The fact that the Met Office (having embraced the infantile American habit of giving windy weather a name) has called the latest unseasonal high winds that have been battering the UK for days "Storm Francis" led me to think - why that name? It's not that common, after all.
So I went looking for "famous Francises", and found: Sir Francis Drake, Francis Poulenc, Sir Francis Chichester, Francis Rossi, Francis Wheen, St. Francis of Assisi, Francis Lai, Francis Matthews, Francis Bacon, Francis Ford Coppola, and...
...Francis Urquhart!
Of course:
Probably the best villain on British telly since Livia in I, Claudius...
I hope THIS Storm Francis wasn't half as malevolent. You're right about Urquhart. We watched the American series and then, finally, watched the original. Loved them both but thought the first was sheer brilliance.
ReplyDeleteMainly due to the fact it was only available on Netflix over here, which we don't have, I never saw the US version with Mr Spacey. However I probably would have been hesitant to go there anyway, as the impact and malevolence of the original could not be bettered in my opinion. Jx
DeleteI still haven't seen House of Cards, so something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteApparently the stormy alphabet resets in September so we can look for to Storm Alan, or Annie.
Sx
You never saw the original in 1990? Gosh.
DeleteI wonder why they'd bother re-starting the alphabet if they've only reached "F"? I was looking forward to "Storm Gertrude".
Jx
On first glance, I thought the reference might be to Frances Ethel Gumm! xoN
ReplyDeleteI thought about it, but this bastard storm is definitely a male maelstrom. Jx
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ReplyDeleteI give you ;
Francis Alick Howard, OBE (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992)
better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd.
"Oooh noo, please, it's wicked to mock the afflicted!"
Good call! Jx
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