
Obnoxious Oxford — a wickedly funny satire about privileged students
But in the Oxford of the 2020s things have changed: regional accents are out and tenuously claimed BAME identities are in — according to Thomas Peermohamed Lambert's debut novel, Shibboleth. Now it's preferable to be 'three-sixteenths Ottoman' or 'a real, honest to God, Palestinian' than prolier-than-thou from Merseyside.
The Oxford novel, so concerned with made-up identities,
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pierce Brosnan speaks out on hopes for next James Bond
Pierce Brosnan says that the next James Bond must be played by a male actor, despite suggesting in 2019 that a woman in the role would be 'exhilarating'. The actor, who starred in four Bond films, expressed excitement to see a new man bring 'new life' to the character following Daniel Craig 's departure from the franchise. Dame Helen Mirren, Brosnan's co-star, supported his opinion, saying that James Bond 'has to be a guy' as it 'just doesn't work' otherwise. Brosnan portrayed Bond in the 1990s and early 2000s, featuring in films such as GoldenEye and Die Another Day. Speculation is ongoing regarding who will replace Craig, with actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Callum Turner being mentioned as potential candidates.


The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sir Billy Connolly warns fans of scammers pretending to be him with AI
Veteran comedian Sir Billy Connolly has warned fans about online scammers impersonating him. The 82-year-old Scottish actor and TV presenter revealed his wife, Pamela Stephenson, has also been targeted. He reminded the public that artificial intelligence (AI) can recreate his voice, aiding these deceptions. In a message on his website, he said: 'Dear friends, I have learned that, unfortunately, online scam artists are targeting my fans and supporters. 'They are impersonating me, often reaching out to fans soliciting direct messaging. 'They create multiple deceptive social media and email accounts, and there could well be criminal intent. 'For the protection of all my fans and supporters, please be aware of the following: 'My official Facebook page – Billy Connolly – is my ONLY social media account. 'I do not have an Instagram, X, Snapchat, Telegram or any other social media account. My only website is 'I NEVER interact directly with fans or supporters, and would never suggest they direct message me, meet me, send me money or purchase goods directly. 'I do not sell memberships, fan cards, meetings. I will never suggest meeting personally or ask for personal information. 'If you are asked for any of the above, it is a scam. 'My likeness and the sound of my voice can be created by AI … so beware! 'My wife Pamela is also being impersonated, but please be aware that neither she nor any of my children have public social media accounts or pages. 'Please be safe everyone! Love and cuddles, Billy.' Criminals can use voice cloning technology to replicate a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio, which can be easily captured from a video someone has uploaded online or to social media. Deepfake images of celebrities are often used in scams and fake adverts featuring public figures were the most reported scam adverts reported to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in 2024. Sir Billy, who was knighted in 2017 for services to entertainment and charity, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013 and retired from live stand-up performances five years later, but has continued to record programmes and make TV appearances. His most recent projects include TV shows such as 2018's Billy Connolly: Made In Scotland, Billy Connolly's Great American Trail in 2019 and Billy Connolly Does… which began airing in 2022.


The Sun
3 minutes ago
- The Sun
I puked in a cup at Windsor Castle just metres away from King Charles – then had no clue how to get rid of it
MEETING the King is always quite nerve-racking. But nerves weren't the reason Hannah East was sick at Windsor Castle when she went to meet King Charles. 7 7 7 On the latest episode of Fabulous' No Parental Guidance podcast, mum-of-three Hannah shared the mortifying moment she threw up just metres away from the monarch. The hilarious episode also saw fellow host, Louise Boyce, share how her daughter, six, called her a horrendous four-letter word in a supermarket. Watch our No Parental Guidance podcast on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. ''This one is from two years ago," Hannah said. "My dad got an MBE. "He was going to meet the Queen who had just passed away, so he was going to see the King - and I found out the day before that I was pregnant with my third. ''I wondered 'would I be projectile vomiting all the time?'" said the comedian, who was seven weeks pregnant at the time. ''We're in this queue for ages. Emma Radacanu was stood in front of us looking like this absolute goddess. ''I was like, 'Dad, that's Emma Radacanu' and he was like, 'Who?' because he has no idea, he doesn't like tennis.'' Although the family were ''excited'' for the latest addition to the brood, the early stages of the pregnancy caused Hannah to feel queasy - and she desperately needed some water to ease the sickness. ''I said this to like a butler, 'Excuse me, I'm really sorry, is it possible to have a glass of water?' Because you're not allowed to take anything in, there was no refreshments or anything there.'' After explaining she was expecting, the butler passed her a glass of water which she downed - and that's when what her worst fear came true. Konnie Huq reveals mortifying moment she had a wardrobe malfunction at the Baftas after wearing a sheer dress She recalled: "I was like 'oh my God, I think I'm going to be sick'. And Dad was like 'well there's no bloody toilets here'. ''Dad was getting called up and we're in this fourth room out of ten rooms. So I literally held the cup to my my mouth and [puking sounds]. ''Emma Radacanu was just stood there, my dad's waiting for this MBE and I like vomited into the cup.'' 7 7 She went on: ''It's like a sick phlegm. So you know when your kids are sent home from school and you're like, 'Was it sweetcorn and carrots - or was it sick phlegm?''' Hannah was then left clutching the cup awkwardly, before finally handing it back to a member of staff, sick and all. She said: "I was carrying it for ages and then we were waiting by the doors and they opened the doors and I could see the King. "This lady said 'you can't take that in there'. So I said 'you might want to put that down the tap, I've just been a bit sick'." Horrendous four-letter word in a supermarket 7 Fellow host and mum-of-three Louise Boyce, 45, has also had her fair share of epic parenting fails - including a rude four-letter word her daughter had picked up from her friend's cat. One of her pals, Laura, has a cat - which the friend always claims is ''hard work''. ''And I just want to punch her in the face because I'm like, 'It's a cat'," she told her co-host. On one occasion, Louise visited Laura and her partner Stew with her kids - but little did she know the children would walk away with a new word in their vocabulary. ''When we got to their house, there was a card from Stew to Laura for their new house. ''And it simply says, 'The cat is a c**t'.'' Aware that her children can already read, the former model was mortified. ''My kids walk in and the first thing they see is this card - and they can't stop staring at it; it's almost like they know that it's wrong. ''They are looking at it as if Santa's holding it in Disneyland.'' Although Louise begged for the card to be turned around, it was already too late - as her daughter, five at the time, asked her what a c**t was. ''I just had to say it's a really, really naughty word that no one ever says.'' Unfortunately for Louise, her daughter likes to ''test'' her - and she decided to do it at the worst possible time and place. ''So then we're out and about and I can feel it, I know my daughter. And also the word sounds very much like 'can't'. ''So then my daughter's like, 'Mummy, you can't. You can't, you can't'. ''And we're in public. I'm like, 'I can't what?' ''And she's like, 'Mummy, you're a c**t'. ''I could see people looking at me, I'm like, 'She's saying 'can't''. ''Oh God, this is horrendous, I haven't even told my husband this. ''I don't know what to do.'' 7