
Gary Lineker is a joke
After a lifetime of being irritated by too many public figures to name, a few years back I discovered a way to bypass this minor but persistent feature of modern life. Whenever their asinine blatherings are splashed over the media, don't read them as if they were the thoughts and utterances of reasonable – or even real people. Simply think of them as great comic creations of the type we see on screen in a 'mockumentary'. Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap, David Brent from The Office or Alan Partridge. Instantly, your irritation will melt away and you can enjoy a good old snigger instead.
This clever trick first occurred to me when my fuming at the malignant foolishness of Meghan Markle started to affect my good humour some years back. Every day, it seemed, she would be pontificating about feminism or racism and being given an international platform to do so – for no other apparent reason but that a rather dim aristo picked her.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Noel Edmunds' new series is compared to a 'mockumentary' as viewers vow to watch 'every week' - while TV star details money woes from £15million New Zealand estate
Viewers of Noel Edmunds' new ITV documentary have compared it to a 'mockumentary' after the first episode premiered on Friday night. Kiwi Adventure follows the former Deal Or No Deal star, 76, at his 800-acre New Zealand estate River Haven after making the move with his third wife Liz Davies in 2019. The new documentary sees Noel displaying his humble abode as he is filmed lying under crystal lamps and showing off his garden, which strangely features a Guardian statue. The unique touches to his estate and his antics on the show left some viewers comparing it to a 'mockumentary' as they drew parallels with The Office's David Brent. Viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their opinions, writing: 'Is this something out alan partridge', ' Noel Edmonds Kiwi Adventure is like an Alan Partridge documentary as a Bass Eye spin-off. 'I could watch this EVERY week, not just series!', 'Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure confirms that Edmonds is essentially David Brent and Alan Partridge melded into the one body, with a dash of Colin Hunt from The Fast Show', 'This is the most bizarre TV show of the year so far', 'Watching Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure on ITV. It's actually very moving. It's one of the best programmes I've ever seen.' The series opener saw Noel reveal he is actually losing money with his New Zealand-based business due to the country's unpredictable weather. His plush Kiwi estate consists of 12 properties including a pub called The Bugger, which punters don't visit during a downpour, according to Noel. He said: 'When you come to New Zealand, you change your view about your relationship between the weather and the economy. 'We're haemorrhaging money at the moment because you have to take staff on in anticipation of the guests coming. 'We're going to have to have a spectacular November and December to balance the books. Noel also admitted in the hour-long insight into his life that he cares what people think about him and wants to make his business in New Zealand work. 'I'm so committed to New Zealand that I have invested tens of millions of dollars of my hard-earned money in this country,' he shared. 'I think I would have to admit, I do actually care what people think of me. And criticism does hurt. 'I do worry about it because I'm hugely sensitive and we do want to be accepted, sure.' The release of Kiwi Adventure comes after Noel and ITV received criticism from fans for 'copying' Jeremy Clarkson's Clarkson's Farm. Noel had rivalled Clarkson's Farm after signing a £1million deal with ITV for the series. Hitting back at comparisons in an interview with The Sun, Noel said: 'When we were filming our show, some people who knew about Clarkson's Farm said to me, "Oh, is it like Clarkson's Farm?" 'And I said, "No, it couldn't be more different." First of all, I'm not like Jeremy in many ways, though I wish I were. 'He's brilliant. He can articulate an argument beautifully and deliver a sharp, humorous line like no one else. 'The key difference between our Kiwi Adventure, and Clarkson's Farm is that ours is more of a lifestyle narrative. Noel first moved to New Zealand in 2019 with former make-up artist Liz, launching a network of radio stations near Auckland before moving to Ngatimoti three years later. As well as the winery, the TV star also has a shop, restaurant, pub, and café on a £15m estate. In 2023, sparked a furious row with residents who accused him of 'colonising' their idyllic village. The Deal Or No Deal star has also added winemaking to his repertoire at River Haven. Noel settled in the Ngatimoti area and snapped up 12 properties worth almost £15m on 270 hectares of land. The town is already well-known in New Zealand for its annual festival, which generally takes place in October and is attended by thousands of people The town is already well-known in New Zealand for its annual festival, which generally takes place in October and is attended by thousands of people. In 2023, he sparked a furious row with residents who accused him of 'colonising' their idyllic village. One said: 'I feel like he's a coloniser. He's come in like he's the lord of the manor.' The television star has not helped matters by posing for photos on the estate holding a mug with the slogan 'His Lordship'. The resident added: 'He's got this attitude... about how he's improved the place and made it amazing - it was already amazing.'


Times
a day ago
- Times
Noel Edmonds is back — and it's pure Alan Partridge meets David Brent
Aah, Noel Edmonds, Noel Edmonds. Have you not all missed our cosmic pixie who once asked a man if he thought his cancer was caused by his 'negative attitude' and whose pet name for his genitals is 'Mr Happy and the Twins'? No? Fair enough; me neither. But I'll say this about Mr Light Entertainment, a man who believes you can 'ask' the universe for things, like a heavenly Evri parcel service. His comeback TV show is extraordinary. But possibly not in the way he intended. Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure confirms that Edmonds is essentially David Brent and Alan Partridge melded into the one body, with a dash of Colin Hunt from The Fast Show. He works very hard at being 'a character'. He is like a sun-kissed lion with blond highlights who is enormously pleased with himself. But who very much wants to be liked.


Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
BBC slaps ANOTHER beloved sitcom with woke trigger warnings as five episodes flagged for 'discriminatory language'
The BBC has slapped another beloved sitcom with trigger warnings as five episodes have been flagged for 'discriminatory language'. The Office, the hit mockumentary sitcom created by comedians Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, famously stars Ricky as paper company boss David Brent. Both series of the noughties programme were already labelled with a G symbol on BBC iPlayer, which flags parental guidance for younger viewers. But nearly half of the BBC series' 14 episodes, following life at Wernham Hogg's Slough office, now also carry the additional content notice. In series one, which aired in 2001, the first and last episodes - Downsize and Judgement - bear the alert. Meanwhile, a whopping half of the second series, released in 2002, has been hit with trigger warnings - episodes one, three and five, named Merger, Party and Charity. The Office, now considered one of the best British sitcoms of all time, took home a whole host of awards when it first hit our screens. It won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 2004, making it the first ever British comedy to take home a gong at the ceremony. Ricky also received the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy in the same year. Its success lead to an American spin-off version in 2005, starring Steve Carell in the equivalent of Ricky's role. The US programme ran to an impressive nine series and just over 200 episodes, ending in 2013. The British version of The Office is just the latest of a run of sitcoms and classic TV shows to be hit with trigger warnings. Only Fools and Horses was hit with various disclaimers around 'racial language', words that 'may offend' and 'dated attitudes and behaviours' earlier this year. Only two of seven series of the eighties hit show - which is available to watch on ITV and often reruns on digital channel U&Gold - did not have any episodes at all slapped with the warnings. Meanwhile, a series of episodes of the third series of Doctor Who, which had previously been declared 'missing from the archives', was also hit with a warning back in April. The lost instalments, called The Savages, which star the first ever Time Lord William Hartnell, first aired back in 1966, with an animated remake released on DVD in March. But it was put out with a string of warnings attached from the British Board of Film Classification, saying it contained 'verbal references to discrimination and the discriminatory social structure of an alien society'. Also, ITV put a notice on some episodes of beloved seventies show George And Mildred in March - saying they contain 'classic British humour from a bygone era'. The show, which ran for five series from 1976 until 1979, follows George and Mildred Roper, played by Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy, a constantly-sparring married couple. And the broadcaster was ridiculed for over-protecting its viewers, with Free Speech Union founder Toby Young saying: 'George And Mildred? Really? What's next? 'The Magic Roundabout on the grounds that viewers with hyperactivity disorder may find the character of Zebedee triggering?'