Actor Colin Firth has not surprisingly been voted the best Mr Darcy of all time in awards organised by a Bath attraction.

His portrayal of the smouldering hero from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was voted the best ever ahead of performances by actors such as Laurence Olivier and Peter Cushing.

Firth's interpretation of Austen's best-known male character in the BBC's 1995 series received more than half of the entire votes in the second annual Regency World Awards organised by the city's Jane Austen Centre.

And although often regarded as the greatest actor of the 20th century, Olivier's portrayal of Darcy in Hollywood's 1940 film version could only manage fifth place. Matthew McFadyen's 2005 depiction, playing opposite Keira Knightley, came second, while Peter Cushing's 1952 performance was seventh.

The BBC version, in which a shirt-soaked Firth emerges from a lake, is regarded as a TV classic and is credited as having been the trigger for the billion-pound Austen industry which has flourished in recent years.

The six-part series was adapted for the screen by acclaimed scriptwriter Andrew Davies and his association with Jane Austen continued at the Regency Awards with his 2008 version of Sense and Sensibility winning the best adaptation category.

The awards celebrate and reward the work of actors, authors and others associated with the writer who lived in Bath at the end of the 18th century, and are voted for online by fans from around the globe.

Centre director David Baldock said: "What is good about these awards are that they reflect the choices of fans worldwide and therefore are becoming seen as the most prestigious awards associated with Jane Austen."