Survey: “Lovely Jubbly” tops Britain’s favourite TV phrases
December 5, 2024
A nationwide survey from Sky TV has revealed a list of the most enduring and well-loved phrases from British TV. Top of the list is Del Boy’s iconic “Lovely Jubbly” (37 per cent) from Only Fools and Horses and Homer’s “D’oh” from The Simpsons (25 per cent).
“Here’s one I made earlier” from Blue Peter (24 pe rcent) and Joey’s flirtatious “How you doin?” from Friends (22 per cent) also make the list of the nation’s favourite TV phrases.
Yet modern favourites from smash hit TV shows including The Traitors, The Bear, Bridgerton and Bake Off also made the definitive list, with “Gladiators, ready?” (19 per cent) coming high in the list.
“I am a faithful” from the BBC hit show, The Traitors (15 per cent), “Sent from iPhon” at the end of Martha’s emails in Baby Reindeer (14 per cent), the meme worthy “Be honest” from Netflix’s Beckham documentary (12 per cent) and “Give Over” from Sky’s comedy drama, Brassic (12 per cent) have all cropped up in conversation, along with “Yes Chef!” from smash hit, The Bear.
Four in ten (38 per cent) admit they regularly quote phrases from their favourite TV shows – an average of ten times a month – so much so that a quarter (24 per cent) believe they help shape modern day language.
In fact, the power of TV phrases is so strong that four in ten (40 percent) have even quoted a line from a show that they’ve never watched.
Sky TV is celebrating unforgettable TV lines by adding a selection into Sky voice control. Viewers can say “Be honest”, “Dearest Gentle Reader” or “Give over” into their Sky Glass or Sky Stream remote to bring up the relevant shows.
Ben Case, Managing Director at Sky TV said: “TV makes up a big part of our cultural identity, with many modern and classic lines from shows finding their way into our vocabulary and social media feeds. 85 per cent of us say we’ve used a quote from a TV show in conversation, demonstrating the real power of TV in shaping the zeitgeist. We’re celebrating this by adding some of the most iconic phrases to our Sky TV voice control glossary, so viewers can find the shows they’re from in a new, fun way.”
The study also revealed Britain’s TV preferences and habits, with the average Brit spending almost 4.5 hours watching TV a day.
Drama (62 per cent), comedy (54 per cent), thriller (48 per cent) and documentaries (46 per cent) are top TV choices, along with true crime (38 per cent) and horror (26 per cent), with most Brits preferring to watch their programmes at home in the living room over phones and laptops (76 ).
Two thirds (63 per cent) agree that some TV shows stand the test of time no matter when they were made, with almost half (48 per cent) admitting they have loved a show so much that they have rewatched it multiple times – an average of nine times – something that will come in handy as we cosy into winter.
Some 84 per cent think that British television is the best in the world with 92 per cent saying that nothing beats sitting down to watch their favourite TV programme.
Gyles Brandreth, Sky TV Sofa Critic, added: “I love this new addition to the Sky voice control feature. It brings such fun to my viewing experience! As my anticipation builds for my evening programme, I can really get into character as I huskily growl into my remote control… ‘Winter is coming…’ and the full Game of Thrones collection is brought up on my Sky Glass TV. Slippers at the ready, I delve into another great night of entertainment. Television has become a central part of time with our loved ones; we have created TV rituals, it fuels talking points in our everyday chatter, at dinner parties and on social media. Hearing David Beckham call out Victoria with his little Be honest around the door on the Beckham documentary was such a moment on TV this year, and look at what happened – it blew up on social media. They are selling ‘my dad has a Rolls Royce’ t-shirts in Camden market – these little moments catch like wildfire.”
Britain’s 30 Favourite TV Phrases
- Lovely jubbly – Only Fools and Horses 37%
- D’oh – The Simpsons 25%
- Here’s one I made earlier – Blue Peter 24%
- How you doin’? – Friends 22%
- Gladiators ready – Gladiators 2024 19%
- I am a Faithful – Traitors 15%
- Get outta my pub! – Eastenders 14%
- Sent from iPhon – Baby Reindeer 14%
- You’re fired! – The Apprentice 12%
- Give Over! – Brassic 12%
- Be honest – Beckham 12%
- Live long and prosper – Star Trek 11%
- Winter is coming – Game of Thrones 10%
- I think I love you – Love is Blind 10%
- Yes Chef! – The Bear 9%
- Soggy bottom – Great British Bake Off 9%
- I’ve got a text – Love Island 9%
- Oh fwends – Inbetweeners 9%
- I’m the daddy – I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 9%
- Dearest gentle reader – Bridgerton 8%
- Deal or no deal? – Deal or No Deal 8%
- Xoxo – Gossip Girl 8%
- No war so bloody as a war between dragons – House of the Dragon 7%
- Keep Dancing – Strictly Come Dancing 7%
- Lady of the house speaking – Keeping Up Appearances 7%
- Say what you see – Catchphrase 7%
- Bazinga! – Big Bang Theory 7%
- Et Voila! – Emily in Paris 6%
- Please don’t cry on the chocolate – Great British Bake Off 6%
- Sweetie, darhling – Absolutely Fabulous 6%