Lobby Lud
Encyclopedia
Lobby Lud is a fictional character invented in August 1927 by the Westminster Gazette
, a British
newspaper
, now defunct. The name derives from the telegraphic address of the newspaper ("Lobby, Ludgate
").
from 1930, in turn being absorbed into the Daily Mail
in 1960.
Other newspapers such as the Daily Mirror ran similar schemes – "You are (name) and I claim my five pounds" – the most well-known challenge phrase, seems to date from a Daily Mail version which ran after World War II
.
A special train service, the "Lobby Lud Express", was run to take Londoners to the resorts Lobby visited.
s" in the north of England); the town or works would all decamp at the same time. Circulation could drop considerably in the summer.
The Daily Mirrors "Chalkie White" continues to visit resorts, and the idea has been taken up by local radio stations and other media (often offering lesser prizes). Chalkie White is the name of Andy Capp
's closest friend in a long-running Daily Mirror cartoon strip.
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, now defunct. The name derives from the telegraphic address of the newspaper ("Lobby, Ludgate
Ludgate
Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, and Ludgate Circus.-Etymology:...
").
Scheme
Anonymous employees of the newspaper would visit seaside resorts. The newspaper would print details of the town, a description of the appearance of that day's planted "Lobby Lud", and a particular pass phrase. Anyone carrying a copy of the newspaper could challenge "Lobby Lud" with the appropriate phrase, and receive the sum of five pounds. This was then a handsome amount of money, equivalent to more than £220 in 2008 pounds.Other papers
After the demise of the Gazette in 1928 the competition continued in the Daily News, which became the News ChronicleNews Chronicle
The News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
from 1930, in turn being absorbed into the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
in 1960.
Other newspapers such as the Daily Mirror ran similar schemes – "You are (name) and I claim my five pounds" – the most well-known challenge phrase, seems to date from a Daily Mail version which ran after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
A special train service, the "Lobby Lud Express", was run to take Londoners to the resorts Lobby visited.
Targets
Holidaymakers were less likely to buy a newspaper, and since claimants for the prize had to have a copy of the newspaper, the newspaper proprietors hoped the prizes would increase circulation. Some towns and large factories used to leave on "holiday fortnights" (called "wakes weekWakes week
The wakes week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland.- History :Wakes were originally religious festivals that commemorated church dedications...
s" in the north of England); the town or works would all decamp at the same time. Circulation could drop considerably in the summer.
Other
In 1983 an original "Lobby Lud" – William Chinn – was rediscovered aged 91 and living in Cardiff, Wales.The Daily Mirrors "Chalkie White" continues to visit resorts, and the idea has been taken up by local radio stations and other media (often offering lesser prizes). Chalkie White is the name of Andy Capp
Andy Capp
Andy Capp is a British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe , seen in The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mirror newspapers since 5 August 1957. Originally a single-panel cartoon, Smyth later expanded it to four panels....
's closest friend in a long-running Daily Mirror cartoon strip.
Lobby Lud in popular culture
- Graham GreeneGraham GreeneHenry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's Brighton Rock (1938) uses a Lobby Lud character (called Kolley KibberKolley KibberKolley Kibber is a fictional character from Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock. He was portrayed by Alan Wheatley in the 1947 film adaptation. His name is a reference to Colley Cibber, the English playwright....
) as a plot device. - The device also appears in Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's Poirot short story The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan (1924), as the main character, Hercule PoirotHercule PoirotHercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
, is mistaken for the man in the newspaper contest, "Lucky Len", while he's on holiday at the seaside. - "You are X and I claim my five pounds" (commonly abbreviated to "YA X AICMFP", "YA X AICM£5", "AICM5GBPISO 4217ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
" or "AICM5UKP") is now commonly used in online discussion forums such as UsenetUsenetUsenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
and B3taB3taB3ta is a high-profile British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community" by The Guardian. It was founded in 2001 by Rob Manuel, Denise Wilton and Cal Henderson....
. The phrase is often employed ironically to make a humorous comparison between the poster and another person, either a third person who frequents the same forum or a celebrity. - The phrase occasionally mutates thematically to "...my five euros", "dollars", etc. – and among science fiction fans "quatloos" (from Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
) is a popular substitution. - The phrase has occasionally been parodied by the satirical British magazine Private EyePrivate EyePrivate Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
. Most notably, the cover of issue 180 in November 1968 showed a photograph from the wedding of the former Jackie Kennedy in which the bride was apparently saying: "You are Aristotle OnassisAristotle OnassisAristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
and I claim my five million pounds" - In "Caving & the Art of Subversion", the first of the "Mindscape" books by Terence M Harrison, Lobbylud appears as a subversive metaphor for popular culture (the novel involves a group of young 'revolutionaries' whose mission is to destroy a new "Big Brother" type UK database system).
- In the 1970's BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy Doctor in ChargeDoctor in ChargeDoctor in Charge is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of Doctors...
episode entitled "The Loftus Papers", doctor Paul Collier refers to himself as Lobby Lud. Later he also refers to the cleaning lady in the same way.
External links
- Chalkie White, 2005 article from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. - Reference in comp.sys.sinclair FAQ
- Private Eye, 1968 cover from issue 180 of Private EyePrivate EyePrivate Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
.