Trigger for a good joke
QUESTION Is Trigger’s Rodney/ Dave ongoing joke the longest in a sitcom? ONLY Fools And Horses was a sitcom, written by John Sullivan, that followed the lives of the wheeler-dealing Trotter brothers, Del Boy and Rodney.
Seven series were broadcast on the BBC from 1981 to 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials aired until 2003, a total of 64 episodes and 16 specials in a 22-year run.
One of the most prominent supporting characters was lugubrious road-sweeper Trigger (played by Roger Lloyd–Pack), so called because he looked like a horse. Throughout the series, Trigger called Rodney ‘Dave’ with no explanation other than that’s what he thought his name was.
In one episode, when discussing Rodney’s newborn with Del Boy, he famously suggested he ‘name it Rodney, after Dave’.
Given Only Fools And Horses’ epic run, there aren’t many sitcoms that could compete for the title of the show with the longestrunning joke.
However, a good candidate would be the Rob Grant and Doug Naylor’s sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf (12 series, 69 episodes).
It aired on BBC2 between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009.
The show features a series of running gags, notably Dave Lister’s untidiness, the sarcastic pronouncements of the ship’s computer Holly, and Rimmer’s ridiculously elaborate salute.
The US animation The Simpsons is another candidate. Each episode begins with the couch gag, a visual joke in the credits that has been running continuously for 621 of 622 episodes over 29 series beginning in 1989.
It first appeared in the second episode, Bart The Genius. When the family sits on the couch, Bart is squeezed off and pops up into the air. During the shot of the TV set after the couch shot, Bart is seen falling back in front of the television.
Len Wilson, Nottingham. QUESTION What is the average height of men and women in Ireland? THESE days, the average height for Irish men is 5ft 10in (179cm), while for Irish women, the average height is 5ft 5in (165cm). Those figures have increased dramatically in just over a century. In 1914, the average heights were just over 5ft 5in (166cm) for men, and 5ft (152cm) for women.
In the years between 1914 and 1934, the average man’s height increased to 5ft 6in (169cm).
Fast forward another 20 years, and the average male height had hit 5ft 8in (172cm); by 1974, the average figure was 5ft 9in (175cm). Over the same period, women’s heights also increased, but at a slower rate.
During the 1970s, the increases in people’s height started to become apparent and have continued ever since.
Genetics go some way to explaining these increases but the main reason why people’s heights have increased so much in Ireland over the past 40 years has been down to better nutrition, healthcare and sanitation. Living conditions for most people in Ireland have improved immeasurably during the past four decades and, accordingly, we’ve all gone up on the height scale.
Nowadays, Irish men are, on average, 4.7in (12cm) taller than they were in 1914, while Irish women are 4.3in (11cm) taller. Today, it’s common for young women to be 6ft (183cm) tall.
But recently published research showing average height trends in 200 countries in the years between 1886 and 1996 shows that we are still far from the top.
Dutch men are the tallest in the world, at 6ft (183 cm) on average, while Latvian women are the tallest anywhere, on average 5ft 7in (170cm). Out of 200 countries, Irish men come in at 20th place, while Irish women are in 24th place. In Ireland, the consistent trend has been upwards, even though these days, increased heights are matched by greatly increased obesity.
The tallest Irishman ever recorded was Patrick Cotter O’Brien, from Kinsale, Co. Cork, who lived from 1760 to 1806. Patrick Cotter was his real name and he added the O’Brien as a stage name, as he made his living by making public appearances to show off his extraordinary height, 8ft 1in (246cm).
Mary Murphy was the tallest Irishwoman ever recorded. Her exact dates aren’t known, but she did public performances around 1700. She came from Portrush in Co. Antrim and clocked in at 7ft (213cm). She once entertained King William III and his Queen by dancing an Irish jig and singing an Irish song. For her troubles, she was paid one guinea.
Eventually, she married a French sea captain who had happened to put into Portrush and he abandoned his sea-going career to become her manager. Her last known public appearance was as a fairground attraction near Paris; at that stage, her husband had left her and she was destitute.
In recent years, the tallest man in Ireland has been Shaun Asbitt, who lives in Greystones, Co. Wicklow. He is 7ft 3.5in (221cm) tall. He founded the Irish Tall Persons Club, becoming its president. Great height runs in his family as his brother is 6ft 5in (195cm) tall.
Even though the average height of men and women in Ireland has increased so much, it still has a way to go before matching those lofty elevations.
John Mooney, Wicklow. QUESTION What is the oldest manmade satellite still in orbit? VANGUARD 1 is the oldest satellite still orbiting the Earth.
It was designed to test the launch capabilities of a threestage launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It was also used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis.
Vanguard 1 was launched on March 17, 1958, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the fourth artificial Earth orbital satellite launched (after Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2 and Explorer 1) and the first to use solar cell power.
It may be considered the oldest operational satellite, as its solar panels are still functioning, but it no longer performs any duties.
The oldest still-operational satellite is a low-budget amateur radio satellite, Amsat-Oscar 7.
Launched on November 15, 1974, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the US, Oscar 7 has operational transponders which allow communication over distances of up to 9,000km. While its batteries are dead, the solar cells are functioning, so it can be contacted during sunlight. Simon Dann, Nuneaton, Warks.
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