My Hero (British TV series)
A British sitcom about an alien superhero who misunderstands human life.
My Hero is a British television superhero sitcom, created by Paul Mendelson and produced for the BBC between 2000 and 2006. The series follows the exploits of an alien superhero known as Thermoman, who originates from the planet Ultron, after he falls in love with a British nurse he rescues. Notable for its premise of a superpowered alien struggling with human culture, the show maintained a largely unchanged cast throughout its run, with Ardal O'Hanlon portraying the lead role until 2005, when James Dreyfus replaced him for the final series.
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 centers on George Sunday, a man perceived as idiotic but who is actually Thermoman, a superhero from Ultron tasked with safeguarding Earth. He falls in love with Janet Dawkins, a British nurse, and the show follows their relationship, including dealing with Janet's obnoxious parents and her self-centered doctor employer, Dr. Piers Crispin. After the second series, the writers added 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 adopts a new alias, George Monday, working as a doctor alongside Piers.
Reader's Guide
My Hero remained a regular feature on British television despite declining viewing figures by the time of James Dreyfus's appearance. It was regularly repeated on Gold in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the series 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 DVD and one on Region 2. The first three series were added to BBC iPlayer in 2026. Unlike most British sitcoms, Mendelson co-wrote episode scripts with a large team of writers.
Did You Know?
- The lead role was played by Ardal O'Hanlon for the first five series, then by James Dreyfus for the sixth.
- The show's alien protagonist, Thermoman, originates from the planet Ultron.
More in Television Series About Extraterrestrial Life 1-24
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