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“What is so iconic about Lara Croft is the fact that she is the first female lead in a video game,” she says.
“She’s all about girl power and female empowerment. She’s at the forefront, she is what the adventure is.”
The video game launched the wider Lara Croft franchise – multiple video games, as well as blockbuster films starring Angelina Jolie and even a Netflix series expected later this year.
When Shelley first landed the job of voicing Lara, she was told to take inspiration from a certain fedora-sporting explorer.
“The direction I got in the studio was she’s a female Indiana Jones,” says Shelley.
“So she’s gutsy, sassy, similar kind of dress, similar kind of adventures – but British.
“The girls could relate to her and girls can do everything that Indiana Jones can do.”
The hungry yellow hockey-puck was pipped by Mario, who ranked second, Hitman’s Agent 47 in third, Sonic the Hedgehog at number four and Sackboy from Little Big Planet who came in fifth.
The games and franchises which created the top 20 most popular characters have collected 44 Bafta Games Awards between them over the past two decades, according to the Academy.
A spokesperson says they aren’t just loved as video game characters, but are “some of the most memorable characters of any medium”.
Shelley says while they might be “terrific fun”, it’s harder to relate to them.
“But you can be this phenomenal character of Lara,” she says.
“And what I’ve noticed over the years is how Lara has helped so many people.
“I’ve heard so many stories and that is a magical thing, which I don’t think a little yellow face eating circles – or a hedgehog – could do.
