Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with british

Where to go for a short vacation in the Caribbean?

BobFrapples — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:27:49 -0800

Hi all! So, have any of you ever vacationed or traveled in the Caribbean? If so, I would love to hear your likes, dislikes, recommendations & suggestions. I'm trying to put a trip together for the end of January. I think I'm coming close to narrowing it down to either Barbados or the Virgin Islands (US or British?), but I am still looking for ideas.

My trip would be for about 4 or 5 days, and right now it looks like it's just going to be me. So, I'd love to find a place where there's more to do than just lay on a beach. Recommendations for specific hotels or places to stay are very much appreciated. I'd love to be on or very close to a beach, but maybe still in walking distance to tasty food and/or some nightlife.

Thanks all!

Region Free At Last, Thank the Beeb I'm Free At Last!

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:04:49 -0800

Now that we have a region free DVD player, what British shows should we look in to ordering? My wife and I are huge fans of British comedies like Black Books, The IT Crowd, and Peep Show. We've been frustrated that many series are not available in the US (anything beyond the first series of Peep Show or That Mitchell and Webb Look, for example) and so broke down and bought a DVD player (a Philips DVP3980) that I unlocked to be region free.

So after we gorge ourselves on Mitchell and Webb, what else should we look for that's not available in the states?

We're not limited to comedies, either. My wife likes shows like Skins and I'm a huge murder mystery nut (Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, etc).

While we're mainly interested in stuff we can't get over here, we'd like to take advantage of the seemingly cheaper DVD prices. For example, a 10 episode set of Midsomer Murders comes to something like 60 dollars, shipped, from amazon.uk while a 4 episode set costs 40 bucks here in the states. The less said about the amount I paid for my complete Morse vs the amount being charged on amazon.uk, the better. So any suggestions as to where we can get more for our money are welcome too.

I'd rather not celebrate Christmas at Terminal 5

venividivici — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:12:39 -0800

I have a ticket to fly British Airways home for Christmas next Tuesday. What should I do? I'm set (or was set) to fly from Heathrow to Baltimore (LHR-BWI) next Tuesday, the 22nd. This is now, of course, the very day that the strike is supposed to begin. Christ almighty.

Reports are saying the RyanAir and EasyJet are being called in to pick up the slack, but they don't fly to the States. I know you're not psychic, but if the strike does happen, what is going to happen to BA's transtalantic flights? I can't imagine there's much wiggle room to put hundreds of thousands of people on other international carriers at this time of year. This site says that I might not get a re-route until January. I paid a fortune for these tickets and desperately need this holiday -- am I really not going to be able to go? And should I be doing something? Pestering them? Making voodoo dolls?

Help a British Ex-Pat Access Overseas Content (BBC, iTV, premier league football, etc...)

ghostpony — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:10:32 -0800

My father is a British ex-pat who is craving some good old fashion football/cricket/BBC. Please share some advice about best way to access this content while in the states. My father is a British ex-pat who has lived in the states for some 20 odd years. After many years of paying through the nose for pay per view football matches and the occasional cricket test match he gave up.

Can you give us some advice about the best way to access this content? He is interested in watching Premier League matches, cricket, rugby, and most everything the BBC puts out. He is particularly interested in live-streaming matches, but would take what he can get.

Also news to me Hulu has a UK only site that features content from Channel 4, ITV, and other UK only channels, and so access to that would be welcome.

Do you have any advice? Where do we start?

What's the name of this British tv show?

jmmpangaea — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:39:26 -0800

Help, I can't remember the name of this reality tv show. A British Asian doctor (lady) berates an unhealthy person about their lifestyle. The doctor shows the unhealthy person what's happening inside their body and what will happen if they continue their bad habits. Usually the unhealthy person will be a smoker and drinks a lot.

What's American for 'undercoat'?

holgate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:56:44 -0800

Can someone give me a primer on translating the British terms for wall / house paint into their American equivalents? I am no stranger to paint. At least, I wasn't until I moved from Britain to the US. Now I go into Lowe's Ace Depot and all the labels read "interior latex" and similar, which presumably makes sense to Americans, but doesn't help when I'm just looking for a tin of undercoat. Could someone with experience of doing paint jobs on both sides of the pond translate undercoat, gloss and emulsion into their American equivalents?

And it shall be known as Mutant's manor from this point on.

Mutant — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:28:07 -0800

Anyone name their house in London? Our house needs a very fine name.

Anyone name their house in London?

We were curious if anyone had named their house in London? We see lots of instructions and processes on how to do this in different regions of the UK, but none for London.

Is this something that's no longer done in London? I've been all over our council's web site, and can't find any relevant information. Is this possibly something that's no longer done at the Local Council level in London? If so are we talking London Assembly or who?

We're in Tower Hamlets if that matters.

Hey Limey! Your mum's gonna cook MY sausage!

SinisterPurpose — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:40:02 -0800

A question for my brethren in Britannia, how did your family prepare the full breakfast? I understand that there are several local variations on this delicacy of British cuisine, I'd like to hear about the individual variations that existed in your collective recollections. How do you remember the full fry up? And when typically was it served? (day of week, time of year, specific point in parental hangover) And any other details you feel like sharing.

What I don't want is links that point to sites telling me what a "typical" Great British Breakfast is or should be.

Thanks in advance to all.

Consulate personnel and dependents registry?

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:28:57 -0800

I am looking for any publicly-available staff-and-dependents records for the British Consulate in Los Angeles, specifically for the period 1965 to 1966. I have some info. In spring 1966 Prince Philip also visited both the country and Los Angeles in particular, so there is plentiful news coverage of associated social events in the Los Angeles area available though various news organizations' online archives. While interesting, this data is ancillary and really only useful to confirm info that would be in the putative data source I seek.

I'm most interested in learning if there is a place that I can find staff lists, something like a registry of Consulate personnel and dependents that would have been provided to the State Department or other US agencies. It would of course be most preferential if this theoretical registry were easily available online.

If only a professional, net-savvy librarian were to read this and make some suggestions! Thanks in advance!

Post-Thatcher, pre-Britpop

mippy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:29:52 -0800

London in the early 1990s. (Or, Britain in general). How did it differ from the present day? What were the little, day-to-day differences, the minutiae that was of its time? Any books or resources recommended? (Oh, and loving the Hallowe'en gifs on the 'Ask a Question' page!)

Please help me figure out which incredibly clever British sitcom this is!

staveitoff123 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:32:24 -0800

Please help me figure out which incredibly clever British sitcom this is! This is what I know: British sitcom produced within the last few years about 3 or 4 women who are friends and are single. It's been called the anti-Sex and the City because it's fairly dark and sardonic - the women aren't sentimental or precious about sex, love, etc. I saw two scenes from the show on Youtube - in the first, one of the women is breaking up with her boyfriend/husband and is unemotional, while he is freaking out. In the second, one of the women accidentally hits on the father of one of her elementary school students in a grocery store. There was a piece about it recently on a blog but I can't remember which. Please help!! It's incredibly funny!

A Concise History of Britain (book recommendation)

nam3d — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:11:26 -0800

BookFilter: I'm looking for a concise book on the history of Britain (prehistory to modern day), any suggestions?

Identifying a British TV series

Riki tiki — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:37:41 -0800

Trying to identify a British television program about a doctor that used to be broadcast on PBS. Here's the information I've been given from fuzzy recollections:

It was British, possibly syndicated from the BBC.
It aired Sunday nights on PBS during the '90s or early '00s.
It was a comedy/drama.
It was about a doctor and his wife.
One of the storylines involved the wife cheating with the doctor's intern.

Anyone have any idea what that might be? Thanks in advance.

Indian English Speakers with Shifting Western Accent

Non Prosequitur — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:04:40 -0800

Is it a widespread behavior for multilingual speakers of english to get a more anglicized accent when talking to a native speaker? I don't mean just common code-switching (someone getting a drawl in Kansas, or someone going 'you understand' vs. 'you feel me' in different contexts.) But people going from like, Indian english to completely westernized english (in accents, not necessarily in diction or dialect) without making a conscious decision to do so. This is besides people 'faking' an accent because of class issues related to these things.

Potter, Norrell, and....?

Doctor Suarez — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:10:49 -0800

Suggest absorbing fiction about mysterious England. This is purely a mood-driven question. I want to read more books that combine ideally British or possibly Continental European settings, the past (anywhere from sword-and-board to the 1950s), and perhaps some element of the supernatural. To give you some idea what I mean, here are the books that are close, but already read:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Neil Stephenson's Baroque Cycle
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Shelley's Frankenstein
The Harry Potter Books (which are really close, I suppose, but a bit too youthful for me. Actually, truth be told, I haven't read them, but I made the insane decision to experience the saga from the movies and have my wife fill in the gaps.)

Okay, so I'm making you all work as literary Pandora Radio. And yes, it's somewhat similar to this question, which is an excellent start, but my peccadilloes are a touch different. Think you're up to it, chaps?

British WWII sentimental movies

eleslie — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:32:31 -0800

British WWII sentimental movie recommendations? I have always loved the sentimental movies the British made during (and immediately after) WW II. The two that come to mind off the top of my head are "In Which We Serve" and "Captive Heart." When searching for other examples to watch and buy, the lists I have found seem to focus more on the "action" genre with lots of people and things being blown up. Can anyone suggest other movies or ways to search for these movies which are focused more on the pathos of war and on shoring up the British people emotionally (but I am not looking at strictly patriotic films.) Thank you, hivemind.

What is Jay Rayder's speaking accent?

Joe Beese — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:35:46 -0800

BritFilter: What is Jay Rayder's speaking accent? (He's the bearded man in this video clip.) I wasn't able to learn where he was born or spent his childhood. If it's relevant, he graduated from Leeds University.

Who arrrrrrrr ya?

twirlypen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:59:13 -0800

A British (I think) kids cartoon, probably from the eighties or nineties. There's a pirate with spiky blue hair, big eyes and a long thin moustache, with red and yellow clothes and a peg-leg. What's it called? In 2003 I bought a plush toy in London. It is as described above, and I was told at one point that it's a character from a somewhat well known kids cartoon.

The name 'Captain Pugwash' springs to mind, but all my googling only brings up a vaguely similar (in that all pirates are similar) cartoon from the fifties.

I think his crew may have included an octopus.

And that, I'm afraid, is about all I've got to go on.

If you can give me a name, I'll be very much in your debt.

If you can give me his face in a "Captain Pugwash (or whatever) Wants YOU" style poster, then you're some kind of god.

She put on her jumper, drove to my flat, and is now happily wrapped

raztaj — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:18:54 -0800

Wrapped up in British English filter, with Earlier today, a lovely British lady and her daughter picked up a piece of furniture that I listed on Craigslist. She just sent me a follow-up thank you e-mail (never had that before, which was nice!) and said:

"Thank you very much for the CD holder, am wrapped!"

What does "wrapped" in this context mean? I assume it is positive, since it is preceded by a "thank you" and followed by a ":o)" but am wholly perplexed on what is meant by "wrapped."

Can any MeFi Brits or British English experts provide any thoughts on this?

Welcome to the Land of Opportunity! ...Or, at least, the Land of Hotdogs.

Ms. Saint — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:56:12 -0800

My British step-father has just become a US citizen. Given this, what would be a good way for us to celebrate the 4th of July? I usually live about a 1000 miles away, but I'm already planning to come home for the 4th of July. And given that it is the holiday about US/British relations, I can't imagine a better way to celebrate his coming over to the rebel's side of things. I want an all-out American extravaganza.

Now, of course, we'll have to celebrate with a feast of hotdogs and apple pie.... But, beyond that, we're all kind of blanking about what quintessentially American stuff we can add into a day's activities. Fireworks are illegal where he lives, so nothing too explosive can be involved.

Have any suggestions? I'm willing to consider anything from the painfully sincere to outright kitschy. Anything that specifically plays on the differences between British culture and American culture is especially appreciated.

Recommend some good US/British TV Shows!

ranglin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:08:34 -0800

Can anyone recommend some good (fairly recent) American/British TV shows that my wife and I can catch up on during the ratings lull that's currently occurring in the US? Hi All.

Just looking for something to watch during the break and realised that there are probably some gems out there that we've just missed in the last couple of TV seasons. Looking for recommendations of shows to watch. Things that we've liked recently:

* Chuck
* Big Bang
* Dexter
* True Blood
* Dead Like Me
* Reaper
* Stargate Atlantis
* NCIS
* Bones
* Castle
* Dollhouse
* Fringe
* Leverage

Interested in shows in the same vein, but if you think something else would tickle our fancy, let me know!

Thanks all for keeping us entertained over the next few months! :)

Best British Brand Builder

ruelle — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:42:24 -0800

Please recommend 8-10 British design agencies known for their stellar brand identity book (work) especially for conservative entities such as solicitors. Many thanks. What should I be looking for in choosing a design agency?
How is brand identity work quoted?
What kind of service should I expect from the chosen agency?
As the client, what can I provide/do to make this process as efficient as possible?

The work would not be about creating a new image but in unifying an existing corporate ID (ie: making sure the adverts look like the business cards look like the stationery).
If we like the results, we may consider a long-term relationship. ie: brochures, website design by the same team.

Any suggestions how to go about this?

Tell me the name of this British TV comedy

lometogo — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:44:18 -0800

Please tell me the name of this recent British TV comedy series featuring two guys and usually started with their walking down a long white hall and then opening a door and entering into a scene

What'd this Brit just say?

hobbes — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:13:24 -0800

Having trouble making out a word in this narration: "An odious (?) collection of moves?" MP3 link (@ 0:10) And for those interested, the voice is John Redhead's from the recent climbing movie On-Sight.

Thanks MeFi.

Words that have a "zyu" sound in American English pronunciation?

kosmonaut — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:54:50 -0800

Are there any words that have a "zyu" sound in American English pronunciation? In general, there is a difference between British and American English pronunciation of certain words, like "dune", "resume", "suit", where British speakers have a "y" sound between the consonant and the "u", and Americans do not (we say them like "doon", "rezoom", and "soot").

(In both versions of English, this added "y" can occur with certain consonants, e.g. "cute", "fume".)

I noticed that American English has the word "disuse", which has s+y+u consecutively (which is somewhat rare for us). What I am wondering is if there is any word that has z+y+u consecutively in American pronunciation? I am pretty sure it would have to similarly be in the middle of a multisyllabic word, if it does exist.

So, can anybody come up with a word with a z+y+u sound in it?