Saturday, 2 February 2008

How we chose the name "The Robber Button"

This post was from 27th December 2007

I have been asked again a few times about how we got the name for our Narrow Boat "The Robber Button" so here is the explination in video and transcript.

The video is from Blackadder 3; in the first episode, Dish and Dishonesty; this is the transcript:-

Edmund Blackadder: Sir Talbot represented the constituency of(Dunny-on-the-Wold, and, by an extraordinary stroke of luck, it is a rotten borough.
Prince George: Really! Is it! Well, lucky-lucky us. Lucky-lucky-luck. (as a chicken) Luck-luck-LAKK-LAKK-LAKK-LAKK-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck- cluck-LAKK-LAKK-LAKK.
Edmund Blackadder: ...You don't know what a rotten borough is, do you, sir?
Prince George: No.
Edmund Blackadder: So what was the chicken impression in aid of?
Prince George: Well, I just didn't want to hurt your feelings. Erm, so, what is a robber button?
Edmund Blackadder: *Rotten borough*.
Prince George: Oh, yes, you're right.
Edmund Blackadder: A rotten borough, sir, is a constituency where the owner of the land corruptly controls the both the voters and the MP.
Prince George: Good, yes...and a robber button is...?
Edmund Blackadder: Could we leave that for a moment?

This sketch still makes both of us laugh, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton's wonderful script writing, Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson's impeccable timing and humour at it's best. So that is where The Robber Button's name came from.
Posted by D Baynham at 10:52 am
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2 comments:

  1. Tony7 February 2009 at 00:20

    Robber Button, Rotten Borough.... moored near Stafford. Yes, it makes perfect sense!

    ReplyDelete
  2. D Baynham7 February 2009 at 09:31

    It is the humour, the brilliant acting and the wonderful writing that made us both laugh our heads at this sketch.

    We wanted a name that would make us smile as headed for our boat, that wasn't twee or a name that was was on every 50th boat. Staffs as far as I know isn't a rotten borough but it does have a Robber Button ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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