astonishers

Astonisher No.62: Surely not surprising that Reform party MP Lee Anderson was deputy chairman for the Conservatives but more unlikely that he was also a Labour councillor ... not at the same time though ...

Astonisher No.61: A chum with Canadian antecedents finds Toronto Argonauts an unlikely name for a Canadian football team (it's like American football but different).  It seems more likely when you know they were founded in 1873 by the Argonaut Rowing Club.

Astonisher No.60: When the BBFC banned The Wild One until the late 1960s it meant UK cinema audiences didn't get to see it with a certificate something like this.  Nowadays the BBFC classifies not censors but we were still astonished to discover that since 2022 it's chair is Natasha Kaplinsky, hear her now on Screenshot Trying to chair a meeting and drive my son to hockey.

Astonisher No.59: Dodgy Robert Maxwell was Labour MP for Buckingham 1964-1970 becoming chair of the Refreshment Committee in 1967.  He resigned the post in 1969 after selling off the wine cellar ... not the only chancer in government eh?

Astonisher No.56: Finland shares an 800+ miles border with Russia and since achieving independence in 1917 their army has continuously included conscription.

Astonisher No.53:  For six years as an MP and 19 months as Chancellor Rishi Sunak held a USA green card requiring a declaration that his primary residence was in the USA ... which hopefully it isn't so he fibbed.

Astonisher No.52:  If you're the sort of weirdo who stays to read the film credits you would have met dolly grip, best boy and foley artist.  We knew that foley artist was something to do with sound but not that it's named after Jack Foley.

Astonisher No.50:  The legal tender for twenty pence pieces is £10 ... that's fifty coins ...

Astonisher No.49:  Some people are astonished that women have gonads too.

Astonisher No.48:  We've always thought the music over the Soprano's opening credits is Fun Loving Criminals, turns out it's British band the Alabama 3. ♫

Astonisher No.43:  Gregg Allman was married to Cher?!  He was married seven times so presumably her turn had to come round at some point.

Astonisher No.42:  Ricky Valance was the first Welshman to have a UK number one record, very easy to get him confused (like this bloke) with Richie Valens who died in the Buddy Holly plane crash.

Astonisher No.41:  During June 1756 the nine year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played lunchtimes in the Swan and Harp Tavern, London for the drinkers.

Astonisher No.37:  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the creator of Sherlock Holmes played ten first class matches for the MCC and in goal for Portsmouth ... mind you this was an amateur side that disbanded two years before the present league team was founded in 1898.

Astonisher No.35:  Singer Mama Cass Elliot died in her sleep (not choking on a ham sandwich) and in the same bedroom in which Who drummer Keith Moon died four years later.  The bedroom was in a flat Moon rented at the time from singer Harry Nilsson.  Nilsson subsequently sold the flat to Pete Townsend. ♫

Astonisher No.34:  Canadian and retired professional wrestler Billy Two Rivers (we can remember him war dancing on telly in the 1960s) is the father of British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway.

Astonisher No.33:  Legend has it that when the Derby (Britain's richest horse race) was conceived at a 1779 party a coin was tossed to decide whether the race should be named after the party's host the 12th Earl of Derby or Sir Charles Bunbury (wasn't that the name of Ernest Worthing's imaginary and sickly friend?) a Jockey Club steward ... roller bunbury?

Astonisher (quite) No.27:  We weren't that surprised and definitely not astonished that Captain W E Johns the creator of Biggles wasn't a real captain but we were a little taken aback to discover that early in his career he was a sanitary inspector in Swaffham Norfolk.

Astonisher No.26:  American poet and jazz funkster Gil Scott-Heron died last year; his father Gil Heron was the first black athlete to play football for Glasgow Celtic ... we know but there's more, Scott-Heron's uncle Roy served in the Norwegian marine during WWII before joining the Canadian army.

Astonisher No.25:  James Robertson Justice the bearded Sir Lancelot Spratt of The Doctor films tended goal for professional ice hockey team the London Lions ... we know but when you look at his build it's probably true.

Astonisher No.24:  Basil Brush will be 50 next year and his first man was tv conjurer David Nixon, no that's not it, David Nixon helped fund the Mellotron a sort of early synthesiser before there were synthesisers ... and what's more only some 2,000 were ever made. ♫

♫ Astonisher No.23:  Johnny Johnson's big afro was in fact a wig ... you're going to have to trust us on this one.

Astonisher No.22:  Canadian Jay Silverheels who played Tonto was in the 1930s a lacrosse professional with the Rochester Iroquois and Clayton Moore The Lone Ranger wore that worryingly lavender suit to personal appearances into his 80s despite the copyright owner briefly getting a court order to stop him in 1974.

Astonisher No.21:  When Abdulfattah Jandali managed a restaurant in Silicon Valley he was flattered to have Steve Jobs of Apple as a patron and on several occasions shook hands with him ... neither were aware they were father and son ... you'd think the genes would recognise each other wouldn't you?

Astonisher No.9:  At the 1898 FA Cup Final the teams were photographed with the cup before the match and at the photographer's suggestion eventual winners Nottingham Forest borrowed Derby County's lighter coloured jerseys ... we know but it's true.

Astonisher No.7:   In 1947 by investing $50,000 in the then six man Ampex company singer Bing Crosby made tape recorders commercially available ... we know but it's true.

Astonisher No.1:  Country singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson has a boxing blue from Oxford ... we know but it's true.