Every nation has its own beloved veteran broadcasters and when they do something completely out of character, we tend to enjoy it quite a lot. That's probably why the UK's so shocked to discover that Question Time's David Dimbleby (the man with that wonderful stiff upper lip) has only gone and gotten himself inked.
Indeed, in a move that would push Anne 'Dizzle' Doyle off her hip hop rapping perch, 75-year-old Dimbleby's opted to get a tattoo of a scorpion on his right shoulder while filming a new maritime TV series by the name of Britain and the Sea.
"You are only old once. I have always wanted a tattoo" he told Radio Times. "I thought I might as well have it done now. It's a dream come true for me." And in fairness, he did it largely for educational purposes while discovering how body art was brought to the UK after Captain Cook's expeditions to the South Sea. Nothing if not a thorough reporter is David, eh?
He'd initially only opted to have the tattoo drawn on with penicl, but decided he needed to man up after seeing the first cut of the special. "I thought it was wimpish having it just drawn on and I needed to man up," he said, revealing that he'd actually had the work finalised in East London.
"It took about 30 minutes - an hour in all - and I thought of Winston Churchill having his done while mine was being done. It wasn't painful at all, it just zings a bit." We should almost mention that the UK Independent pointed out that the tattoo is ever so slightly inaccurate. Scorpions generally have 8 legs plus pincers, apparently, not 6. Talk about the sting in the tail, eh Dave?
Watch all the action unfold when Dimbleby's new series lands on BBC One, this Sunday at 9pm
