Latest news with #schooldays
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
The latest Andrex advert is a life-changing masterpiece
If the latest Andrex TV advert had come along 50 years ago, it would have changed my life. It would have made my schooldays more enjoyable and might even have helped me to perform better academically. Honestly, I think it's a gamechanger. It begins, unpromisingly, with a schoolboy breaking wind in class. What puerile nonsense is this, I thought. Another boy turns to look at him and sniffs derisively. So far, so daft. But then up pops a killer statistic: 76% of kids hold their poo at school. And all of a sudden we're into public information film territory and I am transported back half a century to Hagley primary school where, between the ages of five and nine, I was definitely among the 76% of poo-holders. Middle school, too. Hell, even high school probably. I doubt I, er, went on school premises more than half a dozen times, all in. This can't have done me much good. As I've (over) shared before, at my school going into a cubicle to do what had to be done became a big deal. Word would go around the playground that some poor lad's fear and shame had been trumped by the urgency of his need to go, and there would be a rush to the boys' bogs to make it a spectator event. I have no idea what this was all about, or whether it happened anywhere else. As with most bad things, I suspect it was a boy thing, as girls always used cubicles anyway, so for them there was no great fuss. I say it again – if only this advert had come along back then. What happens is that the Andrex puppy appears in this kid's classroom. It looks up at the lad and gives him the nod. The lad nods back, stands up, parps once more and, toilet roll in hand, proceeds in triumph to the lav. In the nodding of a dog, all his shame has evaporated more quickly than any smell he generated. As he makes his way to where he's going, the kids salute this miracle of reframing by banging their desks and cheering. Someone fist-bumps him. And then he's in there, closing the door behind him, at which point, like a choir of angels, the whole school intones the word 'poo' in harmony. There's so much to unpick here. I've always bemoaned the absurdity of advertising something as impossibly mundane as toilet tissue. I mean, puppies running around unravelling the stuff and so on. Drivel. But now they've come up with this work of genius. In scraping the bottom of the barrel in search of something, anything, new to say about bog paper, they've found gold down there. It's telling that I only came across this masterpiece by accident as I mistimed some fast-forwarding trying to dodge an ad break on Sky Max. Does anyone watch TV ads any more? They can't do, or I'm sure this one, given the subject matter, would have caused a bit of a sensation. Unless, of course, it's just me. I must say that, as I rolled about laughing in delight at it, my family did look at me with more concern than usual. I'm now wondering what else I've been missing. What other works of advertising art have I fast-forwarded past? Just as if I've come across some music I love for the first time and now have to listen to everything that artist's ever done, I've started on Andrex's back catalogue. And, to my delight, there's one just as good from last year tackling the taboo of the office poo, with a subplot concerning the taking of reading matter in with you. Please tell me there's a box set of these things somewhere, with bonus features, outtakes, director's commentary and so on. And until further notice, I'll be buying no other brand of toilet tissue. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation. Adrian Chiles is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paloma Faith insists SHE was bullied after EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy claimed singer tormented her at 'rough' London school which has a very famous history
Natalie Cassidy has spilled on her tough school days, claiming that her famous classmate Paloma Faith bullied her. But in a twist to the tale, Paloma's comments about her own torment at school have emerged. EastEnders star Natalie, 42, and singer Paloma, 43, both attended Islington Green School, with Paloma in the year above Natalie. Writing in a 2012 tweet, Paloma insisted her school days were far from easy, insisting: 'Yes I got bullied at school. I had braces and before that, wonky teeth.' The stars are both from around the same area, with Natalie born in Islington and Paloma raised in Hackney. Islington Green, which has since been renamed the City of London Academy Islington, has a famous history after its choir landed the job of singing the iconic Pink Floyd line 'we don't need no education' on 1979 hit The Wall. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Fast forward two decades and the school was once again in the headlines when in 1995 Tony Blair rejected the local comprehensive for his son Euan, who instead received his secondary education at London Oratory in Hammersmith. Two years later, after Blair was elected Prime Minister, the school was placed in special measures. Natalie thought back to her school days on her podcast Life With Nat when her bad experience with Paloma came up. She claimed: 'Paloma Faith, she bullied me at school. She went to Islington Green and was in the year above me. We've spoken about it and she has said sorry about that. Gutted.' Paloma, who has a degree in contemporary dance and once worked as a magician's assistant, has previously called Islington Green 'very, very rough,' adding that 'the police were there every day; there was a lot of violence.' But in spite of classmate Natalie's comments and her bullying, Paloma has called herself 'a pacifist,' explaining how her school's 'tough environment helped me develop a strong sense of self. I had to learn to stick to my guns and be stubborn.' She has also spoken positvely about her 'incredible' teachers, gushing in an interview with The Standard: 'They were very encouraging to me. I was put in the Hackney Gazette because it was a failing school and I got all As at GCSE.' She has pointed out though that whilst she was inspired by the creative nature of her school, she didn't receive any formal music training, declaring: 'I did it all myself. I had no famous parents, no stage school, no BRIT School.' 'I didn't have lessons, ever, I just copied records.' After completing her A Levels at City and Islington College, Paloma went on to study for a degree in contemporary dance in Leeds before receiveing an MA in theatre directing at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She juggled a huge array of part time jobs during her studies including as a sales assistant at Agent Provocateur, a singer in a burlesque cabaret and a magician's assistant. Natalie meanwhile landed the role of Sonia Fowler whilst still at school, auditioning when she was just 10. Alongside her studies at Islington Green, Natalie took acting classes at Anna Scher Theatre School, where she was spotted doing improvisations by EastEnders' writer and director Tony McHale and casting advisor Jane Deitch. Natalie has played Sonia on and off since 1993 but she will soon exit the soap as part of the 40th-anniversary celebrations. Announcing the news, Natalie explained that turning 42 this year made her feel it was time to 'be brave' and explore new opportunities. 'You don't want to get to 70 and think, "I never tried that"' she said. Natalie also expressed her deep love for the show, saying: 'I've loved this programme with all my heart. I started at ten, it's in my bones, it's in my heart.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Were you in the Class of 94 in Bolton? See if you can spot yourself
Ah, the good old class photo. A record of your schooldays and something that always makes the kids chuckle. In 1994, the Bolton News sent a photographer around the primary schools in Bolton to capture the latest intake. We have put together a selection of those class pictures. If you were in the Class of 94 see if you can spot yourself or recognise someone.
