Dec 26, 2005
We Will All Mention the War, Nuremberg Tells English Fans
Fans of the BBC TV series Fawlty Towers will recall Basil Fawlty’s advice not to mention the war. Next June English soccer fans descend on Nuremberg to watch England play Trinidad and Tobago in the first round of the finals of the FIFA World Cup. According to this report, “some fans’ groups [are] planning to print T-shirts with Basil Fawlty’s famous line ‘don’t mention the war’ translated into German.”
Nuremberg has decided, however, not to follow Basil’s advice and to acknowledge the city’s Nazi past. Today’s Times (London) carries the story. Here Simon Barnes explains the British facility for Nazi jokes. He concludes, “The Germans will wince when the English go goose-stepping into Nuremberg, but the history of the world would have been very different if the Germans possessed the British sense of humour.”
Nuremberg has decided, however, not to follow Basil’s advice and to acknowledge the city’s Nazi past. Today’s Times (London) carries the story. Here Simon Barnes explains the British facility for Nazi jokes. He concludes, “The Germans will wince when the English go goose-stepping into Nuremberg, but the history of the world would have been very different if the Germans possessed the British sense of humour.”