First place went to England’s match against Argentina in which David Beckham fired home a penalty to secure England’s qualification for the knock out stages of the 2002 World Cup and avenge his sending off against Argentina in the 1998 finals.

This was closely followed by David Beckham’s free kick against Greece in the dying seconds of the match to clinch England qualification for the 2002 World Cup finals, and then the last 15 minutes of the England v Brazil quarter-final match which saw England eventually knocked out of the tournament.

The highest non-sporting entry was the Will Young / Gareth Gates showdown in the final of the first series of Pop Idol. Also appearing was the moment in Eastenders when it looked like Phil would push Lisa off a cliff and Angus Deayton's return to ‘Have I got News for You’ after his scandal fuelled sabbatical.

Interestingly enough women also selected traditionally male events as being their tensest moments. England football matches filled the top 2 female spots, with “Great Britain winning gold in the coxless 4’s rowing final at the 2000 Olympics” coming in third. Soap operas didn’t even feature in the top 5 and the only non-sport related moment was the pop idol final at number 5.

‘Nerves’ or ‘tension’ affect us all at some time or another and sometimes the consequences can be less than pleasant, including a common ailment, namely diarrhoea. Watching a nerve-racking programme or event on TV is not likely to cause diarrhoea, but in general, nerves, stress and tension are common causes of diarrhoea. Further research from Imodium has indicated that nearly 15 million people in Britain have suffered from bouts of diarrhoea when faced with nerve-racking situations. What’s more, nearly half of these people (45%) went on to say that this diarrhoea, referred to as ‘nervous tension diarrhoea’, made it more difficult to enjoy themselves or perform at important events. Yet despite the prevalence of this condition, over half of those people who suffered didn’t treat it.

A new campaign from Imodium aims to help people understand how emotions affect our bodies, especially their effect on the stomach. The goal of the campaign is to educate people on how to avoid getting too nervous or stressed before a big event and therefore hopefully avoid a bout of nervous tension diarrhoea. It also aims to inform people of the most effective ways to treat this diarrhoea should they be affected.

In June 2001 an independent panel of experts reviewed the studies available on the treatment of diarrhoea by self-medication and produced new guidelines¹ on its management. It is now recognised that for otherwise healthy adults, self-medication for episodes of uncomplicated diarrhoea is effective and relieves discomfort and social disruption.

If you have diarrhoea, taking an anti-diarrhoeal such as Imodium Plus Caplets means that you can get on with your day and perform without having to worry about your tummy troubles. Imodium Plus is a unique combination of loperamide, which works to stop diarrhoea by helping restore your digestive system back to its normal rhythm¹, and simethicone, an anti-flatulent to help relieve the associated diarrhoea symptoms of cramps, wind and bloating. Imodium Plus is available in chewable tablets or in new easy-to-swallow caplets.

Always read the label. Ask your pharmacist for advice.

Full results:

Overall Top Ten

1. England vs Argentina match at the 2002 World Cup.
2. David Beckham lining up to take a free kick in the last minute of the 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece.
3. The last 15 minutes of England's losing game against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup.
4. Winning the coxless four’s in the 2000 Olympics.
5. Winning the curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
6. The last day of the 2002 Ryder Cup when Europe won.
7. Gareth Gates against Will Young for the Pop Idol final.
8. Tim Henman versus Goran Ivanisevic in the 2002 Wimbledon Semi-final.
9. Phil Mitchell and Lisa when she was on the edge of the cliff and you wondered if he would push her off.
10. Angus Deayton's return to ‘Have I got News for You’ after his first round of scandals and Paul Merton and Ian Hislop giving him a hard time.

Male Top Ten

1. England vs Argentina match at the 2002 World Cup.
2. David Beckham lining up to take a free kick in the last minute of the 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece.
3. The last 15 minutes of England's losing game against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup.
4. Winning the curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
5. The last day of the 2002 Ryder Cup when Europe won.
6. Winning the coxless four’s in the 2000 Olympics.
7. Angus Deayton's return to ‘Have I got News for You’ after his first round of scandals and Paul Merton and Ian Hislop giving him a hard time.
8. The British act scoring zero at the 2003 Eurovision song contest.
9. Tim Henman versus Goran Ivanisevic in the 2002 Wimbledon Semi-final.
10. The car chase between Phil and Steve in Eastenders, when Steve was killed.

Female Top Ten

1. The last 15 minutes of England's losing game against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup.
2. David Beckham lining up to take a free kick in the last minute of the 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece.
3. Winning the coxless four’s in the 2000 Olympics.
4. England vs Argentina match at the 2002 World Cup.
5. Gareth Gates against Will Young for the pop idol final
6. Phil Mitchell and Lisa when she was on the edge of the cliff and you wondered if he would push her off.
7. When Trevor and Mo set the house on fire in Eastenders and Tom went in to try and rescue them and died.
8. Tim Henman versus Goran Ivanisevic In the 2002 Wimbledon Semi-final
9. Winning the curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
10. When Richard and Gail Hillman ‘accidentally’ drove into the duck pond in Coronation Street.

¹ D. Wingate et al, Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2001;15(6):773-782