Obsessively bovvered
The week's trivia round-up
How have you possibly survived the past seven days without knowing these vital facts?- When young, Catherine Tate suffered from an obsessive disorder connected with word association. For example, when she went to bed she dare not leave her jumper on the floor because her mother’s name, Josephine, began with the same letter.
- And, talking of Tate, not only has she inspired millions of annoying schoolkids to mindlessly parrot ‘Am I bovvered’ – but she’s also inspired George Michael, too. The singer has put his renewed concert success down to one thing - his love of the comedian. He said: ‘I watch her show to warm me up. I love it.’
- Chris Rock’s not only a comic, he can see also into the future – as this 1997 sketch, featuring prediction of the OJ Simpson If I Did It controversy, proves.
- The Office star Lucy Davis is to marry actor Owain Yeoman at St Paul’s Cathedral tomorrow. She got permission to use the venue because her dad Jasper Carrott has an OBE.
- Comic character Count Arthur Strong has become so famous he has turned on Christmas lights in Brighton this week. Not the main ones, mind, just a string of 18 fairy lights at Brampton Butcher's.
- Ian Hislop thinks Ricky Gervais is ‘a bit thin-skinned,’ after reacting badly to a bad review of his stand-up show the Private Eye editor gave him on Newsnight Review. Hislop says: ‘It wasn’t very good. He’s done a lot of things that are very good but that wasn’t one of them. He’s had a lot of people fawning over him so to get stroppy at the least criticism was a bit weedy.’
- Confession time. Last week, we reported rather incredulously, that IMDB said Michael Palin had appeared as a surfer in Australian soap Home And Away, even though he was in his mid-50s at the time. We might have been dubious, but plenty of readers have told us it is actually true – and what’s more, the appearance, below, is on YouTube to prove it. Thanks to everyone who emailed us.
- According to insiders at the Royal Variety show, Ken Dodd smelt strongly of TCP.
SOURCES: Sunday Times, Contactmusic.com, You Tube, The Sun, Brighton Argus, Metro online, Several dozen Chortle readers, Popbitch
Published: 8 Dec 2006
