A working-class guide to British national treasures

STEPHEN Fry? F**k off. These are the real national treasures of Britain, according to builder Wayne Hayes and the lads down the Portakabin.

Lee Evans

Very funny man. We argue it out over spliff breaks, whether he’s been surpassed by your Peter Kay or your Michael McIntyre, but for me Evans takes it because he can do the physical comedy as well. All these alternative leftie ones on the telly can go and f**k themselves. Why would I want politics bringing up when I’m trying to have a laugh?

Keeley Hazell

We lost something as a country when we allowed Page 3 to go, and Keeley was the last of the greats. Pretty smile, huge jugs, footballers scrapping over her, absolutely classic. I’d say she still comes up, unbidden, two out of five wanks. She’s in Hollywood now, and good luck to her. Not that they ever cast a girl with tits because to them that’s sexist.

King Charles

Proper lad. He’s stepped up and he’s done the job, proving the doubters wrong. Gone to Australia even though he’s got the Big C because he puts duty first. Don’t know what all your snooty university types have got against him. Jealousy I expect.

Richard Osman

You know why he gave up that Pointless? He’d answered all the questions. They couldn’t think of any he hadn’t answered, so he walked. Now that’s a clever man. Writes books now. I haven’t read any but they’re about murders like books should be.

Lee Child

He’s a way to go to beat this lad though. Open a Jack Reacher and you’re hooked from page one through to the end. Chapters are nice and short and you always find out hard factual information about the banking system or how suicide bombers think. He’s getting his brother to write them now. Makes sense, that’s how we do it in the trade.

Susanna Reid

Nothing but respect. Presenting next to that prick Morgan all those years and keeping her temper, dealing with the parade of arseholes she has on with her now, and properly putting Boris under the hammer after he’d had all those parties. And she queued up for the Queen.

Tyson Fury

If you can’t be proud of the fact a British man is the hardest puncher in the world, I pity you. You’ve lost sight of what a real achievement is. Got beat this year but it happens, nobody’s at the top of their game forever. When I’m in a spot, I ask myself ‘What would Tyson do?’ Got me community service for GBH, but still. No regrets.

Five obvious ways to avoid spoilers: A guide for easily startled morons

WANT to avoid crucial plot details but don’t have an ounce of common sense? Dodge spoilers with this painfully obvious guide.

Don’t read reviews

Reviews have the annoying habit of discussing their subject matter, even going so far as to rudely dissect plot points and character decisions. If you’re particularly sensitive to this bombshell information then reviews can prove life-threatening, even when they try to protect your delicate constitution by claiming to be ‘spoiler free’. Try reading something utterly devoid of facts instead, like a horoscope.

Stay off social media

As soon as one person with an X account and a smartphone has seen a hotly-anticipated piece of media, the element of surprise is ruined forever. Every closely-guarded detail will be shared in a flurry of breathlessly excited statuses, each with meticulously crafted hashtags to get them in front of as many interested people as possible. Delete the app, with the bonus of watching your whole wellbeing instantly improve.

Avoid starting conversations about the film/TV show in question

Curiously, when you discuss a film or TV show you’re interested in with a friend, they have a bizarre tendency to chip in with their own thoughts if they’ve already watched it. Even if you’ve clearly stated that you haven’t seen it they may make oblique references to plot twists or reveal the general gist, in a deliberate attempt to ruin the film and your life. Fortunately this can be easily avoided by talking about literally anything else.

Stop googling everything

It’s natural to be interested in the latest Hollywood film or overpromoted BBC drama. You’re only human and marketing teams have desperately poured lots of money into grabbing your attention. This doesn’t mean you should conduct extensive internet research in order to find out if their work is worth watching. You sadly have to go through the chore of watching it and then deciding for yourself.

Watch it as soon as possible

Films and TV shows are absolutely jam-packed with spoilers, ie. the story. Everything from the inciting incident to how the A plot dovetails into the B plot is methodically shown to the viewer. Fortunately, this information is in its natural habitat, so it does not make for a ruinous experience. You may even enjoy how the action plays out in front of your eyeballs, unless it’s an M. Night Shyamalan project. And don’t whinge on about prematurely discovering the ending of a film that came out in 1998.