Britain's chemists reveal Geordie men provide the best TV chemistry

Male duos - from the north-east - provide the best TV chemistry, according to a poll of scientists.

Britain's Got Talent presenters Ant and Dec won twice the votes of their nearest rivals in a survey by the Royal Society of Chemistry to find which partnership sizzled on screen.

Hairy Bikers Simon King and Dave Myers also proved how much people enjoy a cheeky male couple on the small screen. In a poll to choose the top three couples - and the worst one - Newcastle born and bred Ant and Dec, and Geordie boy Si and Lancashire lad Dave, won 64 per cent of first place positions.

Unsurprisingly, chemists gave the thumbs down to Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley who were the runaway losers, finishing bottom of the list.

More than 35 per cent of voters said their chemistry was clunkier than a toaster in a washing machine. It caps a miserable month for the Daybreak duo as they struggle to halt the ratings slide for the ITV breakfast show.

One chemist said: "Bleakley and Chiles really annoy me and my mornings have been ruined since they started on Daybreak. I loved the days of Fern and Phillip on This Morning. Bring them back I say."

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly proved to be the most polarising couple winning plaudits for being both the best and the worst TV couple. One voter said Bruce still had the right moves, but 27-year-old Robin Mead had a different opinion. "An old man and his care nurse do not good television make."

Dr Jason Love, an inorganic chemist at the University of Edinburgh, said friendship is the most important attribute to a good screen pairing.

"It seems to me that in order for the on-screen chemistry to survive, it has to be based on being good friends and not just good colleagues. I was particularly pleased to see that the Hairy Bikers were near the top, as I'm a biker myself - albeit less rotund and definitely less hairy! It's clear that they have shared passions - food, bikes, humour - and have a friendly and unassuming manner which allows them to communicate with large sections of society. 

"It may be that the perceived on-screen buzz between Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley evaporated as it was seen to be contrived - of course, it could also have been a backlash against rubbish TV." 

RSC managing director, and biker, Robert Parker, 52, said: "Si and Dave have magnetic personalities as they are bikers and all bikers have natural wit and charm and are truly adorable - it's a well known fact. They also cook things that guys want to eat, especially in the autumn and winter months when we're packing on the pounds for hibernation.  It's clear they actually do get on and have a laugh together."

The top ten

1. Ant and Dec (Britain's Got Talent, I'm a Celebrity.)  
2. The Hairy Bikers (The Hairy Bikers)    
3. Phillip Scholfield and Holly Willoughby (This Morning)   
4. Bill Turnbull and Sian Williams (BBC Breakfast)   
5. Chris Packham and Kate Humble (Autumn Watch)  
6. Richard and Judy (The Book Club)    
7. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly (Strictly Come Dancing)   
8. Alistair Stewart and Mary Nightingale (ITV News at Ten) 
9. Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford (This Morning)  
10. Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley (Daybreak)