Graham Swanson, a 46yd old mechanic from Swanley, has been rewarded for "Services to stating the bleeding obvious". His wife, Helen, said "Each year on the 4th of May, he wakes me up with a wink and says 'Happy Star Wars Day'. He seems to forget that he made the same stupid comment last year and then says the same thing to everyone he sees for the rest of the day. I'm surprised that one of his colleagues hasn't battered him to death with a torque wrench".
These statements have become something of an annual routine for Graham. Each mid-summer's day, he opines that it is "all downhill to Christmas now" and, when Andy Murray is knocked out of Wimbledon, he makes hilarious comments about him being "Scottish again". Graham himself can't see any problem with his utterances though. "It's just the application of basic common sense. Why is it always the same two teams in the final of the Boat Race and how can the Americans call it a World Series when it's only them playing. Someone's got to say it".
He is unduly modest about his commitment to the cause of obvious statements, replying that he simply "gives 110% and takes it one phrase at a time". In his spare time, Graham is a qualified Sunday League football referee. In an effort to disprove claims about him from irate players, he always carries his sight test results and birth certificate.
