Have most people in your country ever heard of... (theater, celebrity)

[Kangaroofarmer]

I'm quite familiar with the Tintin and Asterix books and movies, and also enjoyed the Vicky the Viking cartoon when I was younger (never read the books though).

I like Monty Python, But was always more of a fan of The Goodies.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Kangaroofarmer

I'm quite familiar with the Tintin and Asterix books and movies, and also enjoyed the Vicky the Vicking cartoon when I was younger (never read the books though).

I like Monty Python, But was always more of a fan of The Goodies.

Never heard of The Goodies. I do know the Two Ronnies, but once again this is because of my time spent living outside of Quebec. I may be wrong but I would suspect that many Canadians from the anglo areas of the country would know the Two Ronnies.

Just thinking about British stuff, Mr. Bean would probably be a household name in Quebec. And the movie The Full Monty would also be pretty close to being universally recognized here.

[Geggo]

1. Yes.
2. Yes.

Not known by the name of Tintin. It was Tim und Struppi in Germany.

Don't remember if I liked it or not though. We all read Asterix...

[BigSwede]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I thought everyone knew Monty Python...

I wonder how many classic British comedies Americans are familiar with...

Too many to name,


Blackadder
Fawlty Towers
Dad's Army
Are You Being Served
The Young Ones
Peep Show
The Mighty Boosh
The I.T. Crowd
Black Books
Absolutely Fabulous
The Vicar of Dibley

etc

If not they are really missing out...

The Young Ones were great!
I like everything by th Comic Strip.
I have only seen a few episodes of The Vicar Of Dibley, but I liked them too.

[TCAS007]

Originally Posted by Acajack

OK, I've been wanting to start this thread for a while.

It's about what could be called our cultural blind spots.

So, I'll start with a timely one.

Tintin - Belgian comic strip character, now featured in a big Hollywood movie.

So, people, had you ever heard of Tintin *before" Spielberg decided to make a movie about him?

And secondly, would you say most people in your country had heard of Tintin? Was he a household name?

I will provide other examples of (perceived) cultural blind spots as well and hopefully others will too.

Yes I did. I read all of the books as a kid and still have the collection. The ones I have are from the 50's to 80's.

[CairoCanadian]

I was aware of Tintin, but never really enjoyed it. Asterix I knew and enjoyed a great deal as young child.

Everyone in Canada knows Monty Python.

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I thought everyone knew Monty Python...

I wonder how many classic British comedies Americans are familiar with...

Blackadder
Fawlty Towers
Dad's Army
Are You Being Served
The Young Ones
Peep Show
The Mighty Boosh
The I.T. Crowd
Black Books
Absolutely Fabulous
The Vicar of Dibley

Canadian here, familiar with the ones I bolded. I'll also add:

Keeping Up Appearances
Red Dwarf
Smack The Pony
Waiting For God

I'm not sure if Father Ted counts as British ( not Britain, but British Isles ).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by CairoCanadian

Canadian here, familiar with the ones I bolded. I'll also add:

Keeping Up Appearances
Red Dwarf
Smack The Pony
Waiting For God

I'm not sure if Father Ted counts as British ( not Britain, but British Isles ).

I am Canadian but have never heard of any of these. But then again I live in the "distinct society" of Quebec.

[Stumbler.]

So, in this thread, it seems the discussion is veering around pop culture references that basically most people in the "Western world" seem to have some exposure to, besides Americans. Is this the direction it seems to be going?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Stumbler.

So, in this thread, it seems the discussion is veering around pop culture references that basically most people in the "Western world" seem to have some exposure to, besides Americans. Is this the direction it seems to be going?

In some cases this is the conclusion, in some cases not. For example the British comedy troupe Monty Python is very well known in the US, Australia and Scandinavia it appears. But not so much in places that speak what might be called Romance languages it appears (Quebec, Spain).

Nobody is being singled out, if that is what you are getting at.

[Acajack]

Here is another one - Saturday Night Live.

Is it well-known in Commonwealth countries or elsewhere?

In Canada, almost all anglos would know it and the target demographic would be able to recite a number of the most famous sketches.

Some francophone Canadians would have heard of it vaguely but few would pay much attention. Even among the ones who know some English it would be really rare to find a Québécois who can refer to famous sketches or characters from SNL.