In Bram Stoker’s gothic horror novel ‘Dracula’, Abraham Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor, a vampire hunter and Count Dracula’s arch-enemy.

To call this character an over-achiever would be an understatement. Not only is he an expert in medicines, both modern and ancient, he’s also a fountain of knowledge in religion and the supernatural. At one point, he even lets on that he has a law degree.

But as well as being a brainiac, Van Helsing is the novel’s most memorable character: he’s eccentric, he’s funny and he speaks with a distinctly Dutch accent that sets him apart from the rest of the Native-English speaking vampire-hunting crew. It’s rumoured that the character of Van Helsing was based on Stoker himself – Bram is, after all, short for Abraham.