Thatcher steak and vegetables

Everyone knows the famous Spitting Image Sketch.

Thatcher having dinner with her cabinet.

WAITER
What would madam like?

THATCHER
Steak

WAITER
And the vegetables?

THATCHER
They'll have the same.

Except I've heard this repeated atleast a half dozen times by people who believe it to be true. It shows one to be a total ignoramous, Thatcher was famously for all her steel feminine and charming in person. And had no sense of humour.

In a previous job our CEO who was a total prick stated this sketch as a factual example at our annual conference. So are there any other famous sketches jokes out there masquerading as the truth?

This isn't quite the same Sooty but...

There is the oft-told tale of the Chuckle Brothers on a train, drinking like fish and effing and jeffing all over the carriage. I've heard this told as fact by two unrelated people in two different countries; both of whom claimed to have been on the train and witnessed it.

Were any BCGers on that train too?

Quote: Griff @ February 17 2011, 5:08 PM GMT

Robin Ince tells this story:

http://newhumanist.org.uk/1668/nightmare-before-christmas

"...one of her listeners had told her that their child was to be a lobster in the nativity - it was only later that we realised she was clearly referring to a scene in the film Love Actually."

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Quote: Griff @ February 17 2011, 5:08 PM GMT

Robin Ince tells this story:

http://newhumanist.org.uk/1668/nightmare-before-christmas

"...one of her listeners had told her that their child was to be a lobster in the nativity - it was only later that we realised she was clearly referring to a scene in the film Love Actually."

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Shocking and funny

Quote: Blenkinsop @ February 17 2011, 5:17 PM GMT

This isn't quite the same Sooty but...

There is the oft-told tale of the Chuckle Brothers on a train, drinking like fish and effing and jeffing all over the carriage. I've heard this told as fact by two unrelated people in two different countries; both of whom claimed to have been on the train and witnessed it.

Were any BCGers on that train too?

View original

I saw them on telly staggering all over the place, at one point one of them fell in a dish of white wash and the other was struck with a pastry (a custard tart I think?)

They were clearly quite drunk.

I was horrified.

During the petrol shortage, I heard the same story told exactly the same in several towns and cities.

The story went that a local garage owned by Asians had signs up saying 'no petrol' but they had seen or been told by someone who had seen, that when a car driven by an Asian rolled up, the Asian proprietor came out and filled his car with petrol.

It sounded like it could be true on first hearing - but 7 times later in 7 different areas I concluded it was just a good tale to tell

I suppose another classic that I have heard a few 'know-alls' tell is the one about the British sausage.

How that when the European Commission (or whoever) decided on food labeling, a sausage cannot be called a sausage unless it contains 80% meat. So our sausages are going to be called 'High fat offal tubes'

This is believed by quite a few people when in reality it was part of the programme Yes Minister.

Good spot Goodlad!

There was some ridiculous ruling on sausages a few years back. Not quite as extreme as the memorable Yes Minister line though, so it did fuel belief in that one for a while.

You know some one telling us our supermarkets are dishonestly selling us crap isn't exactly opression

I remember Ian Hislop saying that the sketch is now told by old Tory MPs as if it was a true story, when in fact it was just a sketch.

Because if I didn't who would?

Eccles cakes are not made in Eccles, they are made in gorton Manchester.

Griff you may be right, you may be right...

Quote: dellas @ April 7 2011, 8:24 PM BST

Eccles cakes are not made in Eccles, they are made in gorton Manchester.

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And they're not made by Eccles. They're made by Bluebottle.

We call 'em 'flies graveyards' !