The full list: The Twitter 100

Its 200 million users share 110 million messages a day - and if you don't know who rules the twittersphere, you don't understand the 21st-century world. This guide is a definitive who's who of the UK's tweet elite.

For the 2012 #Twitter100 list please visit: independent.co.uk/2012twitter100

1. SARAH BROWN

Campaigner

The wife of the former Prime Minister has been recognised for some time as "the first lady of Twitter". She heads our list because she is influential as well as popular. (In terms of followers alone she would come only sixth.) An unexpected pioneer of the medium, the former PR executive was initially mocked for her artless outpourings but has earned her supremacy by sheer dependable goodness of heart. Her tweets are often mundane ("Had a great family walk along the Fife Coastal Path today with a hint of sunshine - no sign of the threatened storms or snow, Hah!" was a typical offering last week) but collectively reflect her liberal leanings, her interest in causes such as education and women's health, and her erstwhile position close to the centre of power. She picked up 1,000 new followers in one day last November by allowing her husband to guest-edit her page in support of Burmese democracy. Then tweeting as SarahBrown10, she rebranded herself after the Browns left Downing Street. "It is has been the greatest privilege to support the British govt and campaign for important causes these last 13 years #thankyougordon", she tweeted at the time. It is arguable that she is now more listened to than her husband.

Tweets as SarahBrownUK

PeerIndex rating 93 Authority 95 Activity 69 Audience 99 Follows 5,992 Followers 1,124,391

2. RICHARD BACON

Broadcaster

With 1.3 million followers, the BBC Radio Five Live presenter is one of the most followed figures in the UK media. His tweets range from discussions on the big news stories of the day to jokes about his mother's dog getting more television work than he is. Like his radio show, his Twitter feed has become a forum for debate and, unlike some tweeters, Bacon engages actively with his followers. His affinity for the site has also seen him become a vocal and regularly quoted advocate of Twitter, especially in media debates with its detractors. His view: "It's that trivial navel-gazing that puts lots of people off Twitter - but you decide if you want to follow the froth or serious stuff."

Tweets as RichardPBacon

PeerIndex 92 Authority 95 Activity 58 Audience 99 Follows 3859 Followers 1,314,316

3. EDDIE IZZARD

Comedian

Former transvestite comedian whose wardrobe has mellowed as his ambition has broadened. Used Twitter to coordinate supporters when completing his 43-marathon challenge in 2009; now uses it, increasingly, as an ideological platform. His most common tweet is a link to The Eddie Izzard Daily, a daily digest that publishes people he follows. If you want jokes, look elsewhere. ("In my gigs - I do funny. In my politics - I do serious", said one tweet.) But he's a major force in the Twittersphere.

Tweets as eddieizzard

PeerIndex 89 Authority 93 Activity 69 Audience 99 Following 132 Followers 1,743,188

4. STEPHEN FRY

Actor, writer, comedian

Early adopter whose fans feel he has turned Twitter into an art-form. Typical tweet: "This is now mad. I am stuck in a lift on the 26th floor of Centre Point. Hell's teeth. We could be here for hours. A**e, poo and widdle" (February 2009.) Has set off several Twitter-storms, from tweeting pictures from a Harry Potter set to missing off the sarcasm emoticon when commenting on women and sex. Two periods of self-imposed exile have resulted. "Think I may have to give up on Twitter," he tweeted in 2009. "Too much aggression and unkindness around. Pity. Well, it's been fun." But he was soon back.

Tweets as stephenfry

PeerIndex 88 Authority 88 Activity 63 Audience 99 Follows 52,969 Followers 2,104,855

5. UMAIR HAQUE

Economist

Director of the Havas Media Lab, blogger for the Harvard Business Review and author of The New Capitalist Manifesto, London-based Haque is not a household name, but his tweets are followed avidly in business circles for their economic insight. His following is relatively small, but his authority and activity redress the balance. Favourite themes include youth unemployment and the future of capitalism – but it's the sense that he has his finger on the pulse that makes him influential. Even has a fake profile, @FakeHaque, competing against him.

Tweets as umairh

PeerIndex 80 Authority 74 Activity 94 Audience 96 Follows 261 Followers 97,620

6. RUSSELL BRAND

Comedian

The Essex-born comic and dandy has done much of his recent tweeting from the US, where he is busy making movies with Helen Mirren and being married to Katy Perry. Got into a spot of bother with his wife late last year after he tweeted a picture of her without any make up on. Other tweets are largely self-promotional, mixed with musings about West Ham and his trademark wordplay.

Tweets as rustyrockets

PeerIndex 79 Authority 79 Activity 35 Audience 99 Follows 53 Followers 1,770,006

7. TINCHY STRYDER

Musician

The self-styled "Star in the Hood" merges the banal and the inspirational in his Twitter output, with retweets from adoring fans mixed with football commentary and mantras such as "Keeping it 100% from Now . . . 99 just aint good enough". An acquired taste; and some, like DJ Calvin Harris, tire of his "textspeak". "I had to get rid of Tinchy off my Twitter because he was doing all that," confessed Harris. "It was affecting my brain."

Tweets as tinchystryder

PeerIndex 78 Authority 45 Activity 63 Audience 90 Followers: 191,248 Following: 218

8=. HILARY ALEXANDER

Fashion director

Those who consider the Daily Telegraph an authority on style mop up the musings of its fashion team via the feed of its doyenne, Hilary Alexander. Minimalist use of the Retweet button means visitors to her page get a steady stream of fashion news and plenty of links to content on the paper's website. Fashion know-how is spiced by glimpses of the glamour of fashion's fast lane of fashion.

Tweets as HilaryAlexander

PeerIndex 76 Authority 69 Activity 82 Audience 97 Follows 603 Followers 131,072

8=. ZEE M KANE

Technocrat

The editor-in-chief of The Next Web epitomises the Twitter appeal of the techno-guru. Typically tweeting more than 20 times a day, Kane offers his followers internet news, business, culture and the latest trends in mobile communication as well as a dash of comment and a splash of cross-promotion for his wife's Twitter feed (@bridalblog) on the side. Based in London but has an international perspective.

Tweets as Zee

PeerIndex 76 Authority 70 Activity 97 Audience 87 Follows 2,658 Followers 23,861

10. FEARNE COTTON

Radio presenter

The Radio 1 pop-presenter has no doubts about the best way to get through to her target youth demographic. Her acronym-filled tweets are as breathlessly excited as her on-air ramblings, while poor grammar and random use of capitals and exclamation marks all help to communicate her constant state of excitement. For example: "Oh my gawwdddd. Debbie harry was just in the same restaurant as me. Was too scared and stunned to day hi! Ahhh love her so". If you like that sort of thing, you'll love following her.

Tweets as Fearnecotton

PeerIndex 74 Authority 23 Activity 34 Audience 99 Follows 193 Followers 1,311,540

11. GRAHAM LINEHAN

Comedian and actor

Comedy treasure whose feed is a treasure-trove of artsy and political links. An articulate proponent of the "hive-mind", he has little time for non-instantaneous communicators. Hence this, last month: "Malcolm Gladwell would love to comment on all that's happening in The Middle East, but his fax machine is in the shop". He's come a long way since 7 October 2009: "Bloody hell, things change fast on Twitter."

Tweets as glinner

PeerIndex 74 Authority 66 Activity 87 Audience 95 Followers: 82,043 Following: 1,345

12=. DUNCAN BANNATYNE

Entrepreneur

The Scottish businessman – a long-term resident of the BBC's Dragons' Den - likes to use his online presence for humanitarian ends, most recently raising awareness and funds for Haiti by tweeting about a fact-finding mission. But he also uses the medium for subjects closer to home – for example, a furious recent "debate" about the impact of TripAdvisor.

Tweets as DuncanBannatyne

PeerIndex 72 Authority 66 Activity 66 Audience 98 Follows: 186 Followers: 252,694

12=. FELIX SALMON

Financial journalist

Bridging the gap between precision journalism and statistical rigour on one hand, and, on the other, being a rather approachable, funny bloke, Felix Salmon is one of Reuters' star bloggers. He's essential reading for anyone in the financial sector, with nuggets of breaking news, links to informative articles, and the odd bit of amiable banter that you'll be familiar with if you've watched him deliver his slightly geeky wisdom on Reuters' YouTube channel. Salmon is also a thoroughbred Twitter supporter. He delivered a keynote speech last year to finance professionals that stressed the medium's growing importance for corporations trying to engage with the general public.

Tweets as felixsalmon

PeerIndex 72 Authority 66 Activity 89 Audience 84 Follows: 747 Followers: 14,215

14=. IMOGEN HEAP

Musician

On of the first musicians to use social networking to increase her profile and audience, the singer-songwriter now has 1.5 million loyal followers and has been called the "Queen of Twitter". Used her feed to explain why touring was no longer financially viable for her – and even created a "Twitter dress", with its own feed, for the 2010 Grammys.

Tweets as imogenheap

PeerIndex 72 Authority 71 Activity 26 Audience 99 Follows: 33,567 Followers: 1,468,629

14=. JEMIMA KISS

Technology journalist

Part of the technology team at the Guardian, Kiss specialises in media and publishing – which may explain her huge online influence. Her audience-count also owes something to her willingness to engage with followers, and to her insights into such subjects as location-sharing apps.

Tweets as jemimakiss

PeerIndex 71 Authority 64 Activity 89 Audience 86 Follows: 565 Followers: 19,568

14=. ALAN SUGAR

Entrepreneur

The plain-spoken Apprentice boss speaks more plainly than ever when he's tweeting – as those who disagree with his trenchantly held views have found. Last October, he branded Kirstie Allsopp a "lying cow" after she had accused him of being "uncharitable". Followers hoping to glean business secrets are more likely to spectate as the pugnacious peer engages in a long running battle of "wits" with Piers Morgan – which mostly involves trading self-promotion in the guise of witty banter.

Tweets as Lord_Sugar

PeerIndex 71 Authority 65 Activity 59 Audience 98 Follows: 38 Followers: 265,553

14=. MIKE BUTCHER

Technology guru

Editor of TechCrunch Europe, Butcher has been called "king of dotcom commentators". He is the co-founder of TechHub, a project to bring European technology entrepreneurs and investors together in London. He has previously been named one of the top 10 bloggers on Twitter and one of the top 50 most influential Britons in technology.

Tweets as mikebutcher

PeerIndex 71 Authority 64 Activity 89 Audience 86 Follows: 3,918 Followers: 19,805

18=. BEN GOLDACRE

Doctor and science writer

Bestselling author, full-time doctor, and "Bad Science" correspondent for the Guardian, Goldacre is a "zealot for evidence based thinking" . Tweets wittily and often about the media's misuse of statistics and surveys, but intersperses his technical tweets with flippant items so as not to overtax his followers.

Tweets as bengoldacre

PeerIndex 70 Authority 61 Activity 85 Audience 95 Follows 534 Followers 83,415

18=. DON TAPSCOTT

Writer and speaker

The co-author ofWikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything Tapscott is a sought-after consultant and commentator on the social effects of the web. His kudos comes from his weighty writings for outlets like The Huffington Post, but he's not too proud to use Twitter to bawl out a local cinema for bad service, or to use abbrevations like "OMG".

Tweets as dtapscott

PeerIndex 70 Authority 63 Activity 89 Audience 86 Follows 3,535 Followers 20,494

20=. JOHANN HARI

Journalist

Award-winning commentator for i and its sister paper, The Independent, Hari isn't afraid to stand up to ideological bullies, especially on personal battlegrounds such as gay rights. Uses Twitter as a platform to mobilise his followers in the causes he believes in – eg, protests against tax avoiders. His gift for making important points with a light touch translates well from the printed page.

Tweets as johannhari101

PeerIndex 69 Authority 61 Activity 80 Audience 89 Follows 583 Followers 34,679

20=. TIM HARFORD

Business journalist

Known for his accessible approach to economics , Harford made his name using logic to explain life's conundrums in his books, The Logic of Life and the Undercover Economist. His tweets, too, focus on questions like "Who really makes money from fair-trade coffee?"

Tweets as TimHarford

PeerIndex 69 Authority 63 Activity 86 Audience 81 Follows 439 Followers 11,134

22=. RICHARD DAWKINS

Scientist and author

The author of The Selfish Gene is increasingly known for his atheism rather than his biological teachings. His anti-religious arguments have offended many, but the controversy only increases his following. As a zealot with a secular gospel to spread, he has taken naturally to Twitter, which he uses mainly to "retweet" updates from the Richard Dawkins Foundation (US) page.

Tweets as RichardDawkins

PeerIndex 68 Authority 59 Activity 76 Audience 92 Follows 36 Followers 138,475

22=. ALAN RUSBRIDGER

Newspaper editor

A vocal champion of Twitter, the Guardian's editor finds time to send several tweets a day – usually linking to breaking stories or noteworthy analysis – and encourages his staff to embrace the medium. (This may explain the presence of several of them in our 100.)

Tweets as arusbridger

PeerIndex 68 Authority 60 Activity 81 Audience 87 Follows 538 Followers 23,649

22=. RIO FERDINAND

Footballer

Prolific tweeter who combines banter with the likes of Robbie Savage with more sententious pronouncements which some suspect may be tweeted with half an eye on a post-football career as a TV pundit. His reaction to the Andy Gray/Richard Keys scandal – "Discrimination should not happen in our game at all ... prehistoric views if u think otherwise" - was widely reported (and arguably out of character).

Tweets as Rioferdy5

PeerIndex 67 Authority 64 Activity 33 Audience 95 Follows 272 Audience 541,913

25=. DAVID MITCHELL

Actor

Co-creator of Peep Show (and much else), Mitchell uses Twitter to connect with fans, replying to their messages and plugging projects. "Happy New Year to everyone following me," he tweeted on 1 January. "Apart from that evil one. You know who you are. You can stuff it."

Tweets as RealDMitchell

PeerIndex 67 Authority 62 Activity 38 Audience 98 Follows 95 Followers 310,090

25=. KRISHNAN GURU-MURTHY

Broadcaster

Started out in children's television but now occupies the anchor's chair at Channel 4. Follow him for: breaking news, a preview of the evening's headlines, and the odd tweet asking for help with stories. As the news of Alan Johnson's resignation broke, he tweeted: "Johnson out, Balls in. Everyone's a winner?"

Tweets as krishgm

PeerIndex 67 Authority 60 Activity 70 Audience 89 Follows 4,695 Followers 33,458

25=. RORY CELLAN-JONES

Journalist and broadcaster

The dotcom crash of 2000 switched Cellan-Jones's journalistic focus from economics to technology. Now he's the BBC's technology correspondent. His huge brief ranges from cyberwarfare to gadgetry, and he tweets on most of it. Was one of the first hacks to wake up toTwitter's news potential, with a blog post on the Chinese earthquakes in 2008.

Tweets as ruskin147

PeerIndex 67 Authority 58 Activity 85 Audience 87 Follows 1,206 Followers 21,989

28=. BRIAN COX

Scientist

Particle physicist who works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Also known as the keyboard player for D:Ream, whose "Things Can Only Get Better" was New Labour's 1997 election theme song. The "pin-up professor" tweets responses to followers' questions as well as posting updates on his own scientific and media work.

Tweets as profbriancox

PeerIndex 66 Authority 57 Activity 65 Audience 97 Follows 69 Followers 164,755

28=. PAUL STAINES

Political blogger

Right-wing commentator better known by his pseudonym, Guido Fawkes (after "the only man ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions"). Uses Twitter to break and comment on political stories. Had a Twitter-related spat with the New Statesman's Laurie Penny after seeming to question her parents' political loyalties. Often refers to himself in the third person in tweets.

Tweets as guidofawkes

PeerIndex 66 Authority 57 Activity 85 Audience 87 Follows 6 Followers 21,087

28=. JONATHAN ROSS

Broadcaster

Chat show host who attracts as much attention for his pay packet and dodgy telephone manner as for his talents as an interviewer and presenter. His tweets are tame by comparison with the messages he and Russell Brand notoriously left on Andrew Sachs's answering machine. For example: "I am excited today as i MIGHT be working on a comic book with one of my heroes ! An artist from the 1970's!!". But die-hard fans, of whom he has many, follow for updates and titbits from his private life.

Tweets as wossy

PeerIndex 66 Authority 63 Activity 17 Audience 99 Follows 4,581 Followers 827,899

28=. ROBERT LLEWELLYN

Actor

A self-described "conflicted wet liberal, amateur nerd", the star of Scrapheap Challenge, Red Dwarf and Carpool uses his updates to stay in touch with fans. Often amusing, he sometimes risks breaking Twitter's unwritten "Don't tweet about your lunch" rule (eg: "On my way to a well posh Swedish restaurant that is so egalitarian you have to do the cooking yourself").

Tweets as bobbyllew

PeerIndex 66 Authority 59 Activity 59 Audience 92 Follows 543 Followers 51,589

32=. CORY DOCTOROW

Blogger

Canadian co-editor of the Boing Boing technology blog who has campaigned for the liberalisation of copyright laws and is a major backer of the Creative Commons organisation. Describing himself as a "writer, blogger, activist", he tweets prolifically, getting involved in conversations with people who "mention" him as well as retweeting his own followers's posts – a way of forwarding the messages on to a larger audience.

Tweets as doctorow

PeerIndex 65 Authority 56 Activity 69 Audience 96 Follows 505 Followers 97,266

32=. JIMMY CARR

Comedian

Ubiquitous comedian whose "differently tasted" jokes are not universally admired. ("A barrage of filth and the sort of humour most men grow out of in their teens" was Ann Widdecombe's verdict.") Carr's Twitter profile suggests he has "literally the biggest face on television". Tweets range from career updates to random thoughts (about nose-picking, say) and lots of links to amusing pictures.

Tweets as jimmycarr

PeerIndex 65 Authority 59 Activity 37 Audience 99 Follows 1,413 Followers 629,122

32=. PAUL WAUGH

Journalist

Former print journalist (for the Independent among others), Waugh is now Editor of PoliticsHome.com. He uses Twitter to break stories and to drive traffic to his highly respected blog. "When I started Tweeting, people said I was bonkers," he said recently. "But it has proved to be tailor-made for politics."

Tweets as paulwaugh

PeerIndex 65 Authority 58 Activity 81 Audience 81 Follows 2,002 Followers 10,855

32=. ROBERT PESTON

Journalist and broadcaster

The BBC's high-profile Economics Editor gets up more noses than is customary for the occupant of so staid-sounding a post, but he knows how to break a story (for example, the news that Northern Rock was looking for emergency financial backing from the Bank of England in 2007). Peston uses Twitter to report financial news as part of his brief at the BBC. His influence is magnified by the high proportion of journalists among his followers.

Tweets as peston

PeerIndex 65 Authority 59 Activity 83 Audience 79 Follows 51 Followers 9,584

32=. ROGER HIGHFIELD

Science journalist

The editor of The New Scientist – who "was born in Wales, raised in north London and became the first person to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble" – tweets links to articles published on his website, but also provides followers with updates from his personal life. So tweets such as: "Gosh. My daughter's choir won the Barnardo's competition. Albert Hall next" sit next to things like: "Our cover story. Mind's circuit diagram to be revealed by mammoth map".

Tweets as RogerHighfield

PeerIndex 65 Authority 61 Activity 92 Audience 64 Follows 338 Followers 3,125

37=. KAREN JAMES

Scientist

"Nomadic scientist, evolution pedant, space geek, telemark skier, atheist and recovering Londoner" – according to her Twitter profile –James is currently working on the Beagle Project, which aims to rebuild the ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world and then recreate his voyage. But her latest tweet suggests that she has other matters on her mind: "Valentine's Day approaches; if you must buy flowers, consider the environment. Or better, give a living (native) plant!"

Tweets as kejames

PeerIndex 64 Authority 60 Activity 84 Audience 67 Follows 775 Followers 4,030

37=. SASHA WILKINS

Fashionista

Style journalist, broadcaster, editor, Sasha Wilkins is above all the creator of the acclaimed lifestyle blog and Twitter-feed, LibertyLondonGirl. She lives between London, New York and Los Angeles (where she also runs her social media consultancy LLG Media). This month Sasha will collaborate for the third time with Mercedes Benz at London Fashion Week, running their official Twitter feed, blogging and interviewing designers on film as part of the Voices of Fashion social media platform. If you can't be there in person, following LLG might be the next best thing.

Tweets as libertylndngirl

PeerIndex 64 Authority 56 Activity 72 Audience 87 Follows 705 Followers 22,605

37=. SIMON PEGG

Comedian

Actor, writer and dog owner, the star of Shaun of the Dead Hot Fuzz has a large, devoted following who helped make his recent autobiography a Christmas bestseller. His tweets keep fans abreast of his work, and of his exchanges with famous friends. For example, in a recent tweet to Chris Moyles, Simon wrote: "Bear In Mind has been greenlit by Universal. Log line: A loving relationship between two large hairy men is rocked by a thin." If you care, you should follow him.

Tweets as simonpegg

PeerIndex 64 Authority 59 Activity 27 Audience 99 Follows 266 Followers 760,598

37=. SUNNY HUNDAL

Blogger

Writer, activist, feminist and environmentalist, Hundal edits the left-wing blog Liberal Conspiracy, and also tweets well-informed political news and opinion. His high score is partly attributable to his high activity; but his robustly expressed opinions play a part as well. Last week he provoked a furious reaction with an article on his blog describing England's student movement as "essentially dead". "In my opinion you should leave the students to worry about the student movement," said one angry tweet. To which Hundal replied: "Who asked for your opinion? When I need it I'll ask."

Tweets as sunny_hundal

PeerIndex 64 Authority 58 Activity 87 Audience 74 Follows 326 Followers 6,848

37=. BORIS JOHNSON

Politician

The London Mayor's Twitter presence is less jolly than you might expect: it's largely a series of ex officio PR releases. Yet there are blips – his "hip hip hooray" response to the Sun's backing of the Conservatives in 2009 landed him in hot water – and occasionally we glimpse good old bumbling Boris (eg, "Just been told off for cycling inside City Hall. Sorry security!")

Tweets as mayoroflondon

PeerIndex 64 Authority 59 Activity 37 Audience 96 Follows 2,827 Followers 113,833

37=. LILY ALLEN

Musician

Potentially a Twitter giant – among UK tweeters, only Stephen Fry has more followers – but lacks influence currently because of low levels of activity. Even when active, she generates relatively little retweeting. Her fans are happy simply to be granted glimpses of her life. Occasionally, however, a tweet will generate headlines - most famously her "Say a little prayer" tweet last October, shortly before a miscarriage. Also had a blazing row with journalist Katie Nicholl, which resulted in one of Allen's tweets having to be amended for legal reasons ("lying ****" was changed simply to "****")."

Tweets as lilyroseallen

PeerIndex 64 Authority 60 Activity 25 Audience 99 Follows 127 Followers 2,648,080

43=. EMILY BELL

New media guru

Knowledgeable director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, Bell was previously Director of Digital Content for Guardian News and Media. Regularly updates to share such thoughts as: "the main thing I think at the end of Aol/HuffPo day is that the acquisition leaves a gap in the market, for scratchy independent web media."

Tweets as emilybell

PeerIndex 63 Authority 56 Activity 78 Audience 81 Follows 1,064 Followers 11,073

43=. INDIA KNIGHT

Journalist

She writes books and has a regular Sunday Times column, but Knight still felt the need for "a place to stick other stuff I like." Posterous and Twitter (which a recent tweet compared to "standing in street shouting") offered her just that. Such "stuff" includes The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator, customised M&M's for Valentine's Day and Sky Atlantic on Xbox; the general spirit of her tweets is summed up in her phrase: "The interwebs: where the fun never ends."

Tweets as indiaknight

PeerIndex 63 Authority 56 Activity 66 Audience 88 Follows 720 Followers 29,384

43=. LUCY P MARCUS

Businesswoman and campaigner

Funding consultant, business person, fellow at Cambridge's Judge Business School, campaigner for female leaders in business – and prolific tweeter. Marcus has made her Twitter feed a key part of her personal brand. It covers such subjects as entrepreneurship, boardroom diversity, business ethics – and stone-age business leaders.

Tweets as lucymarcus

PeerIndex 63 Authority 62 Activity 87 Audience 55 Follows 672 Followers 1,636

43=. FAISAL ISLAM

Journalist

Channel 4's economics editor has an award-winning talent for making abstract economic concepts digestible, and his tweets are similarly jargon-free, with links to breaking economic news and gossip from inside the newsgathering process – chats he's had with movers and shakers, hints at headlines to come. "If I inadvertently express an opinion here, it is mine and mine alone," says his Twitter biography.)

Tweets as faisalislam

PeerIndex 63 Authority 57 Activity 72 Audience 81 Follows 570 Followers 11,225

47=. ARMANDO IANNUCCI

Writer, producer, director

The most influential man in British comedy (The Day Today, The Thick Of It, etc), Iannucci dispels some of the mystique that now surrounds him with regular and irreverent tweets – about what he's up to (a pilot for HBO entitled with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and what he thinks of current affairs. A September tweet about Andy Coulson – "If your spokesman needs a spokesman is it time for 1 of them to go?" – was eerily echoed in Coulson's resignation letter – as another Iannucci tweet was quick to point out.

Tweets as aiannucci

PeerIndex 62 Authority 53 Activity 54 Audience 96 Follows 204 Followers 114,389

47=. DAVID BRADLEY

Scientist and writer

A prolific writer and communicator, formerly employed by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Bradley runs the news site Science Base. Uses his feed to interact with other scientists and science enthusiasts but also to aggregate the content from his own frequently updated site; to plug his writing; and to highlight news and spots from across the web.

Tweets as sciencebase

PeerIndex 62 Authority 54 Activity 84 Audience 78 Follows 2,020 Followers 8,817

49=. TIM BRADSHAW

Digital media journalist

Admired tech journalist at the Financial Times, Bradshaw is a key Twitter follow for keeping up with the digital media sector. Combines live updates from the likes of Facebook and Apple with retweets of tech insiders and other journalists. Occasionally opinionated; adept at spotting links between news and technology.

Tweets as TIM

PeerIndex 62 Authority 54 Activity 84 Audience 78 Follows 3,190 Followers 9,603

49=. ALBERTO NARDELLI

Digital entrepreneur

Founder of the Tweetminster website, Nardelli uses Twitter to analyse information, capture data, identify trends and assess opinion. Tweetminster holds the ultimate set of links to tweeting MPs and also provides useful snapshots of what's arousing interest in the political world.

Tweets as albertonardelli

PeerIndex 62 Authority 56 Activity 89 Audience 69 Follows 3,355 Followers 4,657

49=. DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Social media expert

The founder of FutureGov – a consultancy which "sits at the intersection between geeks and government" – is followed for his whirlwind, scattergun tweeting (some 63,000 posts and counting) but also for his explorations of ways in which the relationship between government and governed could be changed.

Tweets as dominiccampbell

PeerIndex 62 Authority 55 Activity 90 Audience 73 Follows 4,610 Followers 6,436

52=. HENRY WINTER

Football journalist

The Daily Telegraph's chief football writer is a prolific and much-followed tweeter. Also a regular broadcast pundit, he posts unvarnished news and thoughts off the top of his head (eg: "no wonder Guardiola signed a new deal at #fcb!"). But he's well-informed and quick on breaking stories .

Tweets as henrywinter

PeerIndex 61 Authority 55 Activity 38 Audience 93 Follows 138 Followers 74,339

52=. SUSANNA LAU

Fashion blogger

Better known by her online alias of Susie Bubble, this twentysomething blogger is carving out an influential place in UK fashion circles. Her knack for picking out new stars (Mattijs van Bergen, Je Suis Belle) has won her appearances in Elle, Vogue, iD, etc, and her Style Bubble blog has thousands of followers. Her Twitter feed combines reflections on trends to revealing expressions of her likes and dislikes (eg: "Would love a shawl just like the one that Mr Dawes Snr in Mary Poppins is wearing").

Tweets as susiebubble

PeerIndex 61 Authority 54 Activity 39 Audience 96 Follows 573 Followers 103,816

52=. IAN POULTER

Golfer

Golfers have a reputation for blandness, but Poulter's gift for amiable banter has earned him a huge following. He is not especially prolific, and his tweets are rarely memorable – apart from the very unfortunate phrase which he used to mock Spurs fans a few months ago. But he is one of British sport's leading tweeters.

Tweets as ianjamespoulter

PeerIndex 61 Authority 56 Activity 20 Audience 99 Follows 58 Followers 996,600

55=. ALAN CARR

Comedian

The stand-up comic and TV host has a scattergun wit that translates well to the scattergun network. The laughs are rarely sophisticated ("Hurray hurray it's #nationalconstipationday" or "I've just laughed and had a Wikileak"), but his giggling fans still enjoy them, and Carr makes a point of interacting with them.

Tweets as AlanCarr

PeerIndex 60 Authority 54 Activity 23 Audience 99 Follows 55 Followers 777,455

55=. JOSIE LONG

Comedian

The cult comedian uses Twitter not to plug her career or share jokes but to raise awareness of political causes. Vocal on cuts to library services ("how inspiring it is to sit in the reference section and just dip into different books?"), she's also corralled her followers into writing to their MPs to vote down the NHS bill.

Tweets as JosieLong

PeerIndex 60 Authority 51 Activity 63 Audience 88 Follows 233 Followers 28,905

55=. PAUL MASON

Journalist

As Newsnight's economics editor, Mason has provided a reassuringly calm and rational voice in an age of financial alarm and confusion. His Twitter feed is equally laconic.

Keeping his political views to himself, he shares such insights into his professional life as: "Ed Balls special advisers have now sent me more emails in 3 days than Alan Johnson's ever sent me, ever." Also offers financial news and links to his Idle Thoughts blog.

Tweets as paulmasonnews

PeerIndex 60 Authority 54 Activity 71 Audience 77 Follows 123 Followers 10,102

55=. THEO PAPHITIS

Entrepreneur

The Dragon's Den stationery millionaire has been adept at moving his investing abilities on to the social network and even has his own hashtag. Paphitis invites followers to send messages promoting their business as part of #sbs or #smallbusinesssunday. The Dragon subsequently retweets and promotes them. It's a tiny scale of help, but it's an inventive way of transferring his business and media persona into new media.

Tweets as TheoPaphitis

PeerIndex 60 Authority 50 Activity 62 Audience 95 Follows 126 Followers 88,054

55=. TIM MINCHIN

Comedian and composer

The Australian comic-musician has gone from cult concern to Edinburgh comedy award-winning act and composer for the RSC. He's also joined the army of comics using Twitter to cross-promote their work, with links to tickets, reviews, fans' feedback, etc. Also shares his experiences of life on the road: "16:52: Lady in room next to mine just had crazy screaming orgasm. I'm going for a jog. These events are not, to my knowledge, related."

Tweets as timminchin

PeerIndex 60 Authority 52 Activity 38 Audience 97 Follows 88 Followers 141,916

60=. CHARLIE BECKETT

Journalist and broadcaster

Founder of the POLIS thinktank at London's LSE, Beckett has made himself a key thinker and writer on the future of journalism. On Twitter, he aggregates views from fellow experts; links to good reads ("The future for magazines: @WiredUK editor David Rowan talks about the clickable & swipe-able digital age for glossies") and adds his own insight to others' links ("Lords of the iPad? Not quite.")

Tweets as CharlieBeckett

PeerIndex 59 Authority 53 Activity 86 Audience 67 Follows 642 Followers 4,332

60=. MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE

Comedian and broadcaster

Yet another comic. The Radio 4 stalwart (Now Show, Late Edition, etc) uses his feed as an online diary, telling followers about his pastimes (for example, ice-skating), his viewing ("Watching 'Fast + Loose' - it features some truly brilliant people having not a particularly nice time... #slightlyjoylesscomedy") and tales of dressing rooms. He's also a keen and perceptive retweeter of other people's funny lines.

Tweets as MarcusBrig

PeerIndex 59 Authority 50 Activity 60 Audience 91 Follows 192 Followers 50,370

62=. MARINA DIAMANDIS

Musician

One of the breakout pop stories of 2010, the Welsh singer used Twitter to document her swirl to the top of the charts, with pictures, pensées and plenty of personality. Memorably annotated the drunken messages she'd sent home in a cab the night before; and isn't afraid to stick it back to journalists or dissenting fans. A fan who attacked her for appearing in a Stella Artois advert was told: "I probably wouldn't "vibe" w/ all yr life choices, either. But C'est la vie."

Tweets as MarinasDiamonds

PeerIndex 58 Authority 54 Activity 13 Audience 92 Follows 44 Followers 69,651

62=. MARY PORTAS

Retail consultant and broadcaster

The star of programmes like Mary Queen of Shops is almost as big on Twitter as she is in retail consultancy. Adds notes to her shows during transmission ("by the way, filmed this last year when it was absolutely FREEZING"), uses the network as an interface for the service rating system on her website, and gives updates on what she's up to ("Had THE best service in Pret. Love that place").

Tweets as queenofshops

PeerIndex 58 Authority 48 Activity 60 Audience 90 Follows 69 Followers 49,401

62=. OLI BARRETT

Entrepreneur

With just over 4,000 followers, Barrett doesn't look like a Twitter heavyweight, but the man who introduced Speednetworking to the UK is a force to be reckoned with. The "most connected man in Britain" has a passion creating "quality connections" between people, in projects such as the Co-Sponsorship Agency. Often to be seen tweeting enthusiastically about entrepreneurship and creativity.

Tweets as OliBarrett

PeerIndex 58 Authority 52 Activity 77 Audience 67 Follows 1,656 Followers 4,030

62=. PIERS MORGAN

Broadcaster

Morgan's wife, Celia Walden, has described the chat show host's addiction to Twitter as a "disease": "You sit there every meal now and you might as well not be there," she complained. What does he tweet about? Himself, obviously, with occasional mentions for celebrity pals and sarcastic "thank yous" to people who insult him. Also sees Twitter as a forum for public spats – with Lily Allen, Alan Sugar, John Schiumo (the US news anchor) and many more.

Tweets as piersmorgan

PeerIndex 58 Authority 48 Activity 54 Audience 95 Follows 249 Followers 83,944

62=. ROBERT ANDREWS

Digital media expert

UK editor for ContextNext, which reports on and analyses digital media; also writes for Wired News and others and lectures on online journalism. With the media industry in strategic turmoil, Andrews's insights are seen by many key players as essential reading.

Tweets as RobertAndrews

PeerIndex 58 Authority 53 Activity 83 Audience 61 Follows 506 Followers 2,505

67=. ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

Author and diarist

The former Downing Street director of communications hasn't lost his appetite for putting his own spin on current affairs – but he now does so in a personal capacity, mainly through Twitter. For example, following his Sky News tête-à-tête with Adam Boulton last year, Campbell managed the message almost as soon as he went off-air: "Really worried about Adam Boulton. Wonder if he might need some of my pills." In fact, there's rarely a big political story that Campbell doesn't tweet his take on, usually with a brutal directness ("Lord Oakeshott leaves 'by mutual consent'. Isn't that the football manager cliche? 'Sacked' far better") that some find irresistible.

Tweets as campbellclaret

PeerIndex 57 Authority 49 Activity 39 Audience 92 Follows 3,537 Followers 60,615

67=. DR EVAN HARRIS

Science campaigner

Ousted from his seat at Oxford West & Abingdon at the last election, the former Liberal Democrat MP is a vocal campaigner on health and science issues. Unafraid to use Twitter for digs at former colleagues ("Clegg wrong to say 'seen no evidence that Coulson knew about hacking' on #marr since fact that it was widespread was evidence in itself"), Dr Harris is also vocal on promoting evidence-based policy making and supporting the NHS.

Tweets as drevanharris

PeerIndex 57 Authority 53 Activity 87 Audience 56 Follows 440 Followers 1,742

67=. IAN BETTERIDGE

Technology journalist

One of the first wave of bloggers back in 2002, the former editor of MacUser has shown a similar early commitment to Twitter, which he uses to share his fascination with technology and the ways in which it affects us. Clever, interesting, insightful.

Tweets as ianbetteridge

PeerIndex 57 Authority 53 Activity 87 Audience 56 Follows 440 Followers 1,742

67=. SUNDER KATWALA

Political activist

General secretary of the left-of-centre think-tank the Fabian Society, with broad interests that include national identity and multiculturalism, on which he writes brilliantly and tweets enlighteningly. Katwala also has the knack of live-tweeting his responses to political shows on TV (eg: Question Time, This Week) in a way that enhances what's happening on screen.

Tweets as nextleft

PeerIndex 57 Authority 52 Activity 77 Audience 63 Follows 1,505 Followers 2,792

71=. ALEKS KROTOSKI

Academic, journalist

Often marginalised as a "girl geek", Krotoski, who once presented computer game shows for Channel 4, is more heavyweight than her reputation suggests. She recently completed a doctorate in social psychology, exploring the spread of information on social networks, and is Researcher in Residence at the British Library. Her Twitter presence is disjointed, random – and fascinating.

Tweets as aleksk

PeerIndex 56 Authority 46 Activity 70 Audience 84 Follows 421 Followers 14,506

71=. DAVID ROWAN

Journalist

The editor of Wired UK claims to be on a personal mission to "identify The Future". His magazine is all about ideas and innovations, and that interest is reflected in his own writing, and in his Twitter account. Avidly followed by technophiles, his feed also includes valuable retweets linking to some of the best online writing on subjects technological and futuristic.

Tweets as iRowan

PeerIndex 56 Authority 52 Activity 69 Audience 63 Follows 221 Followers 2,828

71=. IAIN DALE

Writer, broadcaster

One of the most prominent British political bloggers, until he very publicly quit the blogosphere late last year, citing demands on his time (he publishes Total Politics and has an LBC talk show) and the vicious nature of the medium. Twitter, however, is a different matter. Like many in and around Westminster, Dale seems to relish its power to share information and build communities , and he is becoming a prominent member of the political twitterati.

Tweets as iaindale

PeerIndex 56 Authority 46 Activity 67 Audience 83 Follows 611 Followers 13,640

71=. JON SNOW

Broadcaster

The veteran Channel 4 News presenter has grasped the fundamental principles of both new media and social media more firmly than many of his younger colleagues. His "Snowblog" on the Channel 4 website paints a detailed and compelling picture of life in the newsroom, while his Twitter presence engages enthusiastically with readers and viewers. "For the first time in my working career, I'm beginning to get a sense of what people feel out there," he said in 2009 – and his enthusiasm seems to have grown since.

Tweets as: jonsnowC4

PeerIndex 56 Authority 46 Activity 58 Audience 89 Follows 108 Followers 38,642

71=. TOM WATSON

Politician

Watson – a former Labour minister for "digital engagement" – was blogging when many of his colleagues didn't know what a blog was, and started to tweet when many of them didn't know what Twitter was. (Some of them still don't.) During the Digital Economy Bill debates last year, he spoke out against many of its provisions – and could later be seen live-tweeting comments from within the chamber. He even resigned his ministerial post in 2009 via the service, and still debates openly on Twitter with Conservative opponents.

Tweets as: tom_watson

PeerIndex 56 Authority 47 Activity 66 Audience 84 Follows 2,822 Followers 15,165

71=. CHRIS MOYLES

Broadcaster

"I am Chris Moyles," says the Radio 1 breakfast DJ's Twitter profile. "I refuse to write something witty here". To his numerous fans – and his many detractors – this is typical Moyles wit. His tweets, however, can be distinctly banal, often involving food. Examples? "I have a huge tea dilemma. I have steak in the fridge but slightly out of date. Chicken that runs out today and left over chilli... Help!" And: "This afternoon I might cook something new.. Was thinking beef Wellington even though I don't really know what it is!"

Tweets as: CHRISDJMOYLES

PeerIndex 56 Authority 50 Activity 7 Audience 99 Follows 43 Followers 866,843

71=. JOHN RENTOUL

Political journalist

The Independent on Sunday's chief political commentator is an engagingly prolific tweeter. Ways in which he entertains his followers include quiz questions ("Brought work in office to a standstill by re-asking Indy on Sunday Xmas 2009 quiz question: 10 countries with 4-letter names. No Googling"); a campaign against clichés ("Apparently, the party must be rooted in people's lives. Unscripted stream of cliche from Ed Miliband today"), and a war on headlines which ask questions to which the answer is no ("Update on Questions to Which the Answer is No #402, Will David Cameron's legacy be unilateral disarmament?"). Recommended.

Tweets as: JohnRentoul

PeerIndex 56 Authority 47 Activity 87 Audience 72 Follows 140 Followers 6,578

78=. MARTHA LANE FOX

Entrepreneur

Few people associated with the dotcom boom of the late 1990s have kept their reputations intact through the following decade, but Lane Fox has combined a continued career as an entrepreneur (founder of karaoke bar chain Lucky Voice) with her role as the UK's Digital Champion. Her mission is to communicate the value of internet connectivity to everyone in the country, and (via the campaign raceonline2012.org) to get everyone of working age online by 2012. Her tweets are the tweets of a busy woman – understandably. None the less, she replies frequently, often straying into non-business territory.

Tweets as: Marthalanefox

PeerIndex 55 Authority 46 Activity 70 Audience 80 Follows 483 Followers 10,329

78=. PETER JONES

Entrepreneur

Yet another big-tweeting member of the wealthy panel of entrepreneurs on BBC TV show Dragons Den, Jones made his fortune in the mobile phone sector, but today has a huge range of business interests. His presence on Twitter is more about his celebrity lifestyle than about business issues, with ping-pong communication with his mate Duncan Bannatyne and references to chi-chi restaurants he's been dining in. But he does also post links to details of his new ventures, including his business academy for entrepreneurial teenagers.

Tweets as dragonjones

PeerIndex 55 Authority 45 Activity 37 Audience 97 Follows 101 Followers 184,977

78=. PHILLIP BLOND

Political thinker

An increasingly prominent face of "Red Tory" progressive conservatism, Blond recently founded a public policy think tank called ResPublica (having broken away from his previous one, Demos) and is an excellent source of links and comment relating to David Cameron's "Big Society" initiative. His tweeting supplements his appearances in the mainstream media.

Tweets as: phillip_blond

PeerIndex 55 Authority 52 Activity 69 Audience 58 Follows 253 Followers 2,010

81=. NIGEL WARBURTON

Academic

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University, Warburton shares his philosophical insights via a range of digital media: in podcast form on the website Philosophy Bites, or written form at Virtual Philosopher, or in 140-character tweets. You won't find much banter on his Twitter, but there's as good a collection of links and retweets on philosophy-related subject matter as you'll find on social media.

Tweets as: philosophybites

PeerIndex 54 Authority 43 Activity 81 Audience 78 Follows 617 Followers 8,502

81=. WILL STRAW

Campaigner and editor

As Associate Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and Editor of political blog Left Foot Forward, Straw is becoming known for more than just being Jack Straw's son. His Twitter account concentrates on attacking Conservative arguments and theories, while offering links to his blog and other left-leaning online comment.

Tweets as: wdjstraw

PeerIndex 54 Authority 43 Activity 86 Audience 76 Follows 864 Followers 7330

81=. MICHAEL ACTON SMITH

Entrepreneur

The man who launched his career with a drinking game that combined chess with tequila (100 Shot Glass Chess Sets) – that developed into Firebox.com, a site for unusual gifts – has moved into online gaming and social networking. Perplex City and Moshi Monsters are his two notable successes, and his admirers are keen to know what else he's up to. On Twitter they find links relating to entrepreneurial issues, as well as a healthy collection of viral videos, silliness and pithy one-liners.

Tweets as acton

PeerIndex 54 Authority 48 Activity 67 Audience 66 Follows 967 Followers 3,620

81=. LAURA KUENSSBERG

Journalist

"One careless tweet could sink the fleet" warns BBC News's political correspondent. Kunssberg limits herself strictly to breaking news, plus a few titbits that wouldn't make it into a BBC broadcast. It's the latter – and the more personal note she uses on Twitter – that have earned her her following, which ballooned during the election campaign. At that first Cameron/Clegg press conference, for example: "birds were even singing in the Downing Street garden. You couldn't make it up!" (12 May 2010).

Tweets as BBCLauraK

PeerIndex 54 Authority 47 Activity 37 Audience 89 Follows 243 Followers 40,602

81=.HARI KUNZRU

Author

Award-winning British Indian novelist and travel-writer (currently based in New York) whose Twitter profile describes him as a "skilled user of social media as a work avoidance tool". Output ranges from "About to print out my novel. I think it might actually be finished" to running commentary on Middle-eastern politics. He seemed glued to TweetDeck during the Egyptian revolution, bringing together supportive voices from all over the globe.

Tweets as harikunzru

PeerIndex 54 Authority 47 Activity 77 Audience 65 Follows 535 Followers 3,304

86=.EVAN DAVIS

Broadcaster

The Today, Bottom Line and Dragon's Den presenter's down-to-earth discussion of the big economic issues works well in the 140-character format (eg: "One good way of thinking about it is to assume the govt thought the boom was forever, and it turned out not to be" – 11 January) as long as you don't mind your economic mini-briefings being interspersed with trivia (eg: "Sorry to disappoint you with my ignorance of fish finger habits. Last time I had them was with tinned spaghetti and Instant Whip for pudding" – 3 February).

Tweets as EvanHD

PeerIndex 53 Authority 45 Activity 37 Audience 87 Follows 185 Followers 23,087

86=.PAUL KELSO

Sports journalist

Chief sports reporter with the Daily Telegraph, Kelso is liberal with his insights into how games are played, on the pitch and off. For example: "There's enough wriggle-room in that statement for the entire #fifa ex-co to squeeze through without touching the sides" (20 January). Or, commenting on the Sky Sports sexism affair: "Keys: 'Accept my apology in the manner in which it is offered'. There's the problem..." (26 January).

Tweets as pkelso

PeerIndex 53 Authority 44 Activity 66 Audience 78 Follows 601 Followers 9,082

88. ANNIE MAC

Broadcaster

Twitter is an appropriate forum for pretty much anything for the BBC Radio 1 DJ, who admits to being a little bit addicted to the medium. Tweets anything from random music "news" ("I had a dream that I was interviewing Muse and Matt Bellamy walked off with my handbag" – 2 February) to idiosyncratic philosophical aperçus. "Shakira is the new Mother Teresa. There's no way a nun would be so famous these days. It had to be a fit popstar. Wacka wacka ay ay." (7 November 2010). What more can we say?

Tweets as anniemacdj

PeerIndex 52 Authority 42 Activity 33 Audience 94 Follows 107 Followers 70,425

89=. KATIE PRICE

Celebrity

Topless model? Business woman? Author? Whatever her precise job description, there's no getting away from the fact that the surgically-enhanced ex-glamour model formerly known as Jordan is popular. With more than 800,000 followers, she could be huge on Twitter. But she is a sporadic tweeter, and has limited impact even when active. Tweets range from the relatively intriguing: "Finished dancing for the day I get so shy but I have to do this" to the basic: "Morning tweeps xx".

Tweets as: misskatieprice

PeerIndex 51 Authority 45 Activity 1 Audience 99 Follows 197 Followers 823,527

89=. CAROLE BLAKE

Agent

Co-head of the literary agency Blake Friedman, Blake offers author retweets, gossip and encouragement, but is not above using the medium to get things off her chest (eg: "photo of Karl Lagerfeld's library: so untidy: not the library of a booklover methinks" – 11 January). Influential in the trade, and with literary wannabes.

Tweets as caroleagent

PeerIndex 51 Authority 44 Activity 65 Audience 68 Follows 439 Followers 4,228

91.SAMIRA AHMED

Broadcaster

The Channel 4 News presenter got into a nasty Twitter ruck with Ben Goldacre (No 18) and his followers last year but remains enthusiastic about the medium, which she uses vigorously to express a variety of opinions, from "Fascinating to see gender gap tween charities like Homestart-reliant on women volunteers, helping women-& ministers making cuts.#c4news" to "Jon [Snow] wants to know if I say toilet or lavatory. Says more about him than me. #c4news").

Tweets as SamiraAhmedUK

PeerIndex 50 Authority 41 Activity 64 Audience 73 Follows 1,077 Followers 7,933

92.MICHAEL VAUGHAN

Cricketer

Twitter at its least threatening: the ex-England captain shares his responses to all things cricket, food, and family. For example (from 14 December): "Lovely day looking at sharks.. Crazy golf was dodgy .. Little un fell in the water hazard... Tears.." Tens of thousands love it.

Tweets as vaughancricket

PeerIndex 49 Authority 39 Activity 33 Audience 94 Follows 73 Followers 63,822

93. JACK WILSHERE

Footballer

Tweets with puppyish exuberance about his blossoming career as an Arsenal (and now England) player: "Thanks for all your kind messages. Im delighted to get my first start with the Seniors!great result and gd perfromance!Buzzing,No sleep 2nyt" (9 February 2011). Recently put his foot in it, though, with a tweeted criticism of a referee.

Tweets as jack_wilshere

PeerIndex 48 Authority 38 Activity 22 Audience 95 Follows 31 Followers 86,359

94=.JOHN PRESCOTT

Politician

Unafraid to garble syntax, Prescott is a Twitter natural. After years of press persecution, he seems to feel re-empowered by the medium's democratic aspects. When Stephen Fry returned (again) to Twitter last year, Lord P tweeted: "Good to have you back tweeting. Stuff what the old media says. We're ALL the media on here" (4 November 2010).

Tweets as johnprescott

PeerIndex 48 Authority 39 Activity 35 Audience 88 Follows 124 Followers 30,234

94=.SALLY BERCOW

Speaker's wife

If Twitter hadn't existed, the Labour-supporting wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons (a former Tory) would probably have tried to invent it. Her appetite for self-exposure – through ill-advised photoshoots or indiscreet interviews – seems insatiable, and Twitter has provided her with the perfect outlet for a stream of undiplomatic remarks.

Tweets as sallybercow

PeerIndex 48 Authority 37 Activity 60 Audience 78 Follows 1,833 Followers 18,796

96.CAITLIN MORAN

Journalist

The Times TV critic has taken to Twitter with boisterous abandon. Rude,, anarchic and blithely indifferent to the impression they might create, her tweets give an exhuberant flavour of a successful journalist's apparently riotous life. For example: "Just remembered messaging Alastair Campbell, drunk, at 2am on Friday, saying I wanted to see him dancing like a mongoose. Sigh." (23 January 2011).

Tweets as caitlinmoran

PeerIndex 46 Authority 34 Activity 37 Audience 93 Follows 609 Followers 59,613

97.MARK RONSON

Musician

As a music producer, DJ, guitarist, artist, co-founder of Allido records and general luvvie of the London, New York and Paris scenes - it's a wonder the 35 year-old has a minute between celeb-packed soirees in which to tweet. But he does. Subject matter includes the latest movies he's watched (The Godfather III), the gigs he's looking forward to, and just a dash of celebrity cat-fighting – most famously last September as the recipient of the tweeted wrath of Amy Winehouse (who didn't quite make our cut). Winehouse tweeted: "ronson you're dead to me; one album i write an you take half the credit- make a career out of it? don't think so BRUV". But they later made up.

Tweets as Iammarkronson

PeerIndex 45 Authority 35 Activity 15 Audience 97 Follows 43 Followers 195,014

98. DOM JOLY

Writer and comedian

On his his Twitter bio, the comedian, travel writer and Independent on Sunday columnist describes himself as number "88 in Cotswold Life 100 movers and shakers in the Cotswolds". He's also a mover and shaker in the world of social networking and is so tech-savvy that even his personal Dom Joly app has its own Twitter feed. His no-punches-pulled feed is a varied mixture of jokes, tales of being attacked on the train home and pictures of himself in striking locations across the world.

Tweets as Domjoly

PeerIndex 35 Authority 41 Activity 33 Audience 93 Follows 66 Followers 62,509

99. LORRAINE CANDY

Editor and fashionista

When she's not busy being editor of Elle magazine, appearing on TV, writing for the Daily Mail or being a working mother, Candy offers a tweeted front-row view from the best catwalk shows in town, and an insider's perspective on the cutthroat world of international fashion. Prominent tweeters wjho follow her posts include Sally Bercow, Dermot O'Leary and Daisy Lowe.

Tweets as lorraineelle

PeerIndex 37 Authority 25 Activity 31 Audience 83 Follows 285 Followers 13,399

100. KEVIN PIETERSEN

Cricketer

South African-born but (according to his Twitter page) a "proud English cricketer", Pietersen has an undeniable talent with the bat but also has a habit of making headlines with ill-advised remarks. So, naturally, he is an active Tweeter. Most days see him tell us his rather laborious thoughts at least three or four times. Tweets are usually sport-orientated, but some help raise money for charity, and he has a bit of a grudge match going on against Piers Morgan. A post made this month simply said "shut up Piers." Brilliant.

Tweets as kevinpp24

PeerIndex 36 Authority 20 Activity 22 Audience 97 Follows 79 Followers 177,081

Lists such as this are, necessarily, imperfect. If you think we have left someone out, or wish to check the calculations for those listed above, you can apply the PeerIndex methodology yourself. Just visit http://pi.mu/@{their_twittername}. Thus, for Sarah Brown visit http://pi.mu/@sarahbrownuk ).

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