It’s very easy to lose count of the amount of fictional US presidents from movies and television - you could almost contend that the ‘presidential action film’ is an entire sub-genre of its own. When it comes to British prime ministers, though, you’re looking at a smaller selection of candidates.

From comedy to thrillers, the fictional PMs that do exist are a varied bunch, and have been portrayed by an equally varied group of actors (and the occasional actress). With a new prime minister a possibility following next week’s UK elections, we take a look at some of the most memorable on screen heads of British government - from the incompetent ones to the corrupt ones, and maybe even one or two accomplished ones.

We’ve kept it to fictional characters - with apologies to Meryl Streep.

Alan B’Stard - Rik Mayall, The New Statesman

One of the late Rik Mayall’s most popular characters, Alan B’Stard was not a subtle parody of British Conservatism - but he was a very funny one. The character’s name alone says a lot of what needs to be said.

Michael Callow - Rory Kinnear, Black Mirror

Fair to say the first episode of dark comedy anthology series Black Mirror provides the most bizarre situation out of all the films and shows mentioned here - and frankly by a considerable distance. When a member of the Royal Family is kidnapped, Prime Minister Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear) is forced to carry out a humiliating act on live television to secure her release. And that act is… well, if you’ve seen it you know, and if you haven’t you can watch the episode on Channel 4’s website.

Dancing back and forth on the line between blackly comic satire and a dark critique of modern cultural and technological trends, it’s not exactly light family viewing, so beware. It does, however, remain perhaps the most startling episode Charlie Brooker and his team have yet produced, and a knowingly extreme deconstruction of the public’s weird relationship with high-profile political leaders.

Rosamund 'Ros' Jane Pritchard - Jane Horrocks, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard

This BBC drama from 2006 portrays a fantasy many people disaffected with the current state of politics have surely had over the years. In the show, a woman with no experience of politics runs for election - and, inevitably, she wins. With a charismatic performances from Jane Horrocks, Mrs Pritchard is very much fiction - although showing the sort of straight-talking, relatable alternative many would argue has been missing from most recent elections.

Harriet Jones - Penelope Wilton, Doctor Who

First appearing as an MP, the character of Harriet Jones was later seen as the British prime minister in the 2005 Christmas special of the then freshly rebooted Doctor Who. While it had initially been mentioned that she would go on to become a great PM that would lead Britain into the Golden Age, the sci-fi shenanigans of the series saw a different outcome for Jones’ term in office. While there was some criticism of Jones’ actions in the series, Wilton’s performance was widely praised - drawing favourable comparisons with other political leaders (from both fiction and reality).

David - Hugh Grant, Love Actually

The question is what’s the most unusual casting in the enduringly popular, festive-themed, all-star rom-com: Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister, or Billy Bob Thornton as the US President? The Richard Curtis film sees Grant’s fictional PM David falling for a member of his household staff (played by Martine McCutcheon). Various hijinks and complications follow before the inevitable (spoiler!) happy ending.

Alastair Davies - Stephen Fry, 24: Live Another Day

Stephen Fry, with his winning combination of charm, humour and intelligence, is in many ways the perfect candidate to play a prime minister. He was given the chance when hit series 24 returned last year. Fry played Alastair Davies - the British PM hosting a US president those dastardly bad guys are attempting to assassinate in London.

Tom Hawkins - Gabriel Byrne, Secret State

The rarest of beasts - an idealistic PM. The show was inspired by the book A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin, which had a separate TV adaptation back in 1988, with Ray McAnally as the PM. In Secret State, Deputy Prime Minister Tom Hawkins (played by Ireland’s own Gabriel Byrne) takes over the top office following the death of the serving PM. There he uncovers the corruption at the heart of the political system, and makes it his business to make it public.

Naturally, that’s met with a bit of opposition, as is the way with most uncovered conspiracies. It wasn’t the most warmly received drama - The Arts Desk called it mostly ‘alarmist nonsense’. But as the same publication said, “it was cheering to hear someone in high office give cronyism a bloody nose, even if this was no more than a fictional manifesto from the dreaming leftiverse”.

Francis Urquhart - Ian Richardson, House of Cards 

Before there was Kevin Spacey and Frank Underwood, there was Ian Richardson and Francis Urquhart - Chief Whip of the Conservative Party who will take any steps necessary to take his place as prime minister (and anybody up to date with the US version can safely guess how that plays out).

Richardson is clearly having a ball in all three House of Cards mini-series (broadcast on BBC in the 1990s, and now available on Netflix alongside the US version), achieving a perfect balance between menace and charm. It’s a great performance, and the shorter running time of the series (based on Michael Dobbs’ novels) means his journey to 10 Downing Street is an exciting, pacy affair - although naturally Urquhart takes plenty of time to address the audience in the process.

Adam Lang - Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer

Based on a book by Robert Harris named The Ghost, Pierce Brosnan plays former prime minister Adam Lang in the Roman Polanski film adaptation. The book and film were on the receiving end of plenty of attention and controversy, due to supposedly strong similarities between aspects of Lang's character and Tony Blair. The fictional Lang is found to be a PM with a troubling history (largely focused on his relationship with the US), a history which an unnamed ghost writer (played by Ewan McGregor) begins to uncover while working on a biography of the former PM.