Neil Innes - Away With Words - Biryani means fried

Don't have an episode title. Originally aired 25th Oct. 1998. From the Anglia TV press release: He doesn't eat his hat, but presenter Neil Innes does tuck into a curry when AWAY WITH WORDS takes a closer look at what the English language owes to foreign cultures and far-away places like the sub-continent of India. Heading for Luton and Bedford, Neil finds himself on a journey which takes him from a Hindu temple to a hat factory, and ends with him rubbing shoulders with Royalty. There is an introduction to the oldest surviving written language of all when Neil visits Luton's Hindu Mandir Temple, and goes on to discover that everyday words like juggernaut, pundit and ginger all share their origins in ancient Sanskrit. A taste of the language which continues to link Britain and India comes with words like bungalow, veranda, pyjama, shampoo and, of course, curry - which Neil is more than happy to explore in more depth at Luton's Alankar restaurant. A practise session with the Luton Indian Cricket Club Colts team bowls some cricketing terminology Neil's way, and leads, by way of a hat-trick, to the factory of W.W.Wright & Son and the industry Luton is famed for. Modelling a range of colourful headgear, Neil manages to explain why magicians pull a rabbit from a hat; where milliners got their name; and how the expression "mad as a hatter" arose. Then it is off along the River Ouse to Bedford, where Neil chats with local people awaiting a visit from the Prince of Wales, and seizes the opportunity to share few words with HRH himself, as he opens the newly-named Butterfly Bridge. Sunday, 1st November 1998