5 TV Characters Named After Real-Life People

Television is filled with many wonderful characters, all of which are unforgettable for a number of reasons. Perhaps they wear bright clothes, or maybe they speak a certain way. Or perhaps they have a unique name. If it's the latter, then you might find that - with such a wide range of series on the air - you'll sometimes recognise the name of one of these characters from elsewhere.

Have you ever tuned into an episode of your favourite show and - when a character introduces themselves - thought "Hey, I know that name"? Well, you're not alone. In fact, this tends to happen quite often. From celebrities, actors, musicians or politicians, television characters have shared their names with some of the world's most famous people.

Whether it be a TV writers way of paying homage to one of their heroes, or a means of tricking the viewer to see if they'll pick up on the joke - or perhaps it's just a freaky coincidence - there have been plenty of fictional characters over the years that have had the same name as someone more famous.

For most of us, we associate the name Naomi Campbell with one of the world's best-known models. In addition to being a model, Campbell is also an actress - she recently appeared in popular series' Empire and American Horror Story: Hotel - which has only strengthened her notoriety. However, fans of British teen TV series Skins tend to think of someone else when they hear the name Naomi Campbell.

Like many high school dramas, Skins had a habit of repopulating its cast with a bunch of new kids every couple of years, and during its first reinvention in Series 3, one of those new characters was named Naomi Campbell.

This Naomi played a key role in several of Skins' biggest storylines at the time, and quickly became a fan favourite. It's unclear if she was named after the model or not, but the show does make reference to the real-life Campbell on occasion, which would suggest it was an intentional choice.