From the UKTV Gold site (for 'twas they commissioned the survey):

Top ten fictional characters that the British public thinks are real

    * 1) King Arthur – 65%
    * 2) Sherlock Holmes – 58%
    * 3) Robin Hood – 51%
    * 4) Eleanor Rigby – 47%
    * 5) Mona Lisa -35%
    * 6) Dick Turpin – 34%
    * 7) Biggles – 33%
    * 8) The Three Musketeers – 17%
    * 9) Lady Godiva – 12%
    * 10) Robinson Crusoe – 5%


King Arthur- a myth but possibly with a core of fact.
Robin Hood- ditto.
Mona Lisa- certainly was a real person. Not exactly sure which real person.
Dick Turpin- real. Stories attached to him often belong to other (usually real) characters.
Lady Godiva - real though most famous exploit may or may not have happened.
Biggles- real. I was Biggles from 1961 to 1963, when I toiok to train spotting.

So we have a bigger story: UK TV Station's Researchers can't do their homework!!!!