1. Synopsis

2. Notes

3. Adaptations

4. In other languages

5. Reception

6. External Links

7. References

Synopsis

Julius Caesar has invaded Britain and succeeded in his conquest; but a single village in Kent remains independent. One member of the village, Anticlimax, is dispatched to Gaul to enlist the help of Getafix the druid in providing magic potion for the British rebels. It is decided that Asterix (Anticlimax's first cousin once removed) and Obelix should accompany him, to help transport a barrel of the potion; but while beating up a Roman galley in the English Channel, Obelix mentions the mission, which is reported to the Roman high command in Britain.

In Britain, the barrel of potion is confiscated from a pub cellar owned by Dipsomaniax, along with all the barreled "warm beer" (bitter) and wine in Londinium, by the Romans, who set about tasting the barrels to find the right one. Soon the whole unit assigned to the testing is hopelessly drunk; whereupon Asterix and Obelix steal all the barrels labelled with Dipsomaniax's name, but Obelix is himself drunk and starts a fight with some passing Roman soldiers. During the commotion a thief steals the cart with the barrels. Anticlimax and Asterix leave Obelix at Dipsomaniax's pub to sleep off his hangover; but while Anticlimax and Asterix go in search of the thief, the Romans capture the sleeping Obelix and Dipsomaniax, and raze the pub. In the Tower of Londinium, Obelix wakes up and frees himself and Dipsomaniax out of the jail, and the three heroes, after a search, find the potion in use as a pick-me-up for a rugby team. After this team wins their game, the protagonists seize the potion and escape on the river Thames, where the Romans destroy the barrel and release the potion into the water. At the independent village, Asterix eases the Britons' disappointment by feigning to remake the potion, with herbs later revealed to be tea. With a psychological boost, the village prevails against the Romans, and Asterix and Obelix return home to celebrate.

Notes

• In both the book and the cartoon, the blue and white uniforms of the Camulodunum team^[3] are identical to the modern home kit of Colchester United FC.^[4][5]
• The chief of Anticlimax's tribe is a caricature of Winston Churchill.^[6] The Beatles also make a cameo appearance as bards.^[7]
• Although many books in the series deal with other European peoples, Britain is one of only two where the book starts with a note from the authors that they are not looking to insult their famous rivals (the English) but to merely make fun of the common stereotypes.^[8] The other book given similar treatment is Corsica.^[9]
• In Anthea Bell's and Derek Hockridge's English translation, the linguistic difference between the Gauls and the Britons is shown by some of the Britons (especially Anticlimax) talking exclusively in stereotypical "upper class" English, including expression 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 saying what for?"^[10]

Adaptations

• The book was adapted into an animated film of the same name, which was released in 1986. The adaptation is similar to the book (the main difference being that Dogmatix accompanies his master to Britain).^[11]
• A second, live-action film was released in 2012. 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.^[12]
• 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.^[13]

In other languages

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

Reception

On Goodreads, it had a score of 4.27 out of 5.^[14]

External Links

• [https://www.asterix.com/en/the-collection/albums/asterix-in-britain/ Official English Website]

References

• Sir John Harpur-Crewe, 9th Baronet
• Sir John Harvey-Jones
• Sir John Harvey Jones
• Sir John Haslam
• Sir John Hawkins (author)
• Sir John Hawkshaw
• Sir John Hawkwood
• Sir John Hawles
• Sir John Hayward
• Sir John Hay Williams
• Sir John Hay Williams, 2nd Baronet
• Sir John Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Baronet
• Sir John Henry Bremridge
• Sir John Henry Orr
• Sir John Henry Thorold, 12th Baronet
• Sir John Henslow
• Sir John Hepburn
• Sir John Hermon
• Sir John Herschel, 1st Baronet
• Sir John Hippisley, 1st Baronet
• Sir John Holker
• Sir John Holland, 1st Baronet
• Sir John Holland, 2nd Baronet
• Sir John Holt
• Sir John Horsey