I have always had an ambition to sit in the Mastermind Quiz hot seat but have been thwarted by not being able to finalise my specialist subject and I also have a pitiful lack of general and applied knowledge by which to avoid a completely humiliating televisual experience.
By the way, my shortlist of subjects currently comprises “A History of Marmite”, “The Tour de France”, “Cheese” and “Famous people from Hull, Yorkshire”.
Other prominent upholstery in the modern entertainment era, if pressed for a top ten would include but in no particular order ;
The sofa from “Friends”,
the rocking chair occupied by the Irish crooner Val Doonican,
the favourite bar stool of comedian Dave Allen,
Ronnie Corbetts lounger,
a wicker high backed chair that became synonymous with Sylvia Kristel (you may have to ask your dad about that one),
the red leather Chesterfield armchair of Cyril Fletcher from “That’s Life”,
whatever Sharon Stone was sat on in “Basic Instinct”,
Captain James T Kirk's command chair on the bridge of the USS Enterprise
and
the most recent of that lot- the infamous tipping chair on the Graham Norton Show on TV.
However, the chair that wins out in my opinion has come back into my consciousness just in the last few days with the sad death of the English born actor John Mahoney who, amongst an illustrious performing career, is perhaps best known to most of us as Martin Crane, the long suffering and very normal father of Frasier and Niles.
It is of course his lumpy and very recognisable Barcalounger recliner, the deck chair striped oversized bit of furniture that stood out so much amongst Fraiser’s elitist and pretentious furnishings and objets d'art.
I remember well the episode when Marty, reluctantly first came to live in the posh apartment in Elliott Bay Towers, Seattle.
He travelled light but brought with him, as well as Eddie the Jack Russell, his comfortable easy chair and insisted it take up pride of place where he could partake of his favourite activities of watching sport on TV and drinking cans of beer.
The chair was even then well worn, a bit tatty and very offensive to Frasier’s taste and no doubt to his nostrils.
It survived a barrage of sarcastic attacks from the Crane boys and in a particularly frustrated and violent outburst even found its way off the balcony and into the street below. That saw Frasier spend a small fortune on creating an exact replica so that his dad would never find out.
It took the Mancunian live-in helper, Daphne Moon, to put a touch of realism into the situation when upon first seeing Marty’s chair she says “start with a good piece and replace the rest when you can afford it”- a typically down to earth British attitude.
No doubt there is an academic thesis to be written, if not already in existence, on the clash of cultures brought about by the juxtaposition of a Barcalounger with the likes of an Eames or a Starck but in a popular vote I am convinced that a rough, duct tape patched, greasy, sickly coloured soft upholstered easy chair would win out every time.
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