The Saturday briefing
BEACHCOMBER 103 YEARS OLD AND STILL SHOPPING ESSENTIALLY...
Is there anything you’re yearning to know? Send your questions, on any subject, to the contacts given below, and we will do our best to answer them...
QI love Homeland on Channel 4 but what is the significance in the opening title of the girl in the lion’s mask?
AShe is the main character, Carrie Mathison, and it flashes between newsreels of actual terror attacks, implying this shapes her to become a courageous CIA agent.There are also links to the minotaur with shots of Carrie, played by Claire Danes, chasing prisoner-of-war Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis, in a labyrinth.
TV opening titles used to simply involve stars flashing smiles alongside cast and crew credits. But new technology in the 1990s saw them get more ambitious and arty, as with The Simpsons and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.They now build an atmosphere and act like a curtains-up.
Film opening titles can set the tone too – or get in the way. George Lucas didn’t want opening credits for his StarWars films, kicking off instead with, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.
But the Directors Guild of America has rules. It sued him for £200,000 for including his LucasFilm logo at the start but the director’s name at the end of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. It caused Lucas to quit the guild, meaning his future directors could not be members, which led to Welshman Richard Marquand directing Return Of
The Jedi.
QM. L. Robinson, Ringwood, Hampshire J Rhodes, Leeds ODD COUPLE: Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody in Homeland
ASir Patrick Stewart is currently exploring the universe, aged 79, in Picard on Amazon Prime. But the Star Trek actor was indeed on the cobbles, briefly playing a firefighter in one episode in 1967. He was seen boldly going into Len Fairclough’s house, which was ablaze, and telling Dennis Tanner: “Leave that alone son, we will see to that.”
With cinemas and theatres across the country shut, Sir Patrick vowed to treat fans to a Shakespeare sonnet every day and you can see him reading them in videos on social media.
QI notice that storms are given names, usually in alphabetical order. There have recently been storms Ciara, Dennis then Jorge. But have I missed the letters in between?
Vanda Mason, Harlow, Essex
HAVING spent several days barricaded into Beachcomber Towers, repelling all hoarders of toilet paper, I ventured out to the supermarket to purchase some necessities. Entering the Tesco store, I was quite pleased to find the place unusually quiet and was consequently able to gallop around filling my trolley which I took to my favourite self-checkout in record time.
I scanned the first item and that is when problems emerged. “Inessential item in the bagging area,” the machine announced. “I haven’t heard that one before,” I said. “Oh, it’s you Mr Beachcomber,” the machine said. “Sorry, I didn’t recognise you. I haven’t seen you for ages.”
AWe give storms a name for the same reason we gave Jack the Ripper a name. It gets the public’s attention and means you will be on your guard. Storms in the North Atlantic are named jointly by the UK’s Met Office and the Irish and Dutch forecasting services. Storm Abigail was the first to be named under this system in 2015.
Spain, France, Portugal and Belgium also team up to come up with their own lists of names.
Only storms that trigger an amber “be prepared” or red “take action” warning get the honour, and the first country to issue a warning gets the privilege of christening them.As far as Jorge was concerned, the Spanish agency got in first and was up to J on its list.
After Ellen, we can brace ourselves for Francis, Gerda, Hugh and Iris. But we will never have a Storm Quentin – Q, U, X,Y and Z are all ignored, in line with US hurricane-naming traditions.
QCould you please answer this strange question: which shape came first, the dessert spoon or the soup spoon? Why do we need both?
Derek Lawton, Northallerton, NorthYorkshire
APrehistoric man got to grips with the first primitive spoon, using seashells or carved bits of wood and bone to scoop food. But as food fashions and eating habits changed, the shape of the spoon evolved.
In the Tudor period, the tradition of giving a baby a spoon
“I’ve been housebound,” I said. “But what’s this about an inessential item?”
“They’ve changed my script, I’m afraid,” the machine said. “You’re only meant to be buying necessities, you know.”
I peered at the bagging area. “This is a necessity,” I said.
“My list of foods and household essentials does not include a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut champagne,” came the reply. “Anyway, I have to check that you’re over-18. Please scan your birth certificate or state your year of birth.” as a baptism gift really took hold. During that time, you would bring your own spoon to the dinner table so you could tuck in – and the showier the better.
Charles II’s restoration in 1660 brought with it table manners from France, where he had been in exile. So it became fashionable to set tables and for the host to provide fancy flatware, including “tablespoons”, which were used for soup. Settings would also have a “table fork” and a “table knife”. The dessert spoon did not show up until the 18th century.
The idea of including a separate soup spoon came in the 18th century too, but bowl shapes varied – some deeper, some pointier, others circular.
Soup spoons became smaller in the 20th century.Their large, round bowl is ideal for scooping up liquids and cooling them faster.
PLEASE SEND US YOUR INTRIGUING QUESTIONS ON ANY SUBJECT: By email:
● put “questions” in the subject line and send to kay.harrison@reachplc.com
● to Any Questions, Daily Express, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP
●
By post: Unfortunately we cannot reply individually, but we will feature the best questions on this page.
“My birth certificate is at home,” I said, “but the Beachcomber column was born in 1917 which makes me 103 years old.” “Please enter the last two digits of your year of birth into the keypad,” the machine continued, so I typed in “17”.
“You are only three years old,” the machine said with a giggle, “but I’ve known you for more than three years. So that just leaves the business about it being inessential.”
“In a crisis, equanimity cannot be preserved without the occasional dose of
Dorothy Frances Gurney (1913)
The Lord God planted a garden In the first white days of the world,
And He set there an angel warden
In a garment of light enfurled. So near to the peace of Heaven,
That the hawk might nest with the wren,
For there in the cool of the even God walked with the first of men.
And I dream that these garden-closes With their shade and their sun-flecked sod And their lilies and bowers of roses,
Were laid by the hand of God. The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth. For He broke it for us in a garden
Under the olive-trees Where the angel of strength was the warden And the soul of the world found ease.
If you can’t remember the words to a favourite verse or song from yesteryear, send us a snippet and we’ll do our best to find all the wonderful words.
Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut. It is absolutely necessary,” I replied.
“Even for a three-year-old?” the machine asked with an even louder giggle.
“Non-vintage is fine for my one-year-old grandson,” I explained, “but I hope he will have been weaned onto Ultra Brut by the time he is three. May we continue?”
“Of course,” the machine said. “Now what about this oak-smoked salmon?”
“It’s for a smoked salmon and spinach crumble,” I said. “By definition, smoked salmon is an essential ingredient for that.”
The rest of the shopping passed without incident and I bade the machine a fond adieu. These are testing times indeed.