@stephenfry
This man is the patron saint of Twitter. He has tried to quit tweeting twice – once, admittedly, prompted by an article in this publication – but had a change of heart each time. Fry is a habitual early adopter of online ventures so it is no surprise that his first tweets appeared in October 2008, and his championing of the site has played a huge part in its success. Whether he chronicles the high drama of being trapped in a lift, voices support for Norwich City football team or grumbles about PCs, he is ever charming and witty, and his devoted followers love him for it Photograph: Steve Forrest/Rex Features
@krishgm
Channel 4 News anchor Guru-Murthy uses Twitter to discuss the evening’s news coverage, taking on board what viewers want reported. It’s an exercise in transparency that has paid off: those keen to get the scoop on the news flock to his Twitter feed. Comments on stories aired during the hour-long broadcast are encouraged, and if they are tagged with the #c4news hashtag they are frequently replied to afterwards. A friendly tweeter who answers promptly, Guru-Murthy encourages the intelligent discussion of current affairs online Photograph: Francesco Guidicini/Rex Features
@imogenheap
For Heap, a singer-songwriter known for her unique, experimental take on pop music, Twitter is a creative tool that allows her to collaborate with fans all over the world. In fact, they are contributing sound samples and lyrics for the first track of her next album, provisionally titled #heapsong1. She’s always been keen on sharing the process of making music online – she has kept a blog since 2005– and the intimate behind-the-scenes glimpses she offers up are treasured by fans and aspiring musicians alike Photograph: PR
@kanyewest
His tweets are poetic, smart, ever so slightly testy – just what you’d expect from a modern-day hip-hop Goliath. These off-the-cuff posts give a glimpse into the world of West, encompassing fashion, music, art, politics and the trials of being forced to take off all your bling at airport security. Whether it’s joking about Britney Spears beating him to number one, or apologising to Taylor Swift, whose MTV VMA award acceptance speech he infamously interrupted, he uses Twitter to communicate with the world directly Photograph: PR
@jemimakiss
With more than 22,000 followers, she is the most-followed Guardian journalist on Twitter. Kiss intersperses links to articles about technology, media and the internet with personal updates – she famously tweeted about her pregnancy – and this engaging blend draws tweeters in. Listening in on her conversations about the shiniest gadgets and newest social media websites is a brilliant way of picking up tips that even the most luddite will find useful. She also has a great knack for choosing YouTube clips, perfect viewing for afternoon lulls in the office. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi
@andy_murray
Perhaps it’s the arduous touring schedule and the solitary nature of the singles game that has given many of the best tennis players in the world a taste for Twitter. You can find Serena Williams, Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic tweeting, but if you had to choose just one player to follow it would have to be Murray. The wiry, fiery, 23-year-old Scotsman with a formidable serve is one of the best tweeters in the sporting world. He seems surly on court but his Twitter feed reveals his dry wit, enthusiasm for football and an insane fondness for sushi Photograph: Al Behrman/AP
@simonpegg
The Shaun of the Dead and Spaced star is one of a legion of comedians on Twitter, parcelling humour into 140-character snippets. He mixes clever one-liners with wry observations about life, as well as a liberal dose of sci-fi geekery. Along with Nick Frost, his comedy partner-in-crime, he went one better than merely road-testing jokes on the micro-blogging site. In July last year they tweeted about investigating spooky goings-on in Pegg’s attic before disappearing from Twitter for a whole day, making it seem that they had been abducted by an attic-dwelling demon. That’s impressive Photograph: Richard Saker
@MargaretAtwood
Atwood, the bestselling Canadian author who won the Booker prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin, was “sucked into the Twittersphere like Alice down the rabbit hole” in June 2009. She tweets to converse with her readers, relay information about book tours and raise awareness of the various environmental issues she supports, which include bird-friendly coffee plantations, the RSPB and the charity Nature Canada. Liberated from the writer’s ivory tower, she seems endearingly bemused by the fact that people (more than 140,000 of them) enjoy following her tweets Photograph: Murdo Macleod
@GuidoFawkes
The acerbic political blogger who forced the resignation of Labour adviser Damian McBride over emails proposing fake, Conservative-smearing blog posts, trades barbs with national newspaper journalists, bloggers and critics on Twitter. A recent spat with the Independent on Sunday’s John Rentoul is worth a read. Politics is a gossipy business, and a glance at Guido Fawkes is like overhearing the outrageous tittle-tattle that changes hands at a Westminster pub of an evening, all from the comfort of your laptop. Taken with a pinch of salt, it’s illuminating stuff Photograph: Sarah Lee
@Queen_UK
No, the Queen is not on Twitter (or if she is she’s tweeting on the low). But this glorious fake account posts updates that could, one imagines, have been written by our venerable head of state. It’s success lies in the way it plays on the tantalising possibility that maybe, just maybe, beneath her prim and proper public facade, the Queen is grumpy, gin-sodden and an avid watcher of Take Me Out. Twitter lends itself to spoofing – other notable examples that have flourished on the site include @CatBinLady, @DrSamuelJohnson and @BPGlobalPR Photograph: Dan Chung
