Karl goes on tour... of shop car parks

WTF: Weekly Trivia File

‘I don’t think it’s my business to try to amuse trendy young people.’ Jenny Eclair

If Karl Pilkington hated some of the places Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant sent him to for the Sky series An Idiot Abroad, he’d better brace himself for even worse to come. For the publisher of his new tie-in book, Canongate, is forcing him to promote the release of The Further Adventures of an Idiot Abroad by visiting British shopping centre car parks in a 1970s caravan. The promo tour kicks off with the glamour of Asda Watford on September 22, followed by Manchester’s Trafford Centre on October 6.

A knitted version of Adam Hills - complete with detachable right foot – could raise more than £25,000 for charity. The doll appeared very briefly on the Channel 4 Paralypic show Hills hosts, The Last Leg, causing bids on an eBay auction to soar to £40,000. However, several of those bids turned out to be bogus (classy work, guys, promising money to Great Ormond Street Hospital then saying 'nah, only joking') but the total still stands just above the £25,000 make with less than eight hours to go. Click here to make a genuine bid.

After being romantically linked to Geri Halliwell, Russell Brand was sure to get heckled on the subject, but urged his audience at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, this week not to ask him about it. Of course if fell on deaf ears as one wag shouted: ‘Is she ginger all over?’ Brand replied: ‘She’s not got hair on her back. She’s not like an orange Yeti. She’s not like some hairy Jaffa Cake bear. She’s still a person, she’s still an actual person.’

Fed up of comics saying what famous people they look like? Well, if Ray Peacock wants a more obscure reference, he could always point out his resemblance to Brian Josh, the lead singer of folk rock band Mostly Autumn….

Jimmy Carr inspired a song on The Killers’ new album. Frontman Brandon Flowers explained that the comic suggested the economic theme behind Deadlines And Commitments over dinner one day. He told Shortlist magazine: ‘I was having dinner with Jimmy Carr, like you do, and he thought the next big breakthrough record that people were going to notice was going to be about the problems of the economy.’ The pair became pals when they met on the set of Comic Relief.

‘Why have you travelled to Leeds for this?’ compere Chris Ramsey asked a couple in the front row of the BBC New Comedy Award heat at the Manchester Comedy Store this week. Turns out they had been looking forward to seeing Jack Dee that night – but the boyfriend only realised the show they had booked for was in London, not Manchester as he thought, when he went to print the tickets out that afternoon. Cue one embarrassed and apologetic text message, with the competition heat as a consolation gig. Someone’s got some making up to do...

Julian Clary is favourite to win Celebrity Big Brother tonight, with Ladbrokes reporting one punter put a £15,000 bet on at 8-11.

Stand-up Eddy Brimson has just landed a part alongside Joely Richardson and Jared Harris in a new film, The Devil’s Violinist, about composer Paganini. He told Chortle: ‘For once I'm not a thug, a gay guy or a Hari Krishna! I play a Victorian journalist with big sideburns aka Bradley Wiggins... only I hope they don't ask me to ride a bike as it would be a penny farthing and my little legs would never reach the pedals.’

Tweets of the week
Carey Marx (@CareyMarx): 'Really, you're going to give me £50 to clean inside that?' #cleanerbeingconnedbyDrWho
Mr. Dampseat (@Dampseat): A soldier from the 1st Terra Cotta Regiment was court martialed for going on a kiln spree.
Richard Neville (@RichNeville): The new health secretary believes in homeopathy. Understandable, as the less I see of Jeremy Hunt, the better I feel.

Published: 7 Sep 2012