’Allo ’Allo – it’s such a fuss about nothing
Widdecombe
WHAT a silly, over-thetop furore about Paul Hollywood wearing a Second World War German uniform to a fancy dress party and how wimpish of him to apologise instead of telling his critics to get a life.
’Allo, ’Allo was a hugely popular sit-com which ran for 10 years, with its catchphrases such as “Good moaning” and “listen very carefully, I shall say zees only vonce” were cheerfully bandied about by the public. As most of us will remember it was a riotous spoof about the French resistance.
In 2003 (that’s right, 14 years ago) Hollywood was invited to a new year’s eve party where the fancy dress theme was TV comedy. He and some friends decided to go as ’Allo, ’Allo. Good choice, Paul. That involved dressing up as resistance workers complete with berets and, er, German officers. Indeed when Herr Flick wore uniform it was that of an SS major, which is presumably why Paul donned the rather disturbing red arm band.
En route to the party Paul and his friends called in at a pub where a photo was taken of the group. Now more than a decade later someone who was at the pub decides he was offended and speaks anonymously about it. Grow up, chum.
IF A man swaggers into a pub on his own dressed as a Nazi, people might well take offence and the landlord would probably intervene but when he is so obviously in fancy dress depicting a well-loved comedy only a complete snowflake could find it sinister.
If instead of TV comedy the theme had been film drama and somebody had dressed up as Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer who rescued the fugitive Jew in The Pianist and who in real life helped other Jews, would anyone have objected? Yet he too wore the devil’s uniform.
Among my fancy dress ventures when I was young was an occasion when I dressed up as Nell Gwyn. I can’t remember anyone suggesting I was making a joke of loose morals. discussion. Secondly, there will be no need for industrial espionage as such conversations will be easily overheard. So will slanders and impromptu opinions.
That however is not the real problem which is simply that suggesting health is at risk because the occupation is sedentary is a gross over-simplification. My father was a civil servant who sat in an office all his life and lived to 89. He played golf at weekends. Others go to the gym. Plenty of people belong to walking groups. Many escape the office at lunchtime and stroll to the shops.
Health is not threatened by sitting in an PRINCE GEORGE looked adorable on his first day at school but he appears so serious. Sadly he will always be expected to behave immaculately but baby number three will eventually become umpteenth in line to the throne so perhaps Wills and Kate could allow him or her to behave with all the jollity of that little scamp Mia Tindall! THE police seem no further forward in their attempts to find the jogger who pushed a woman into the path of a bus. It is simply unbelievable that with so clear an image of the jogger he has not yet been identified. Oddly it is now reported that the Met have “not excluded the possibility that the jogger and victim knew each other”. Eh? That would make identification pretty simple, would it not? Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.
A SEDENTARY JOB IS NOT NECESSARILY BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH
office. It is threatened by poor diet, stress, lack of sleep and no exercise. However I am all in favour of asking staff to move around at elevenses just as children go outside during break at school. No stress of meetings, just 15 minutes of air and stretch. Why? Not to combat obesity but to stimulate the brain.