It's back! Bigger and better than ever before! After the surprise success of 2007's inaugural list (should I quit writing reviews and just upload photos of scantily-clad women every day?), I thought I'd make a considered effort to list the sexiest ladies I saw on television last year. Y'know, really give it some thought. Oh, it's a hard life...As before, there's a rule regarding who's eligible: only actresses that starred in a television drama or mini-series during 2008, as a regular or recurring character. So, no TV presenters, weather girls, guest-stars, athletes, or sitcom actresses, I'm afraid. The list is so big that it's being split into four parts, delivered piecemeal for the next four days, starting with #40...
(NEW) 40. Gretchen Mol(Life On Mars)
An actress best known for her movie career (Rounders, The Notorious Betty Page, 3:10 To Yuma), Gretchen is now lending her '40s cartoon-y perk to the US remake of time-slip drama Life On Mars, playing Annie. If anything, her presence as Sam's 1973 love-interest is enough reason for him to forget about getting back to boring 2008. He may have missed the Summer of Love by nearly a decade, but who wouldn't want to disco-dance the '70s away with the lithe Ms. Mol? DOB: 8 November 1978 
(NEW) 39. Alex Kingston(Lost In Austen & Doctor Who)
Having become famous face around the world for playing Dr. Elizabeth Corday on ER, Alex returned to Britain and made an impression in two top fantasy shows last year: Doctor Who (as The Doctor's enigmatic future love River Song) and Lost In Austen (as the fussy Mrs. Bennett). Wonderfully open-faced with gorgeous eyes and a mane of curly hair. Hey, The Doctor himself chose her as his bride (well, we assume), and he's been a bachelor for over 900 years with his pick of any woman in time and space. Although I reckon the William Hartnell and Sylvester McCoy years were rather barren romantically... DOB: 11 March 1963 
(21) 38. Eve Myles(Torchwood)
Eve returned for season 2 of sci-fi drama Torchwood last year, and also had a villainous guest-role in Merlin's first episode. Welsh fans may also have seen her in native drama Belonging this year, wearing the kind of sexy lingerie guaranteed to get men's pulses racing (see above). She doesn't wear that kind of thing in the Hub, does she? Shame. DOB: 1978 
(14) 37. Courteney Cox(Dirt)
A bad year for the former Friend, as Courteney's tabloid satire Dirt returned for a terrible second season and was promptly axed after a meagre half-dozen bad episodes. But not to worry, she's returning to comedy with Cougar Town as a single, fortysomething mother. She may be thin as a rake, but those legs deserve more airtime. DOB: 15 June 1964 
(18) 36. Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who & Torchwood)
A busy year for Freema, with a three-episode guest-role in Torchwood (playing her Doctor Who character Martha Jones), a brief return to the aforementioned Who for two multi-part stories -- not to mention a sneaky stint in doomsday drama Survivors. Freema's decided to ditch the Whoniverse entirely for now, sadly; opting instead to play a lawyer in Law & Order: London. Fans of Freema's pert bum and cheeky smile will have to make do with their Who box-sets. DOB: 20 March 1979 
(NEW) 35. Billie Piper(Secret Diary Of A Call Girl & Doctor Who)
Billie officially went off the market in 2007 after marrying actor Laurence Fox and giving birth to their first child in October '08. Career-wise, it was a very mixed year: the first season of Secret Diary Of A Call Girl went down surprisingly well in the US, while the season 2 was mostly ignored in the UK (maybe because she had to hide her pregnancy), and her trumpeted return to Doctor Who for a few episodes was possibly 2008's biggest TV disappointment. Still, that Call Girl series gives us some memorable poster campaigns (see above), doesn't it? DOB: 22 September 1982 
(NEW) 34. Zoë Tapper(Survivors)
A new face in 2008 for the theatre-trained actress (unless you watched Sky1's Hex), Zoe became ubiquitous on telly thanks to her role as lesbian doctor Anya in Survivors, imprisoned clairvoyant Selina in Affinity and as vampire-hunting psychic Mina in Demons. A petite, feisty, innocent-looking, tomboyish actress with girl-next-door prettiness, a Cindy-style beauty spot, and talent yet to be unlocked by television. Keep an eye on her in 2009. As if you're not already. DOB: 1981 
(NEW) 33. Brea Grant(Heroes)
In the multitude of Heroes' failures this past year, at least we can all agree that Brea Grant's anime-inspired white dreadlocks, pursed lips, cute features and jerky mannerisms served the show well as speed-freak Daphne. Okay, so she was stuck in an unconvincing love-story with mind-reader Matt and was often a CGI blur, but let's hope the writers utilize her adorable perkiness better this year. DOB: 16 October 1981 
(9) 32. Lucy Lawless(Battlestar Galactica)
A huge drop in my list, mainly because Lucy didn't feature very strongly in the first half of BSG's final season. And, after the inference of a Cylon-Human threesome involving Tricia Helfer in season 3, this was a crying shame. Still, if you like women who are lesbian icons, able to drink you under the table, and probably squeeze your kidneys to a pulp between their mighty thighs, you can't really go wrong with this Kiwi hottie. DOB: 29 March 1968 
(NEW) 31. Anna Torv(Fringe & Mistresses)
I wish she'd stop wringing her face like a wet flannel on Fringe, as I know there's a ray of smiling light in there somewhere. The Ice Queen needs defrosting, but Anna Torv's still a great example of girl-next-door sexiness. The kind of intelligent blonde you could actually meet in real-life (probably on a treadmill in the gym), blessed with the willowy athleticism of a teenage netball player. DOB: 15 April 1978 
Continue to Part 2 ==>
