Stroud
- Starring
- Ardal O'Hanlon / Emily Joyce / Hugh Dennis / Geraldine McNulty / Lou Hirsch / Philip Whitchurch / Lill Roughley / Tim Wylton / James Dreyfus
- Open Theme
- "My Hero" Theme
- Composer
- Philip Pope
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 6
- Num Episodes
- 51 (+ 1 short)
- List Episodes
- List of My Hero episodes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series focuses on the life of George Sunday, a man who comes off as idiotic but is actually a superhero from the planet Ultron known as Thermoman, who safeguards humanity and Earth. He falls in love with Janet Dawkins, a British nurse, after saving her life. The couple copes with numerous problems, including Janet's obnoxious parents, the self-centered doctor she works for, and George's many misunderstandings of human culture and societal values. After the second series, the writers added elements of the couple marrying and having children of Ultronian origin, who possess speech, intelligence, and superpowers from infancy. In the sixth series, George loses his old body and replaces it with a new one under the alias George Monday, working as a doctor alongside Piers at his surgery. While George tries to keep his alien identity secret, he is not the only one in on it—Janet and her mother also know the truth about Thermoman.
Reader's Guide
My Hero was a regular feature on British television despite declining viewing figures by the time James Dreyfus replaced Ardal O'Hanlon. The show was regularly repeated on Gold in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it aired on PBS and briefly on BBC America. In Australia, UKTV offered repeats of the first three series, while BBC Entertainment provided repeats for Scandinavia. Three of the six series have been released on DVD: two on Region 1 and one on Region 2. The first three series were added to BBC iPlayer in 2026. The series is noted for its large writing team, with Mendelson co-writing episodes with many writers, and for its cast remaining largely unchanged throughout its broadcast history.
Did You Know?
- The main role of Thermoman was portrayed by Ardal O'Hanlon up until 2005, then replaced by James Dreyfus for the final series.
- The series included a Christmas Special in 2000 and a Comic Relief short special in 2001.
- The character Tyler is the only human who knows George's real identity as Thermoman.
- Series one and two became available to stream in the UK via BritBox from 10 March 2022.
More in Television series about extraterrestrial life 1-24
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