Dr Hilary Jones, Golden Duck nominee

You might not see Dr Hilary Jones on Pulse’s list of the top 50 GPs but similarly, you won’t see Mike ‘Dickie Bow’ Dixon on Dancing on Ice.

The original Doctor Dishy may not appeal to politicians or fellow medical professionals but he does have influence in the media and over the general public.

More Golden Ducks in Westminster?

Michael Gove is the only politician on my Golden Duck shortlist.

However, there are a handful of other candidates who could be considered equally worthy.

The Right Honourable Michael Gove MP, Golden Duck nominee

Michael Gove. The very name strikes fear into the hearts of teachers, parents and schoolchildren all over the land.

Each fresh assault on the nation’s education leaves us reeling, unable to dare imagine the consequences, or what will next be inflicted upon us. Gove has abandoned reason and sneers at critics, leaving a trail of destruction and slime in his wake. Like a great fat slug laying waste to our precious seedlings.

Chris Woollams, Golden Duck nominee

Chris Woollams is the UK’s number one cancer researcher and founder of Britain’s number one holistic cancer charity.

According to the CANCERactive website, that is – but don’t believe all you read on there. It gives favourable coverage to any unproven or disproven cancer quackery you care to name, complete with handy links to clinics in the UK and beyond.

Andrew Wakefield, Golden Duck nominee

There is no question that Wakefield has promoted dangerous beliefs. As if the (retracted) Lancet paper linking the MMR vaccine to autism and bowel disorders wasn’t enough on its own, he followed it up with a press conference, kicking off a groundless yet notorious media scare story.

This has never quite gone away, even though we now know that Wakefield falsified his research and was struck off the GMC Medical Register over two years ago.