People underestimate the power of a sexy male voice when talking about sex appeal. In fact, the only time I've ever heard the media really make mention of a man's voice in terms of sex appeal, it was that of David Beckham -- and they were saying how much of a turn-off it was. I've actually never heard him speak for more than a second or two, because I'm not into footballers, but I know it didn't change the state of my knickers.

Which brings me to the point of this article. A truly masculine voice can change the state of a woman's knickers and the men on this list have voices that can do just that. For me, anyway. Doesn't matter how old, how fat, how thin (though these men all happen to be rather studly, in my opinion); what matters is how deep, how rich, how sexy!

Note: When I started compiling this list, I wasn't harboring any particular nationality bias. Honest. Yes, I know, I'm famous for my love of the British male... but I didn't intend for this to be a solely British list; it just kind of happened!

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons is almost 60 years old, and I would let him do just about anything he wanted to me. All he has to do is ask -- cos that voice.. that sexy, velvety mix of sandpaper and sugar is really almost too much to bear. I melt instantly. Everywhere. What I wouldn't give for a 5 minute phone call with this man. Have a listen to the interview below. Video quality isn't perfect, but the voice certainly is.

Clive Owen's voice is so incredibly manly, it's ridiculous. Add to that his height, sexy broad build and rugged good looks and you have a very good reason to swoon. I was not a fan of the film Closer, but I have been known to watch his clips over and over again, just to hear him talk. His break-up scene with Julia Roberts, and the strip club scene with Natalie Portman are oh, so, my, God. You know this man has skills when it comes to pillow talk.

Alan Rickman has the most distinctive voice in Hollywood. Well, England. If you've ever seen the film Closet Land (very hard to find flick with him and Madeline Stowe) you know how stunngly studly this man can be, even when he's an evil creep.

His voice is so known, many actually call him "The Voice", and if you've seen Dogma, you'll understand why he got to play the voice of God.

Even when playing Professor Snape, his voice sends a warm tingle down my *cough* spine.

We all know I'm obsessed with Toby Stephens, right? Good. Just so long as you know how partial I am to this gorgeous Englishman. His voice is so lovely that he's really quite accomplished in radio (in addition to flim, theatre and television) and is even playing the role of Bond for a BBC radio broadcast. (Which is interesting, because Toby played villian Gustav Graves in Die Another Day.)

This clip is from his younger years, so you don't get to hear that rich depth he has in, say, Jane Eyre as Rochester. But oh, it'll do... dear God, how it will do!

(Incidentally, Matthew Macfadyen is also in this clip.)

Matthew MacFadyen has a very masculine, yet very sensitive and warm, voice. It's really an unusual combination, but there you have it. And watching him speak is almost mesmerizing. He just has this way of moving his mouth. I guess I get sidetracked wondering how he kisses. And, of course, that's as naughty as my mind gets...

Americans will recognize him from Pride & Prejudice (btw, did you know that the Europeans saw a different -- and better -- ending?) and the Brits probably already knew him from Spooks. He was fabulous in Death at a Funeral as well as other films you really ought to see.