   my hero is a bbc sitcom created by paul mendelson. the programme ran for six series, first broadcast in february 2000, and concluding in september 2006. the series follows the antics of the dim-witted superhero "thermoman", portrayed by ardal o'hanlon in series one to five and by james dreyfus in the final series. the series was regularly directed by john stroud. in the uk, the digital channel gold regularly re-runs the programme, although the last series has yet to appear on the channel. in the united states it was shown on pbs and, briefly, bbc america. in australia, uktv offered re-runs of the first three series, while bbc entertainment provided repeats for scandinavia. ==main characters==  the series follows a wide range of main characters, who make appearances throughout all six series. ardal o'hanlon plays the main role of thermoman for the first five series, before being replaced by james dreyfus, who played the role in the final series. the series follows thermoman's closest family, including his wife, janet, played by emily joyce; his daughter, cassie, played by madeline mortimer; and his son, ollie, played by finlay stroud. other characters who make regular appearances include dr piers crispin, played by hugh dennis; mrs raven, played by geraldine mcnulty; thermoman's cousin, arnie, played by lou hirsch; the sundays' next-door neighbour, tyler, played by philip whitchurch; and janet's mother and father, ella and stanley dawkins, played by lill roughley and tim wylton. ==plot outline== thermoman is a multiple-powered superhero who originates from the planet ultron. in an attempt to do his best to fit in with life on earth, he creates the human alias of george sunday. however, due to his unfamiliarity with human life, his antics usually lead to many misunderstandings. although thermoman is intrinsically very intelligent, his problem understanding earthly customs makes him look like an idiot to people who don't know who he really is. at the start of the first series, he saves wife-to-be janet dawkins from danger, and after falling in love, the pair later have t
2000_British_television_programme_debuts 2000s_British_television_series 2006_British_television_programme_endings BBC_television_sitcoms British_science_fiction_television_programmes English-language_television_programming Extraterrestrial_superheroes Superhero_comedy_television_series Superhero_television_programs