Corrie's Gail voted top soap mum

Coronation Street's Gail Hillman has been voted top TV soap mum in a poll of parents.

A third of those questioned said that if they had to let a famous mother from a soap look after their children for the day, four-times married Gail, played by Helen Worth, would be their number one choice.

EastEnders' Pauline Fowler came second with 21% of the vote - but only 1% opted for Emmerdale's Cynthia Daggert.

The survey for Screenblock, a gadget that limits children's TV viewing time, polled 500 families.

The pollsters said the results showed a gender gap - with more men opting for Pauline while their wives chose Gail, despite her marriage to a serial killer Richard.

Behavioural psychologist Gladeanna McMahon said: "The split in the voting shows that where men look for a strong, dependable figure to look after their kids, women would rather have their kids cared for by someone who they identify and empathise with.

"Of the two women, Pauline is by far the least emotional. She's a strong, solid, dependable family woman who may be a bit of a battleaxe but has exactly the kind of qualities men look for in a mother.

"Gail is softer in her approach and emotionally more vulnerable. Pauline's rule with a rod of iron may be too harsh for many mums and far more difficult to identify with."

Other TV soap mothers fared poorly, with Diane Murray (Brookside) scoring 4% and Kat Slater (EastEnders), Janice Battersby (Coronation Street) and Jessie Hilton (Brookside) polling 3% each.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Gail Hillman has certainly had good times and bad times over the years while being mum to Nick, Sarah and David. It's great that viewers can identify with her experiences of being a parent."