Buckingham Palace has revealed its plan to knight Captain Horace Birdseye. The Captain (71) first rose to fame in a series of TV commercials in the 1970s, where he served up large platters of breadcrumbed fish to young children. He has long been considered a great British eccentric, infamous for his raucous west country mannerisms and bachelor lifestyle - living with his mother (93) in Port Isaac.
He is receiving the honour for what The Palace is describing as “Tireless charitable work.” Birdseye founded the “Fishface Foundation” in 1976, where vulnerable young teenagers spend a fortnight sailing across the Bay of Biscay with the Captain.
He remained a fixture on children’s TV for three decades with his “Jolly Roger” series where young people wrote in to appear on the show and be awarded a “Jolly Roger” from the jovial host as he swigged on his trademark glass of Lamb.
“It’s hard to believe we have overlooked the Cap’n for so long.” confessed a source close to The Palace. “He embodies everything that is great about this country - I can't believe we didn't see that many years ago."
"And I must admit I'm a big fan of his spicy goujons too."
