A British response to ‘Dinner for One’

Last Friday a German student of ours brought up the topic of ‘Dinner For One’ during our weekly students’ lunch. Initially I wondered whether he was asking our opinion on eating out alone but after a few moments a vague memory of this black and white short film came to mind.

If you mention ‘Dinner For One’ to most Brits, they are unlikely to know what you are talking about unless they happen to have spent some time in a German-speaking country or perhaps in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe where the film is also popular. The reason for this is that despite being originally written by a British author and the dialogue being entirely in English, ‘Dinner For One’ has not been aired on British TV for over 30 years and as such is not the New Years Eve staple here that it has come to be in other countries.

Also known as ‘The 90th Birthday’, or by its corresponding German title, ‘Der 90. Geburtstag’, ‘Dinner for One’ is a two-hander comedy sketch written by British author Lauri Wylie for the theatre in the 1920s. German television station Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) later recorded an 18 minute-long performance of the piece in 1963 which went on to become one of the most frequently repeated TV programmes of all time. It has become somewhat of an institution in Germany with as much as half of the population tuning in to watch it every New Years Eve.

The film features a 90-year old upper-class Englishwoman, Miss Sophie, who is enjoying a celebratory birthday meal with 4 imaginary (presumably deceased) friends, following "the same procedure as every year" (the film's catchphrase). Meanwhile the butler serving the meal takes it upon himself to keep up the charade, consuming the 4 friends’ drinks as they toast Miss Sophie's birthday and becoming increasingly drunk with every course. The main source of hilarity is a tiger-skin rug with a large head which the butler trips over each time he goes to fetch the next course.

Now, I don’t mean to be a party pooper but from a British point of view, I can't say I'm convinced that this is the best we have to offer by means of comedy. In fact I find its popularity rather mystifying. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself by clicking the image below! 

10 buildings that changed the face of England

The head of English Heritage, Dr Simon Thurley, chooses his top ten most important buildings in England’s architectural history.

1. Westminster Abbey (c.960)

Coronation church and mausoleum of kings and queens since the 960s, it was here that Edward the Confessor developed the style known as Norman and Henry VIII started a gothic refurbishment which took nearly 3 centuries to complete.

2. Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire (1147-67)

England’s most beautiful ruin, built in a remote valley by Cistercian monks and one of the first built in the gothic style with pointed arches.

3. King’s Bench Walk, Temple, London (1677)

A prime example of a new type of house developed in James I’s London, first known as a “row house” and later a terrace. This housing style became the backbone of the city after the Great Fire of London.

4. The Peckwater Quadrangle, Christ Church, Oxford (1707)

Designed by Dean Aldrich, this courtyard was built to house rich undergraduates in a style rigorously faithful to ancient Roman buildings. The style was taken up by the circle of the royal court and was adopted for houses, public buildings and churches everywhere.

5. Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury (1797)

The world’s first incombustible iron-framed building and ancestor to every large building with a steel frame today, from supermarkets to skyscrapers.

6. A&G Murray Mills, Ancoats, Manchester (1801)

A&G Murray’s mills were the first in which manufacturing processes were all powered by steam and look, at a distance, like a Georgian street, but behind the iron casements, they drove the largest economy the world had ever seen.

7. Liverpool Road Railway Station, Manchester (1830)

The world’s first passenger railway station is a modest but reassuring-looking building. By blending Avant-garde engineering with reassuringly familiar architectural styles, architects managed to create an atmosphere of confidence.

8. No 6 Slip, Chatham Historic Dockyard (1847)

Naval engineers pushed the limits of technology to build and equip the Navy, and one of the most important advances was the construction of massive free-standing iron sheds called “slips”, under which ships were built. These were the first wide-spanned metal structures in the world.

9. All Saints, Margaret Street, London (1849)

It was here that architecture and engineering first fused to create a new language for the Victorian era. William Butterfield saw the possibilities of coloured and engineered brick for making modern buildings that were both decorative and functional.

10. Bedford Park, London (from 1877)

This mix of brick-built semi-detached and detached Victorian houses in wide streets with deep gardens became the aspiration of millions. Such suburbs, and cheaper imitations of them, were built all over England from the 1880s.

For the full article and pictures, visit:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/architecture/10549001/englands-best-buildings-top-ten-best-buildings-britain-english-heritage-simon-thurley-westminster-abbey.html

Top of the Tweets 2013

Social media giant Twitter recently revealed the most tweeted topics of 2013 after analysing the Twitter habits of 15 million active users in the UK.

Sporting events were found to have caused 7 of the top 10 Twitter moments of the year with Manchester United’s defeat by Real Madrid provoking the biggest Twitter reaction as the club was knocked out of the champions league. Narrowly beaten by the predictable rush of New Year tweets, Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon victory also made it into the top 3 as Britons shared their joy and disbelief at the first British singles win in 77 years.

Celebrity deaths also featured heavily in the national debate with British users commemorating the passing of former poet laureate Seamus Heaney, author Iain Banks, Lady Thatcher and James Gandolfini, best known for his leading role in the Sopranos. The recent death of former South African president Nelson Mandela also caused an outbreak of tweets around the world.

Worldwide the most popular and retweeted message of the year went to Glee actor Lea Michele, thanking fans for their support over the death of her co-star Cory Monteith with 408,000 retweets. Fast and Furious star Paul Walker's shock death followed closely with 400,000 retweets.

Other popular tweet topics included the birth of Prince George in July and those by the boy band One Direction who claimed the prize for the most retweets globally. 

For the full article, visit http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/11/one-direction-top-tweeted-topics

Will the Americans soon be speaking British English?

Ginger, sell-by date, go missing and chat up are all 'Britishisms' that are increasingly being used in conversation by the Americans. While some argue that for non-British people to use these terms sounds completely absurd, there are a growing number of American citizens that are embracing this trend. Click on the graph below to see more examples of these 'Britishisms'.




'Kory Stamper, Associate Editor for Merriam-Webster, whose dictionaries are used by many American publishers and news organisations, agrees that more and more British words are entering the American vocabulary.

She sees this as clearly tied to the publication in the US of the first Harry Potter book. Dozens of words and phrases were changed for the American market, but ginger slipped through, as did snog (meaning "to kiss amorously") - though that has not proved so popular.

We are not seeing a radical change to the American language, says Jesse Sheidlower, American editor at large of the Oxford English Dictionary - rather a "very small, but noticeable" trend.

Bill Kretzschmar, professor of English at the University of Georgia, makes a similar point - that while the spike in use of some British terms may look dramatic, it is often because they are rising from a very low base. Most are used "very infrequently", he says.

And it is not so much the masses who use these terms, says Geoffrey Nunberg, as the educated elite. Journalists and other media types, like advertising agencies, are the worst offenders, in his view'

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19670686

The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Carols

No Christmas celebration would be complete without the opportunity to belt out a few carols and this is exactly what the students at OISE Oxford will be doing this evening at Merton College’s Christmas Carol Service. If you are from abroad you may be unfamiliar with these seasonal songs, however anyone who has grown up in the UK will have had these tunes drilled into them from a young age. Why not take a look (and a listen!) at the nation’s most popular carols, as voted by listeners of the radio station Classic FM in 2012.

1. O Holy Night (Click to listen)

2. Silent Night

3. In the Bleak Mid-Winter - Gustav Holst 

4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

5. In the Bleak Mid-Winter - Harold Darke

6. O Come All Ye Faithful

7. O Little Town of Bethlehem

8. Away in a Manger

9. Joy to the World

10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

There’s still a chance to vote for this year’s favourite! Go to http://www.classicfm.com/discover/collections/christmas-music/nations-favourite-carol/ to register your vote.

HMS Defiant - the making of a movie

When my father was approached to help sail the two sailing ships which were to be used in the making of HMS Defiant (or 'Damn the Defiant' as the Americans have it) I was at school in Kent, grappling with 'A 'Levels. Luckily the bulk of the filming was due to take place in the summer holidays, and my brother, sister and I were able to join our parents for a month on location in Denia, at that time a small, rather poor fishing village on the Mediterranean coast of Franco's Spain, where the crew - both ship's and film - were gathering. 

HMS Defiant was a frigate in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars, and the story takes place in 1798, culminating in the Nore Mutiny. My brother and I were signed on as ordinary seamen, but as we were bound to appear on screen along with the extras, we were both made up as late 18th century naval ratings, with wigs and somewhat baggy trousers.  Even my 16 year old sister got a part: as a 'loose woman of the town',  she and a few other lovelies got rowed ashore in Portsmouth (actually Denia) just before we set sail to join the fleet.

Denia is on a promontory and sticks out into the western Mediterranean. This was ideal for the film company as they were able to shoot what were supposed to be deep-sea scenes quite close to shore. Time was money, though and we had to be on board before 7am in order to use all daylight hours. That didn't apply to the three stars: Alec Guinness (in command), Dirk Bogarde (No 2) and Anthony Quayle (seaman, the leader of the mutiny) were whisked aboard by fast launch only when they were needed. The food on board was pretty good as I recall, but to drink we had the choice only between cold beer and coke. I've disliked coke ever since, having poured it down under the hot Spanish sun to keep cool.

I appear a few times. When the film first came out, a careful perusal disclosed about 6 rather fleeting appearances, but in recent viewings I've managed to see myself only twice. Once I'm coming down the rigging following the order "All hands on deck to witness punishment", and the second is where I am steering the 'Defiant' when a mutineer taps me on the shoulder and whispers "All set for 6 bells" (or something on those lines). Not being in Equity (the actors' union) I don't speak but merely nod in reply. Actually all dialogue had to added in the studio as the noise of the generators driving the floodlights drowned out most speech on board.

Was it thrilling being near the stars? For me, not particularly. Alec and Dirk behaved like the officers they were portraying, and rarely strayed from the quarterdeck.  Quayle was a little more approachable, perhaps because he played an ordinary sailor like us, but even he, although an active man who sometimes canoed out to the ship, was not allowed to go aloft in case he fell (shades of 'The Guns of Navarone'). I did once play chess with the young man playing the midshipman, but I can't even remember the actor's name  - I don't think he ever became famous.

But if you asked me if I'd do it again, I would say, despite the heat and the constant hanging about, definitely a maybe; after all, all these years later people still ask me about what it was like just being there.

If you want to see 'HMS Defiant' just wait for the Christmas TV schedule. It's surprising how often it gets reshown.

by Kit Villiers

Happy Apple Day!

There is no denying that the British love their apples, so much so that an annual festival is held in their honour. And what better excuse to gorge yourself on some of the 2300 varieties of apple grown in the UK? The apple is a hugely versatile fruit and is the perfect addition to any lunchbox or fruit bowl. Whether blended into juices, tossed into a crumble or reduced to a sumptuous sauce for meats, apples feature heavily in British cuisine.

Since 21st October 1990 when the first Apple Day celebrations were held in Covent Garden, London, orchards all over the country have opened their doors for apple tastings, scrumping, bobbing and competitions and this year has been no different. But whilst many of the Apple Day celebrations have now been and gone, here are 6 of the Best British apple varieties you may like to try during your time in the UK:

Cox
Considered by some to be the quintessential English apple, these little beauties have delicate skins, a crisp texture and a subtle flavour.

Egremont Russet
This sweet apple has a rough greenish-brown skin and a slightly nutty flavour.

Worcester Pearmain
An early English variety with coarse, white flesh, this apple is crisp, juicy and aromatic with a strawberry-like flavour.

Braeburn
My personal favourite, the Braeburn was first raised in New Zealand before being grown in the UK since the 1990s and in my opinion it is everything an apple should be - crunchy, sweet and tangy!

Gala
Also originally from New Zealand, this is now the largest single variety of eating apple produced in England. Gala apples are sweet and juicy with an attractive red striped skin.

Bramley
Perfect for any crumble, the Bramley is the most popular cooking apple in England and Wales and has a sharp flavour which holds its own when cooked.

Click here for a delicious Apple Crumble Recipe - the much-loved British dessert.

Source: www.englishapplesandpears.co.uk

Very British Problems

The British are renowned for being non-confrontational, easily embarrassed and overly preoccupied with manners. It is because of these cultural quirks that journalist Rob Temple began regularly posting on Twitter under the name @SoVeryBritish to share some of these amusing tales of social awkwardness and embarrassment. He now has over half a million followers which is a testament to how many people empathise with his sentiments.

Take a look at some of the scenarios he mentions below from his new book 'Very British Problems' . If you can relate to most or all of these, you are well on your way to being 'So very British'.

• Sounding sarcastic no matter how many ways you say, “That sounds great”
• Waiting for permission to leave after paying for something with the exact change
• Feeling you must press the train door button within a millisecond of illumination or be judged an amateur
• Being flabbergasted at how many people add milk at the wrong stage of the tea-making process
• Greeting a friend in the supermarket, then creeping around to avoid seeing them again
• Wondering whether to hurl yourself through a window when someone sits next to you on an empty bus
• Feeling your life lacks excitement, so dunking your biscuit for an irresponsibly long time
• The anxious bewilderment when clocking the stranger deciding to join the queue at your side rather than behind you
• Looking away so violently as someone nearby enters their PIN that you accidentally dislocate your neck
• Saying, “It’s nothing, really,” to indicate you’re remarkably close to losing consciousness
• Not wishing to tell someone they’ve misheard you, so simply soldiering into a completely different topic of conversation
• Saying “left” and “right” at random, rather than admit to the optician that all the lenses seem identical

Click here to read the full article in the Telegraph Online

Horses at the ready, it's The Grand National!

Imperial Commander

What A Friend

Weird Al

Quel Esprit

Big Fella Thanks

Seabass

Roberto Goldback

These are the names of some of the horses that will be racing this Saturday in the Grand National. 'The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over 4 miles 3½ furlongs (7,200m) with horses jumping 30 fences over two circuits.'[1]

'There are 16 different jumps, known as fences, on the National Course. All 16 are jumped during the first lap but on the second lap of the circuit the horses only jump 14 of them.

One of the most popular fences is called The Chair - it's the tallest on the course and the ground on the landing side is higher than the side the horses take off from. There's also a ditch horses have to jump over before the fence.'[2]

With over 600 million people watching on TV and 150,000 people attending, this is one of the world's greatest horse racing events. 'Channel 4 will screen all terrestrial racing for ‘at least the next four years’ from 2013 in a deal understood to be worth more than £20million.' [3]

So why not tune in and enjoy this quintessentially British spectacle!

Sources: BBC, Guardian and the Daily Mail

Valentine's Day - How the British Celebrate this Romantic Day

The British are known for having stiff upper lips, but if you search deep enough, almost all of us have a loving, caring and romantic side. You may have to search for quite a long time in some cases, but do not lose faith, sooner or later you will find the oh so tender warmth beneath.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a day when the British public, of all ages, openly display their romantic side. Children write anonymous love letters to each other confessing their unrequited love, and adults buy their starry-eyed partners gifts and (depending on their budget) take them out for meals, too.

Some of the less romantic types see Valentine's Day as a perfect opportunity to earn some brownie points. Buy your partner a rose, take them out for a meal, and the chances of going out with your friends that weekend are significantly increased.

How do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Why not make your loved one a romantic meal at home? Click on the image below to see some Valentine's Day recipes.

150 Years of Tube Action

Bakerloo, Central , Picadilly, Northern and District Line. If you've been to London, you are sure to have traveled on a train that passes through these iconic London Underground stations. This year marked the London Underground's incredible 150 year anniversary!

"Huge influence abroad"

Not only was the tube a great success in Great Britain, but it also influenced how many other underground train networks were constructed and operated around the world.

'The first subway system was proposed for London by Charles Pearson, a city solicitor, as part of a city-improvement plan shortly after the opening of the Thames Tunnel in 1843.'

'Many other cities followed London’s lead. In Budapest, a 2.5-mile (4-kilometre) electric subway was opened in 1896, using single cars with trolley poles. [...] 'In Paris, the Métro (Chemin de Fer Métropolitain de Paris) was started in 1898, and the first 6.25 miles (10 km) were opened in 1900. [...] 'In the United States the first practical subway line was constructed in Boston between 1895 and 1897. It was 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and at first used trolley streetcars, or tramcars. Later, Boston acquired conventional subway trains. New York City opened the first section of what was to become the largest system in the world on Oct. 27, 1904. In Philadelphia, a subway system was opened in 1907, and Chicago’s system opened in 1943. Moscow constructed its original system in the 1930s. In Canada, Toronto opened a subway in 1954; a second system was constructed in Montreal during the 1960s using Paris-type rubber-tired cars.'

So, next time you are on the London underground, take a minute or two to breath in its historical significance, and, please enjoy the ride!

Source: www.britannica.com