How happy are you on a scale of 1-10? I asked this as part of my stand-up comedy show ‘Killing the Danes’, which I performed in London this summer, and told audiences to base their decision on the same criteria used by the UN Happiness Report – factors like income, health benefits, lack of corruption,…
When I came to live in Copenhagen in 1980, it was a shock for a city girl like myself. I suddenly had to adjust to life in a tiny, well-ordered city where the shops closed at 2pm on Saturdays. Where the citizens waited patiently for the green light to cross a road even when there…
What would you like?” a voice said in my ear over the hubbub of noise. “A danskvand please.” “Water! What are you talking about? It’s Christmas!” A huge glass of white wine was thrust into my hand, which I estimated to be at least three units – a woman’s daily quota in one glass. Since…
Last Sunday, I went to the annual meeting of my new union which, in true Danish style, started at 5pm relatively formally, albeit with drinks. This was followed by dinner with drinks and ended at midnight with dancing and more drinks. An increasingly hyggelig time was enjoyed by everyone and it demonstrated yet again how…
While I was searching for songs to include in my Crazy Christmas Show this year, I came across the craziest one I’ve heard in a long time. ‘The Fox Song’, otherwise known as ‘What Does the Fox Say’, was written and performed by a Norwegian comedy duo, Ylvis. Within weeks of being on YouTube, the…
When do the Danes say no? When it comes to their men, the answer is: never! They are up for anything. But before you think I am about to write ‘Fifty Shades of Gregers’, I had better explain what I mean. Danish men, in my experience, will do anything for a laugh. They are…
I arrived in 1980 with the advantage of being British and blonde. Nevertheless, when my husband called the ‘Foreign Police’ (as they were then called) and said that he was planning to live in Denmark with his English wife, they asked if she was a “natural English person”. Realising what they meant, he said: “Yes,…
The song ‘Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ soared to number two in the British charts following the news of Margaret Thatcher’s death as many of her devoted supporters were shocked by the display of hostility and disrespect unleashed by a large section of the British public. Even a former…
In celebration of International Women’s Day, I decided to write something about feminism, sexual discrimination and misogyny. I picked up my pen and chewed the end nervously. Where to begin? How can I break the image of feminists as a bunch of humourless, self-righteous, boring lesbians who stomp around in Doc Martens drawing trousers on…
It is famously difficult to make idle chat with Danes. Have you tried? Give it a go. Stand in a queue in a supermarket and say something like: “Cold today, isn’t it?” And watch their reaction. First they will look alarmed, and then they will either ignore you or, if they decide you are…
I am probably one of thousands of women around the globe who received the erotic bestseller ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ as a present at Christmas. It has now been translated into 37 languages and labelled “the fastest-selling novel for adults of all time”. I got it from an enthusiastic English girlfriend who admits to having…
“Same procedure as every year James” is the reply given by elderly Miss Sophie to her butler in the famous TV sketch that has become part of the Danish New Year tradition. Every Danish man, woman and child eagerly watches television on the last night of the year and howls with laughter at the familiar…
