The actions of an American have caused outrage among Brits on social media this week.
Sound familiar? Well it’s probably not a shock at this point, as within just the past year alone, the British corner of the internet has erupted when Americans had a few choice words to say about our classic fry-up breakfasts – and even tried to recreate their own – and then over on Reddit, Americans just couldn’t seem to believe their eyes when they discovered what British “face meats” were – also known as Billy Bear Ham to us.
That outrage is a two way street though.
We can’t go forgetting the American mother-daughter TikTok duo that caused havoc last summer with their “hot tea / British tea” and “beans on toast” recipes, can we?
So, what have Americans done to rile up Brits this time then?
ADVERTISEMENT
Back over on popular social media forum Reddit, a Seattle-based resident has seemingly ignited fury, frustration and no shortage of laughs by sharing proof of his geographically-challenged wife’s attempt at labelling a number of locations around the UK and Ireland, with the names of cities, regions and entire countries all mixed up.
Reddit user @adms13 posted a diagram of the British Isles to the popular sub-Reddit forum CasualUK on Tuesday evening, explaining: “I asked my wife to fill in a map of the UK (we’re both American)”.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Her extent of UK knowledge comes from watching Top Gear with me at night.” he admitted.
While she has gotten a few locations right in her reimagining of the UK, by managing to accurately identify London, Surrey, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and most importantly to us Mancunians, Manchester, the rest all went downhill from there.
ADVERTISEMENT
In some of the more shocking changes, Cheshire was found all the way down to the south-east coast, Canterbury was mysteriously renamed “the ferry”, the Midlands were moved some way up the country towards the border with Scotland, Liverpool was placed where Dumfries is, and Dublin was located in Northern Ireland – which, she clarified, was “definitely Ireland”.
“I don’t think people live here,” she wrote over the Scottish Highlands.
But possibly the most hilarious error of them all was her labelling of the entire nation of Ireland with “Wales?” and the real Wales being left off the map entirely, with “No idea what’s over here… maybe Birmingham?” scrawled over the top of it.
“Is it possible to upset everyone at once?” one user responded, while another said: “Well this is horrifying” and a third commented: “I don’t get how someone knows seven cities in the UK and their location (roundabouts), but not Wales and Ireland”.
A Belfast-based user said the map made them “apoplectic with rage”.
Not everyone was out to critique though, with some commenters applauding her efforts saying it was “almost great for an American attempt” given the stereotype that Americans are oblivious to the world outside the USA, and other Brits admitting they’d also struggle to label all 50 states if the tables were turned.
The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th May 2021 
