Asterix in Britain

For the film, see Asterix in Britain (film).

Asterix in Britain (Astérix chez les Bretons)
Cover of the English edition
Date	1966
Main characters	Asterix and Obelix
Series	Asterix
Creative team
Writers	Rene Goscinny
Artists	Albert Uderzo
Original publication
Published in	Pilote magazine
Issues	307–334
Date of publication	1965
Language	French
Translation
Translator	Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Chronology
Preceded by	Asterix and the Big Fight
Followed by	Asterix and the Normans

Asterix in Britain (also known as "Asterix in the land of the Britons" - translated from French: Astérix chez les Bretons) is a French comic story, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the eighth story in the Asterix comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for Pilote magazine in 1965, before being released as a comic album in 1966.

The story focuses on Asterix and Obelix, as they travel to Roman-occupied Britain to help deliver a barrel of magic potion to a rebel Briton village, only to encounter obstacles that hinder their journey. The story featured several references and parodies surrounding British culture and society.

Asterix in Britain received an audiobook adaptation, as well as two film adaptations: an animated film of the same name in 1986; and a live-action film, Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia, in 2012.

Plot Summary

Folowing a successful military campaign, the Romans conquer most of Britain. However, one village (situated in present-day Kent) manages to resist the invaders. Mykingdomforanos, the village's chief, knwoing they will need help, assigns his best warrior, Anticlimax, to seek help from his cousin in Gaul, after he mentions how they rely on a potion of superhuman strength to resist the Romans. Travelling by night, he reaches Armorica, where he reunites with his cousin Asterix and explains the situation to him. Druid Getafix, being informed of his request, agrees to supply a barrel of potion, with Asterix and Obelix offering to help transport it to Britain. Before they leave, Asterix notices Getafix in possession of strange herbs he got from the Far East, and takes some with him.

Travelling across the English Channel, the group encounter a Roman galley, which Obelix delights in boarding having been bored with the Roman's absence around their village. Unknown to them, a Roman officer returning to Gaul overhears Obelix unintentionally reveal their mission, and returns to Britain to give warning to newly appointed governor Encyclopaedicus Britannicus. After Asterix and his friends narrowly avoid being captured by a Roman patrol searching for them, they make for the city of Londinium and hide out at a tavern run by Dipsomaniax. Britannicus, learning they were heading for the city, guesses their likely actions and has all barrels of beer and wine confiscated form every tavern, leading to the magic potion being seized amongst them. The following day, Asterix, Obelix and Anticlimax head to the governor's palace to get the potion back.

Finding the Romans drunk, having been up all night taste testing the barrels, they discover they can't the magic potion amongst those taken from Dipsomaniax's tavern. Although they take his barrels back, Obelix accidentally gets drunk from one of them and distracts the group into fighting a Roman patrol, allowing a thief to steal them all. Asterix and Anticlimax attempt to search for the thief with little luck, before finding the Romans had razed Dipsomaniax's tavern to the ground, arresting him and Obelix per Britannicus' orders and being imprisoned in the Tower of Londinium. The Fortunately, Obelix breaks himself and Dipsomaniax from prison, reuniting with Asterix and Anticlimax, whereupon they eventually track down the thief in a suburb of the city.

Learning he sold all the barrels, they search amongst his customers, soon learning the barrel of magic potion was sold to a rugby team. The group seize the potion following a rugby match, and make their escape by boat along the river Thames. However, a Roman galley ambushes them and destroys the barrel, releasing the potion into the water. Although disheartened, Asterix comes with the idea of remaking the potion, but with the herbs he took with him. Using them, they give a psychological boost to the rebel Britons, who promptly defeat another Roman assault. Mykingdomforanos, made aware of the truth, asks for more of the herbs, stating what they make shall be the Britons national drink. After Obelix decides to return to Gaul to avoid more British cooking, Asterix bids farewell to Anticlimax. Upon their return home, during a banquet held for their latest adventure, Asterix inquires about the herbs to Getafix, who reveals them to be called tea.

Commentary

• In both the book and the cartoon, the blue and white uniforms of the Camulodunum team are identical to the modern home kit of Colchester United FC.
• The chief of Anticlimax's tribe, Mykingdomforanos (a pun on "my kingdom for a horse"; in French his name is Zebigbos, a pun on "the big boss"), is a caricature of Winston Churchill. The Beatles also make a cameo appearance as bards.
• Although many books in the Asterix series deal with other European peoples, the album's English version formerly contained an unusual note from the authors stating that they do not aim to insult their famous rivals (the English) but to merely make fun of the common stereotypes. The authors would later do likewise (this time in the French edition) in Asterix in Corsica.
• In the French version, the Britons speak French using literal translations of English expressions, such as Je dis ! ("I say!"), and placing adjectives before nouns (as is normally done in English) instead of after, as is customary in French. When Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge translated the story into English, they expressed the linguistic difference between the Gauls and the Britons by having some of the Britons (especially Anticlimax) speak exclusively in stereotypical "upper class" English, including expressions such as "This is a jolly rum thing, eh, what?" and "I say, rather, old fruit". In particular, Anticlimax's frequent use of "what?" makes Obelix ask "What do you keep on saying what for?" to which Anticlimax humorously replies "don't you know what's what, what?"
• Anticlimax mentions that the Britons were working on a tunnel under the English Channel. The Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994, 28 years after the book was published.
• The city of Londinium was not founded until around 47 AD, about a century after the comic is set.

Adaptations

• The book was adapted into an animated film of the same name, which was released in 1986.
• A second, live-action film was released in 2012. Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia follows the plot of the book, but makes several changes: Chief Mykingdomforanos is replaced by the Queen of England and Anticlimax's tribe are represented as Scots in tartan kilts. The story is combined with elements of Asterix and the Normans – not least in that Vitalstatistix's nephew Justforkix accompanies Asterix and Obelix to Britain.
• An audiobook of Asterix in Britain adapted by Anthea Bell and narrated by Willie Rushton was released on EMI Records Listen for Pleasure label in 1987.

In other languages

Originally written in French, Asterix in Britain has been translated into Asturian, Bengali, Bosnian, Breton, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Irish, Latin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, and Welsh.

External links

• Official website