English People who are FAMOUS Abroad but UNKNOWN here

[Norman Potting]

Not a person but an English film - Dinner for One. It's completely unknown over here (despite being written, directed and acted by Brits) yet is a huge success in Germany, where it's repeated every year.

I was once at a New Year's Eve party in Germany where, it seemed, every guest asked me about this film, thinking it was some English cultural landmark. I think they thought I was making fun of them or had failed to understand them when I said I'd never heard of the film.

Read about it here
Dinner for One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A truly bizzare phenomenon. My Bro-in-law, who has German blood, has been in business meetings there where the assembled mass fall about whenever a line from this short is quoted - "...Same procedure as last year" has them rolling in the aisles apparently. It is repeated continuously on New Year's Eve across all the channels there.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Read about it here
Dinner for One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Watch it here
Dailymotion - Dinner For One (Original) - une vidéo Comédie et Humour

 

[raymondbriggs]

the woman what brought the world the Simpsons (and won a court case to prove it)
Tracy Ullman.
massive in America but a minor pop star here.

 

[itszamora]

Some guy who plays basketball in the NBA who's name eludes me. Guess that kind of proves the point!

Luol Deng I believe. There's also Ben Gordon who will hopefully play for Britain at the European Championships.

 

[Trufflehound]

Watch it here
Dailymotion - Dinner For One (Original) - une vidéo Comédie et Humour

Think this version might work better

[yt]b1v4BYV-YvA[/yt]

I was introduced to it some years ago by Belgian friends, and I believe it's an institution in Scandinavia too.

I think it does stand up to repeated viewings - provided you've already started your New Year's Eve intake, in the same way that Carry On films get funnier if you've had a few.

As repetitive Xmas/New Year institutions go, the line "Same procedure as last year?" is far more amusing than anything I've ever heard in the Queen's speech.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Isnt there a really famous British Indy car driver? Josh Wealden?