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Michael McIntyre is a very popular English comedian. In his earlier life, McIntyre attended Edinburgh University, where he later dropped out to pursue a career in script writing. 

As well as being a stand up comedian, he has made many TV appearances,  been part of many different comedy programmes such as Live At The Apollo and The  Royal Variety Show (where he made his big break and was the youngest ever host!) As well, he has been part of several comedy panel show appearances such as Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night, Mock the week and 8 out of 10 cats. McIntryre has also released two stand up comedy DVDs “Live and Laughing” which was the fastest selling début stand-up DVD ever and “Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley” which was the fastest selling stand-up DVD in UK chart history. A man of many talents, McIntyre was also a host on the fifth series of Britain’s Got Talent in April 2011, where he didn’t fail to provide Great Britain with great entertainment! McIntyre’s 2012 tour included 71 Arena dates, with an audience to over 700, 000 people. Completing a record breaking 10 nights at the 02 Arena in London. 

McIntyre’s performances haven’t been all full of laughs, on stage in Wolverhampton in 2008, as he was running back on stage for his encore, he tripped and dislocated his shoulder. The audience thought this was part of his act and found it very humorous, little did they know, this was not on the script! Ouch! 

 

Image credit:  nickstone333

Maintaining a ‘stiff upper lip’ is a saying that has been used to describe British people for years. It is used to portray someone who has a great self-restraint to show little or no emotion and is similar to keeping a straight face! The phrase dates back to the 1800’s, and came from a persons top lip starting to tremble when they get emotional – hence where the stiff upper lip phrase came from (although it is quite hard to do!)

After WW2 and also the death of Diana, hundreds of people mourned in the street, this is when many people have said came the end of the stiff upper lip. These days it is common to see people expressing emotion in public, from footballers crying on the pitch to a couple kissing in the street, it is becoming more and more common.

So whether you are not fazed by crying in public or would rather keep your cards close to your chest, the stiff upper lip is a distinctly British characteristic.

 

 

 

Image Credit: just.my.photography2008

Two peanuts walk into a rather rough bar, not looking for any trouble. Unfortunately, one was a salted.

 

 

Image credit: EuroMagic

Today we celebrate 52 years of Coronation Street, and life on the cobbles is still as gripping as it was in 1960. Set in the fictional area of Weatherfield, Greater Manchester, the worlds longest running soap opera continues to grip the nation five times a week.

Famous Corrie landmarks include Underworld, Audrey’s Salon, The Kabin and of course The Rovers Return, home of Bettys famous hotpot. The much loved Lancashire dish is one of the great symbols of the Street and still remains a firm lunch hour favourite of the factory girls and others alike.

Forever creating new thrilling storylines, there really isn’t much left that the soap hasn’t tackled. From kidnap to killers, tram crashes to troubled teens, the Street has seen it all.

A combination of wonderfully written plots and cleverly created characters has most definitely earned the show a place in the Great British TV hall of fame and a proud place in the nations heart.

 

 

Image credit: jayneandd

Educating children about ‘adult’ topics is a very difficult bridge to cross. Divorce, depression and desertion and all themes of Jacqueline Wilson’s books that are so well known and loved by children of many ages all over the nation. Teaching children about sensitive topics in such a creative and interesting way, Wilson has helped many children to understand things that they could not normally comprehend.

With a gifted ability to relate and reach out to her young audience, Wilson has wrote many great books and is possibly most well known for the story of Tracy Beaker which was developed into a smash hit CBBC series.

Dame Wilson was once the most borrowed author from Britain’s libraries, a prestigious award that she held for four consecutive years.

Now teaching literature and creative writing at Roehampton University, she continues to help, inspire and educate the younger generation who admire her so greatly.

She tackled important issues through her writing and continued to do so even though she was criticised by many. For her support and hard work over the last 25 years we thank her and are truly proud that she is a Great British author.

 

Image credit:  Paul Lowry

There is only one place in the world where you will ever be lucky enough to come across The Queen, Rihanna, Charles Dickens and E.T. all under one roof. Yes, that’s right, Madame Tussauds!

A magical menagerie of waxworks, Madame Tussauds encompasses the past, the present, the good, the bad and the evil all under one roof in a wonderful waxy form.

Tourists from all over the world come to visit the original museum situated in North West London which has been displaying wax works of the famous (and the infamous) for over 200 years. Sheer curiosity continues to drive visitors through the doors and many flock to get photos with a waxy version of their favourite celeb. It gives everyone a chance to get as close to the stars as they probably will in their lifetime, even if the star is made purely out of plastic.

Madame Tussaud developed her world famous collection from humble beginnings, spending 33 years travelling around Europe before settling in London and creating the collection we all know and love today. Ever since then, fascination with the wax works has grown, and expanded worldwide with museums now in the cities of Amsterdam, Berlin, Hollywood, Shanghai and Sydney to name but a few.

However, it is still the original London museum that is known and loved by so many. The slightly bizarre but beautifully brilliant museum continues to sell out every single day making us very proud of this wonderful British attraction.

 

Image credit: cliff1066â„¢