Media types: Image

If exploring the universe and space in a TARDIS sounds familiar to you, then so will the planet Gallifrey, the Daleks and the Cybermen. Fighting aliens and travelling in a time machine disguised as a police telephone box play big parts in the British science fiction television programme – Doctor Who.

The love for the quirky Doctor and his travels is obvious with numerous books, magazines and websites devoted to the programme. The memorabilia on offer to fans spreads wider than this with board games, branded cookie jars, inflatable Daleks and even Doctor Who toothbrushes.

Since the first television appearance on the 23^rd of November 1963, Doctor Who has won the nations hearts and also numerous awards! Including the 2006 British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series; it is also listed in the Guinness World Records for the longest sci-fi TV programme in the world.

Although it is was first intended as a educational programme, Doctor Who has proved to be much more than that and over the years has become popular with children and adults alike, resulting in it becoming a popular household name.

 

Image credit: puuikibeach

“Sometimes you need to transport your idea to an empty landscape and then populate it with fantastic looking people.” – A famous quote by Dame Vivienne Westwood.

As a girl Vivienne could never imagine how as a working class citizen she would be able to make a living in the world of art, we thank her for not giving up and creating world class fashion that will be adored for years to come. Whilst married to her second husband, Malcolm, they opened a boutique at 430 King’s road, which is still to this day open and selling Vivienne Westwood label clothing.

When Malcolm became manager of the Sex Pistols, the pair even designed and made clothes for the band to wear, which resulted in the attention on the brand increasing massively.

Westwood’s designs incorporate traditional British styles cleverly mixed with her Punk roots, making it classic yet daring, combining tartan fabrics with safety pins and bondage style gear. The iconic logo, which is said to be regal inspired by the British Crown Jewels with the planet like ring adding an essence of punk, is so unique it is recognised all over the world.

At the age of 71, Vivienne Westwood is a mother, a Dame, a feisty businesswoman, a wife and most importantly a national treasure.

 

Image credit: kaex0r

Bonfire night, a night dedicated to hot chocolate, gloves, sparklers, a massive fire and (of course) FIREWORKS! However there is more to it than just celebrations and attempting to keep warm and dry, it is actually associated with Guy Fawkes Night.

The history of the day began 407 years ago and is still being celebrated across the country to this day. It all started with the ‘Gunpowder Plot’, a conspiracy to blow up the House of Lords and kill the King, however the assassination didn’t all go as well as they had hoped. Guy Fawkes was arrested whilst guarding the 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords.

The day was a celebration of the fact King James I had survived the explosion and it had been stopped in time. To celebrate people lit bonfires around London, and this is how the vastly enjoyed Bonfire Night came along.

 

 

Image credit: Mr Empey

A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says “ugh, that’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen!” The woman walks to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to the man next to her: “The driver just insulted me!” The man says: “You go up there and tell him off. Go on, I’ll hold your monkey for you.”

 

 

Image credit: Lisa Ann Rogers

Over the years, our TVs have been taken over by numerous talent shows, where ordinary people become wannabe singers, eccentric actors and passionate dance groups and all battle to be crowned the winner. In fact, it is hard to imagine our jam packed TV schedules without them. The use of talent shows as a spring board into stardom has increased, with the variety of programmes expanding to cookery, singing, dancing and even dating!

With auditions providing hours of humorous entertainment, whether it be the bickering between judges, the audience’s panto like reactions or the contestants out of tune wailing. It all adds to the entertainment factor these programmes provide. However, it’s not just laughter these programmes provoke; we have seen numerous people (Susan Boyle) and animals (Pudsey the dog!) win the nations hearts over the years, making us cry, sing along, clap with enthusiasm, even pick up the phone and vote!

From Britain’s Got Talent to The Voice to Top Model, each with thousands, sometimes even millions of viewers, we as a nation enjoy watching people achieving their dreams and following them in their journey to success, knowing we all had a small part in it.

 

Image credit: Banalities

Sleeping and living in a caravan for a week or two can be classed as a favourite British pastime. The tiny plank like beds, the cramped bathrooms and the basic appliances are just some of the reasons we hate to love caravan holidays.

Caravan holidays have always been a popular and cheap holiday in Britain, whether you own your own one room trailer and are able to travel the country or you hire a luxury 5* caravan in Wales, the novelty of staying in one is all the same.

Caravans can be traced back to travelling Romani people and also showmen who used to spend the majority of their time in horse drawn trailers travelling around the world. The lifestyle of travelling at your own leisure and pace soon caught on and the world’s first leisure trailer was built in 1880. It was made for Dr. Gordon-Stables and built by the Bristol Carriage Company, it was named ‘Wanderer’ by the Doctor himself. Since then the design and variety of travel homes has changed dramatically, the choice is endless, from ‘double-decker’ to ‘teardrop’ trailers.

The UK’s economy has flourished thanks to the everlasting fondness of houses on wheels; in fact the industry is now worth over £1billion. Many childhood memories have been made due to holidaying in Britain and there will be many more in the future.

 

Image credit: Michal Fabry