Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, was named Greatest Briton 2004 at an awards ceremony tonight.

Seven people were awarded titles in fields such as the arts, science, business and public service.

Sir Tim, whose invention changed the world, was named overall Greatest Briton at the ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London which was attended by Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Philip Pullman, author of award-winning trilogy His Dark Materials, was named Greatest Briton in the arts.

The writer, whose books have been turned into a play at the National Theatre and are being adapted for a Hollywood film, beat two others in the shortlist - film director Ken Loach and conductor Sir Simon Rattle.

Fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, who built a é200 million empire from humble origins and no qualifications, was named Greatest Briton in business.

Acclaimed

Double Olympic gold winner Kelly Holmes was acclaimed as Greatest Briton in sport - ahead of Ellen MacArthur, currently on a solo round-the-world record attempt, and Tanni Grey-Thompson Britain's most successful Paralympian.

Lord Foster, the architect behind the Millennium Bridge and the London tower nicknamed the "erotic gherkin", won the title in the creative industries category, over Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.

Cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson, who recently cycled 75 miles a day as part of her attempt to raise é1 million for charity, was named Greatest British Campaigner.

Lord Deedes, a UK ambassador for Unicef and journalist, who last year travelled to Sudan to highlight the plight of its people, won the public service category, over the late DJ John Peel and Bill Morris, former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union.

Sir Tim beat mathematician Roger Penrose, a leader in the field of black hole physics, and zoologist Jane Goodall, celebrated for a study of primates which helped show how humans evolved, in the science and innovation category.

Panel

He was awarded the overall award of Great Briton 2004 by a judging panel which included historian David Starkey and Tim Smit, who created the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Sir Tim came up with a system to organise, link and browse pages on the net while he was at the particle physics institute in Geneva.

He said he had just been "in the right place at the right time".

His code made it easier for scientists to share their research and information across a fledgling computer network.

The scientist, who tonight wins é25,000, did not patent his invention, which was launched in 1991. He said that attempts to profit personally from his work would have inhibited its global development.

To make the shortlist, each individual has been judged to embody the key characteristics of a great Briton: adaptability, modesty, strength, determination and sense of humour.

How has Berners-Lee's invention - the web - changed your life? Have your say