‘The Family’
Reality TV, the docu-soap and the fly-on-the-wall documentary can all thank the BBC’s 1974 television programme ‘The…
Monster Raving Loony Party
There is a zany element in British humour, which has, naturally, crept into the supposedly serious world…
Major Tim Peake
The first Briton in space was Yorkshire-born Dr. Helen Sharman (1963-) in 1991, who spent eight days…
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, as it is more often called, is the last day before the…
Legal Aid
Since 1949 it has been possible to apply for financial help with legal costs under the Legal…
English words of Indian origin
The Oxford English Dictionary currently includes around one thousand words of Indian origin and the number continues…
Tarmac
There were three people involved in the invention of tarmac (or tarmacadam), not counting John McAdam (1756-1836)…
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea (Bobby) Moore (1941-93) was born in Essex during a German bombing raid and was to…
Robin redbreast
The little robin is the national bird of the UK and has won this status for being…
British Surnames
In the UK, surnames are passed down the generations and are the last part of a person’s…
Hockey
The team game of hockey, or ‘field hockey’, has been played in its modern form in British…
Whitsun
The seventh Sunday after Easter is known as Whit Sunday, the next day is Whit Monday and the…