BRITNEY SPEARS - BRITNEY AND BIG BROTHER TOP SEARCH ENGINE LEAGUE TABLE

BRITNEY AND BIG BROTHER TOP SEARCH ENGINE LEAGUE TABLE

Britney Spears and Big Brother proved more interesting to UK internet users than the US election in 2008, according to a new poll.

The Toxic star's name was the phrase most-searched by UK residents in 2008 according to search giant Yahoo, followed by Big Brother and The X Factor

Oasis and the new instalment in the High School Musical phenomenon rounded out the top five, with the US elections in sixth.

Kristof Fahy, Yahoo Europe's marketing vice president, said: "It is fascinating to look back over the last year and see the stories, personalities and subjects that have captured our imagination.

"Our users know Yahoo is the starting point for finding information online, whether that is Britney Spears or Barack Obama."

The top ten most searched phrases by UK residents on Yahoo in 2008 so far are:

1 Britney Spears
2 Big Brother
3 The X Factor
4 Oasis
5 High School Musical 3
6 US election
7 Amy Winehouse
8 Heath Ledger
9 Kate Moss
10 EastEnders