# Omigod, I'm British! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 27, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302 "2004-04-27T16:56:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/81 "2004-04-28T14:08:12Z")
It is a common misconception that George Formby played the ukulele. He did not. He played the banjolele, which is strung the same, but has the body of a banjo. The sound is rather different. 'K, **garius**? ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/82 "2004-04-28T14:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > It is a common misconception that George Formby played the ukulele. He did not. He played the banjolele, which is strung the same, but has the body of a banjo. The sound is rather different. That’ll do nicely, dear boy. Ta muchly. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/83 "2004-04-28T14:13:30Z")
It is a common misconception that George Formby played the ukulele. He did not. He played the banjolsfgpruepgb[o d[sovnvb grhiuvdc ve “I’M MELTING!” ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/84 "2004-04-28T14:13:47Z")
> [@paulberserker](#): > > I would quite like to dig George Formby up and beat the living (?) shit out of him, stupid leaning against a lamppost buck toothed motherfucker that he was. I take it you have a case of the Chinese Laundry Blues? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/85 "2004-04-28T14:16:22Z")
Don’t forget the lower end of the social scale… [http://www.chavscum.co.uk/](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/) ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/86 "2004-04-28T14:16:29Z")
> [@](#): > > I take it you have a case of the Chinese Laundry Blues? I had to learn that, aged 9 for a school play. _To this day_ i still find myself humming it every now and again. And i still remember a good chunk of the lyrics. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/87 "2004-04-28T14:20:41Z")
I don’t understand the question. And what the _fuck_ would George Formby know about working in a Chinese Laundry. Chinese Democracy I understand. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/88 "2004-04-28T14:27:47Z")
Who can forget his wonderful “Frigid Air Fanny”. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/89 "2004-04-28T14:30:52Z")
For fuck’s sake. It’s “Tally Ho”, not “Tally Hoe”. As obliquely referred to by **Kalhoun** , but someone needs to spell it out. > [@gobear](#): > > Other items that typify Britain to this Seppo: > > Dr. Who > Terry Pratchett > Cold beans for breakfast > Strongbow cider > Shawarma kabobs > UBT milk in boxes > Irradiated produce > Derek Jarman > Patsy and Eddy > Takeaway vindaloo > Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced boo-KAY) > The spectrum of newspapers betweeen the _Sun_ and the _Times_ Well I’ll give you 5 for effort, but your focus on ridiculously stupid sitcom characters is like trying to typify the US with the cast of Friends. Hyacinth Bucket? Two-dimensional stupid cow. _Patsy and Eddy_??? Might as well pick Willie the Dog from EastEnders. If you want truly British sitcom characters, look at Simon Pegg’s character in _Spaced_. And I have to admit that I am simply confused by your inclusion of cold beans for breakfast (I have _never_ heard of this before), UBT milk (I’m assuming that is the same thing as UHT, but it’s hardly popular here) and “Irradiated produce” (such as?) But of course, the wonderful thing about any country is that you _can’t_ pin it down with a simple list. So yours will do about as well as any other. pan ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/90 "2004-04-28T14:34:52Z")
This post brought to you by **kabbes** , the Van Helsing of lazy stereotyping. Just joshing, kabbes! ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/91 "2004-04-28T14:39:35Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > This post brought to you by **kabbes** , the Van Helsing of lazy stereotyping. > Just joshing, kabbes! Hmph. That’s just a laz…y… er… Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/92 "2004-04-28T14:41:54Z")
> [@paulberserker](#): > > I don’t understand the question. And what the _fuck_ would George Formby know about working in a Chinese Laundry. > > Chinese Democracy I understand. You assume too much, young padawan. The song is about George Formby’s clothing being ruined by Mr. Wu, who’s mind is understandably not on his work after he got dumped by some bird. Apparently he’s over starch everything but won’t touch George’s waistcoat. Still, makes more sense than Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/93 "2004-04-28T14:42:36Z")
I propose that **gobear** was giving us a list of things about Britain that strike _him_ as noteworthy, unusual, or memorable. And a very personal one at that, as evidenced by his use of the words “this Seppo”. Thus his conclusions are perfectly valid. I myself would rather tear off one of my testes and feed them to the hogs than eat cold baked beans at any time, breakfast or no. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/94 "2004-04-28T14:50:15Z")
> [@kabbes](#): > > For fuck’s sake. It’s “Tally Ho”, not “Tally Hoe”. As obliquely referred to by **Kalhoun** , but someone needs to spell it out. > > Well I’ll give you 5 for effort, but your focus on ridiculously stupid sitcom characters is like trying to typify the US with the cast of Friends. Hyacinth Bucket? Two-dimensional stupid cow. _Patsy and Eddy_??? Might as well pick Willie the Dog from EastEnders. If you want truly British sitcom characters, look at Simon Pegg’s character in _Spaced_. Be grateful I didn’t point to Michael Crawford in “Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em.” > [@](#): > > And I have to admit that I am simply confused by your inclusion of cold beans for breakfast (I have _never_ heard of this before), UBT milk (I’m assuming that is the same thing as UHT, but it’s hardly popular here) and “Irradiated produce” (such as?) Hey pal, you’d better talk to the cafes around Paddington because they served me cold beans on several occasions (it came with their set breakfast menu). I mentioned UHT milk and irradiated produce as items that exist in Britain that are rare to nonexistent in the US. > [@](#): > > But of course, the wonderful thing about any country is that you _can’t_ pin it down with a simple list. So yours will do about as well as any other. Well put yet not wholly accurate. Every country has its unique foodstuffs and institutions that serve as a sort of advert for that nation. Here in the US, we have BBQ and Tex-Mex, country music and jazz, baseball and American football that are originally ours. pan [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/95 "2004-04-28T15:06:03Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > I still can’t get over that they’ve renamed Liverpool’s airport “John Lennon International” or something. Why don’t they just rename the city Beatlesville? All of which I only mention as an excuse to relate that joke on _Have I Got News For You_: the luggage handlers at John Lennon Airport have a new slogan - “imagine no possessions” 😃 That goes with the Driving Test theory question " \*where should you never park \* \*your car ?" \* . Answer " _Anywhere in Liverpool_" ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/96 "2004-04-28T15:27:11Z")
Oh, I thought they were having a pop at notoriously unreliable airline/airport luggage handling practices. Didn’t think of the stereotypically light-fingered Scousers angle. Never overanalyse comedy, though. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/97 "2004-04-28T15:42:21Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Be grateful I didn’t point to Michael Crawford in “Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em.” Ho ho fucking ho. Betty. > [@](#): > > Hey pal, you’d better talk to the cafes around Paddington because they served me cold beans on several occasions (it came with their set breakfast menu). Aha! Now I understand! I suspect that those breakfasts were not _supposed_ to come with cold beans. It is merely that the cafes were what is known locally as “shit”. 😃 > [@](#): > > Well put yet not wholly accurate. Every country has its unique foodstuffs and institutions that serve as a sort of advert for that nation. Here in the US, we have BBQ and Tex-Mex, country music and jazz, baseball and American football that are originally ours. Yarr. But I prefer an individually tailored list like yours to one featuring the same old crap ANY day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/98 "2004-04-28T15:52:49Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I propose that **gobear** was giving us a list of things about Britain that strike _him_ as noteworthy, unusual, or memorable. And a very personal one at that, as evidenced by his use of the words “this Seppo”. Thus his conclusions are perfectly valid. Thank you, **Jjimm** , and yes, those are items that say “UK” to me. > [@](#): > > Yarr. But I prefer an individually tailored list like yours to one featuring the same old crap ANY day of the week. Aw, hugs to you, too. Tell y’all what. When the hubby and I make our next peregrination to the UK (which should be either this autumn or next spring, depending on work circs), first round of lager is on me. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/99 "2004-04-28T15:55:29Z")
In case you were worried about it, there is indeed an online [George Formby Society](http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302/100 "2004-04-28T16:05:15Z")
Isn’t life strange. I was born in Yorkshire, travel on a British passport (it’s the best one on earth) and yet I am an Australian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omigod-im-british/242302.md?page=6)