A brief explanation.
The Sunday Roast first appeared on Myspace in October 2008 and ran until September 2011 on that site. All of the posts are still there but unfortunately, in many of the roasts, my pictures appear to have vanished.
Thanks a bloody lot, Myspace. Many of those older posts do not make sense any more – if they ever did. Therefore, I will reproduce some of the best bits that I used to stick as Picture of the Week.
Secondhand porn magazines. Any takers?
This was in the first ever Sunday Roast, though the picture was taken later. It shows the frontage of a bookshop, and not just any old bookshop either. This one specialises in, erm … magazines, books and DVDs of a sexual nature. However, look at the notice above the door.
Book exchange? I don’t want to think about secondhand books from that shop. Imagine reading them all the while knowing where they’ve been? That’s if you could prise the pages apart. Yew!
A bit of a bell-end …
In the UK, we have a term for people who are stupid. In fact, we have many terms: Stupid, prat, twat, nob-head, and so on. All of these could be applicable to many folk I’ve known but there is also another one we use, namely – bell end. A bell end refers, of course, to the end of a man’s private parts and to call one a bell-end, is to say he is a cock, or a dick or even a prick.
Therefore, imagine my juvenile humour at seeing this street sign in Rowley Regis.
You couldn’t make it up. Just think if some guy from Bell End ever writes into the paper and they put the location next to his name.
John Smith – Bell End.
He’d never live it down.
Frosty the Snowman, was a creepy horrible soul.
This was a window display in the local Merry Hill (locally known as Merry Hell) Shopping Centre a few years back. I don’t know what the thought behind the snowman was and if it actually frightened the kids, but it sure scared the hell out of me.
The Full Monty?
Also in the Merry Hell Shopping Centre, around the same time were these fellas.
Not sure what it was they were advertising. The Emperor’s new clothes, maybe? Note the second from the right appears to be scratching his arse.
Now I know what you’re going to say, the staff were probably just dressing them. No. I remember it well. I saw them one day and the next visit, a week later, they were still the same. Perhaps as it was closing down, all the clothes had gone?
A chest of drawers … anybody.
This one is for a good friend of mine, John who originally brought it to my attention. A chest of drawers, obviously is a piece of furniture. However, this shop didn’t quite get the message right.
Chester Draws. Classic.
Gadgets you cannot live without # 1
The effective 2-way shoe stretcher. Ideal for stretching those shoes you buy that don’t fit.
Arrrgghh! Don’t buy the bloody wrong sized shoes, then.
And still on the subject of shoes …
And it’s back to Merry Hell Shopping Centre and another silly window display. This one tells us if you buy two slippers, you get the third free.
Hmmm … Haven’t actually seen many three-legged folk stumbling around recently. Are you going to tell them or shall I? Rolf Harris was only joking when he sung about Jake the Peg.
An effective method of contraception.
I don’t think this one needs any explanation, but it really was on a sign at a UK hospital.
100% safety rate … You reckon?
And while we’re on the subject …
I really can’t recall in what context I posted this picture of N-Dubz, but I can only assume it was as yet another warning for birth control.
Does the editor need an eye test.
I love this one. I think it was the Halesowen News that ran the story of poor old Robert Hadley and the burglary that took place at his home in which his grandfather’s medals were taken. You’d really think the copy editor would take more care of the sizing of pictures on the front page of the newspaper though. Wouldn’t you?
Sore loser?
When John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut, I believe it set a record for the longest tennis game in history. All’s fair in sport but the look on Mahut’s face after losing, is priceless.
Sign of the times?
This was inexplicably on a door at the Shakespeare Library Theatre a few years back.
How can you lock it if there isn’t a key?
And similarly …
This was at Park Hall Community Centre in the room where my writing group took place.
Why bother sticking a notice on the thing to say it’s broken. Just remove the bloody chair!
Quite possibly the worst advert … ever!
When Formula One supremo, Bernie Ecclestone was mugged and had his Hublot watch stolen, Hublot thought it a good move to show Bernie’s injuries to promote the fact on the basis that people will do anything to grab a Hublot.
Had the opposite effect on me. You see, I’d never buy a Hublot watch now. Not if wearing one meant I got mugged.
After the worst advert, the very worst tribute.
In the back yard of some pub in Halesowen. The tackiest tribute to Michael Jackson, ever seen.
And yet again, in Merry Hell once more …
This was also a few years back. You see, Merry Hell is not as big as some of the UKs major shopping centres. With that in mind, the best one shop could offer was for you to have your picture taken with a David Beckham … lookalike.
Great. Queue for hours to have a photo standing alongside a guy who isn’t David Beckham.
Gadgets you cannot live without # 2
A cat sleeping bag?
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, cat owners. As if …
What a load of bollards.
These bollards in the shape of children, were erected a few years back in Leicester to stop motorists driving on the pavements.
I don’t know about you, but if I’d seen one of these out the corner of my eye, I’d have left the driver seat, hit the roof of the car, swerved the vehicle and probably crashed into a shop.
And that could happen …
And finally Esther … I am indebted to some newspaper or other, for alerting me to this which I then blatantly stole and posted on a roast.
Say no more.
Cheers
Nick
Antony N Britt - Author 