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News Host's Knickers in a Twist Over Marks & Spencer

by Zoe Strimpel
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 at 3:59 PM

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We currently find ourselves in the middle of a very British furor. It involves repeated use of the words "tackle," "pants," "gusset," and, at its core, "Paxo." To what and whom does all this refer? In a nutshell: An e-mail from the renowned presenter of "Newsnight" (Britain's hardest-hitting political talk show), Jeremy "Paxo" Paxman, was leaked this weekend.

Said e-mail made reference to the unsatisfactory nature of the support structure, specifically the "gusset," the thicker, bottom-most part of men's underwear ("pants"), from Marks & Spencer, the reliable British food, clothing, and housewares store. Mr. Paxman was concerned that the quality of men's pants from M&S had declined in recent times.

In response, the Times of London says, M&S chief exec Stuart Rose threw down the gauntlet, inviting Mr. Paxman to bring his pants in to be tested by in-house technical specialists to see whether his claims were warranted. "My message to Jeremy is: bring them in — we will put them to the test. We'll sort your tackle out," Mr. Rose said.

Mr. Paxman has heartily accepted the challenge. "Nothing I have ever done — interviewing Michael Howard, asking Tony Blair whether he prays with George Bush, nothing — has elicited such a response," he told the Times. "I have been deluged with e-mails; strangers have accosted me in the street saying, 'Good on you.' There is a real issue here. I wrote to Sir Stuart because I think Marks & Spencer is an iconic British brand and I want them to do well. They will not do well in this field with this level of quality."

It's great to know the British can still get hot under the collar, or the "gusset," where it really counts.

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