Tour update: Lake District and Jeopardy!

We played in a barn last night. Well, it was an old stone barn that's since been converted into event space and classrooms at the historic Nab Cottage on Rydal Lake. The Lake District is as pretty as I'd heard it was. It's pretty much some big hills with lots of lakes. Lakes are a lot like lochs, only in England. English things are a little more tame than Scottish things, so the wilderness was polite and forgiving there. There was also lots of talk about the weather.

The show was good fun, and I learned an important cultural difference: no one over here has ever heard of Jeopardy!™.  This is based on my small sample size of about forty natives, but not one had heard of the show, the concept, Alex Trebek's mustache, or Merv Griffin's theme song, thus ruining my witty stage banter.

I'm still in shock.

I used to be in shock of what British folks had heard of -- like Hershey bars, The Cosby Show, and loads of terrible American television programmes. But they don't get the popular quiz show that first debuted 48 years ago (on March 30, 1964, interesting factoid!)?!

What confuses me is how often Jeopardy! comes up in other pop culture references. I mean, did no one in Britain see Rainman? "Practically 26 minutes to Jeopardy!" I know at some point in the past, Saturday Night Live  aired in the UK. Did they cut out the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches or did British audiences just not think they were funny (perhaps hence why it doesn't run anymore over here)? 

Now I'm on a research kick to recall all international film pop culture references to Jeopardy!. Hmmmmm ... White Men Can't Jump, Groundhog Day, The Bucket List... what else?

Sorry, I know I should be equally surprised that Americans don't know what Marmite is, but this Jeopardy! thing is just really upsetting.

2 comments

  1. Funny, Ms Brigid.

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  2. A friend of mine from high school, Vince Gatton, was a contestant on Jeopardy! tonight!!

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