Johnny Depp has been voted the sexiest man in the world.

The 45-year-old Hollywood heartthrob topped a poll by readers of a British magazine to find their favourite hunk.

Depp beat George Clooney, 47, into second place, while 'Brokeback Mountain' star Jake Gyllenhaal, 27, finished third.

The results of the poll favour older men, with only three male stars in the top 10 - Gyllenhaal, Justin Timberlake, 27, and James McAvoy, 29 - under 30. The oldest person on the list is former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, 55.

Actors comprise the majority of the top 25 places in the 100-strong list, with soccer superstar David Beckham the only non-thespian in the top 10.

The search was launched by the magazine after female readers demanded a 'sexiest men' poll similar to the annual '100 sexiest women' list in men's magazine FHM.

The poll's top 25 are:

1. Johnny Depp, 45

2. George Clooney, 47

3. Jake Gyllenhaal, 27

4. Daniel Craig, 40

5. Brad Pitt, 44

6. James McAvoy, 29

7. JustinTimberlake, 27

8. Will Smith, 40

9. David Beckham, 33

10. Wentworth Miller, 36

11. Christian Bale, 34

12. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 31

13. Take That: Gary Barlow, 37, Mark Owen, 36, Howard Donald, 40, and Jason Orange, 38

14. Ashton Kutcher, 30

15. Dermot O'Leary, 35

16. David Tennant, 37

17. Patrick Dempsey, 42

18. Clive Owen, 44

19. Pierce Brosnan, 55

20. Mark Ronson, 33

21. Gordon Ramsay, 41

22. Russell Brand, 33

23. Pharrell Williams, 35

24. Ryan Reynolds, 31

25. Olivier Martinez, 42

Who do you think is the world's sexiest man? Share your thoughts with other New Idea readers below