In the interests of clarity I'd just like to point out that at no stage in the other thread was there any suggestion from anyone that the Morris was regarded as mere "fun", or that any dancers were going to be poking fun at it or themselves. Nor indeed that the ad men were going to, except inasmuch as the series of ads (of which this is to be part) would be linking Pimms with a number of peculiarly British traditions. Using "peculiar" in the sense of singular and noteworthy. There would, yes, be humour involved in this - we British are good at self-deprecation - but that's a far cry from making a mockery of something. The notion that they would be (willing or unwilling)objects of derision and ridicule came from Michael himself, rather than the original request or any of the subsequent clarifications.

I don't want to morph this thread, with its fascinating historical perceptions, into the other one, but as Michael has described me elsewhere as "reprehensible" and suggested that merely by passing on the information that an ad agency was looking for dancers I was asking dancers to "prostitute their art" I do want to be clear on this thread too.