Big Ben has been voted the most iconic movie location in London.

Pearl and Dean, a cinema advertising agency, questioned 3,000 people for the survey.

The landmark clock won top place for its role in 1978 thriller The Thirty Nine Steps. The film sees Robert Powell's character hang from Big Ben's face.

British director Richard Curtis made it into the list several times with entries including Love Actually and Notting Hill.

Kathryn Jacob, spokeswoman for Pearl and Dean, commented: "Richard Curtis has done a lot to raise the profile of London in his films, so it's no surprise that he's taken three places in our poll.

"But for a truly iconic image of London in film it's hard to beat the nail-biting, clock-ticking drama seen at the top of Big Ben in The Thirty Nine Steps."

The top ten:

1. Big Ben (The Thirty Nine Steps)
2. St Paul's Cathedral (Mary Poppins)
3. Westminster Bridge (28 Days Later)
4. Piccadilly Circus (An American Werewolf in London)
5. Number 10 Downing Street (Love Actually)
6. The Millennium Dome (The World is Not Enough)
7. Westminster Abbey (The Da Vinci Code)
8. Portobello Market (Notting Hill)
9. Covent Garden (My Fair Lady)
10. Borough Market (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason)