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92-455: According to Harry Thompson 's 2011 Tintin: Hergé and Its Creation , Syldavia "was an idealised portrayal of central Europe between the wars – a benevolent monarchy, peaceful village life, sturdy peasants puffing on large pipes." Hergé claimed that the country is heavily inspired by the real-world countries of both Albania and Montenegro , and may also be based on larger Balkan nations such as Serbia , Romania and Bulgaria . Syldavia

184-557: A Brabantian dialect word for "sweet shop": bollewinkel , also modifying the spelling of the new name. After the edition was published, Hergé subsequently learnt that Bohlwinkel is a Jewish surname. Al Capone is a Chicago crime boss and the main villain in Tintin in the Congo and Tintin in America . In Tintin in the Congo , he runs a criminal diamond smuggling operation, trying to gain control of

276-500: A coca -derived drug that plunges them into a deep sleep. One night, at the home of Calculus's friend Professor Tarragon , Chiquito breaks the final crystal ball in Tarragon's room after climbing down his chimney. He also seizes the jewellery of Rascar Capac , the Inca mummy whose tomb was violated by the expedition members. As he escapes, he is shot and wounded by a police officer and hides in

368-460: A constitutional monarch (see enlightened absolutism ). He himself ordered his ministers and generals to make the moves necessary to prevent the coup and the invasion. King Muskar XII is married, but his queen's name is not known. The king is notably absent from the other stories set in or involving Syldavia – The Calculus Affair and Explorers on the Moon . Both were set after World War II, at

460-455: A telegram from the police announcing the fakir had been recaptured. Mr. W.R. Gibbons is an American steel trader in The Blue Lotus . Gibbons is portrayed as an overweight, loud-mouthed, racist bigot. He is rude and abusive to a Chinese rickshaw driver, prompting Tintin to intercede. Gibbons also physically assaults a Chinese waiter at the "Occidental Private Club". He reports Tintin to

552-533: A 25-year-old woman (later revealed to be Victoria Coren ) in the Daily Mail . In 2003, Thompson began a relationship with Lisa Whadcock; they met after she wrote a fan letter to him about Monkey Dust . Thompson was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2005. Treated at a London hospital, he married Whadcock on Monday 7 November 2005, before dying later that day. The British Comedy Awards had planned to present him with

644-545: A BBC sports show. He followed this in 1996 by the creation of a music quiz show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks . In 1998 he was part of BBC Radio 4's five-part political satire programme Cartoons, Lampoons, and Buffoons . In 1998 Thompson produced and co-wrote the first series of Channel 4 's The 11 O'Clock Show , where he was instrumental in the creation of the comic character Ali G , played by Sacha Baron Cohen . Thompson later wrote for spin-off Da Ali G Show . Defending

736-522: A Chinese man sent to warn Tintin against Mitsuhirato , another leader of the drug smugglers. In that title's original black-and-white version, the fakir can be seen escaping through the forest with his blowpipe after shooting the dart at the Chinese man. Not taking any chances, Tintin tells the Maharaja of Gaipajama he will not leave until he knows the fakir is unable to do him any harm. The next day they receive

828-525: A Golden Oil depot (only to have Haddock's old friend Captain Chester fuel the Aurora by siphoning oil being pumped into his tanks), and sending a fake S.O.S. to throw the Aurora off course (Tintin contacting multiple shipping agencies to determine that the ship and company that sent the distress call do not exist). The Shooting Star ends with a dismayed Bohlwinkel listening to a radio announcement that reveals that

920-550: A Jury's Award in December, with executive producer Michael Hurll stating that "It's sad he won't be there to receive it, but the legacy of his enduringly popular series lives on". Upon learning of his death, BBC One controller Peter Fincham said Thompson was "that rarity in television – the talented, single-minded, subversive maverick" and that his death would "leave a big hole in the comedy world". Fincham's comments were echoed by BBC Two controller Roly Keating, who stated that "Harry

1012-660: A boat to a seaplane, on the back of it having a white flag with the words SYLDAVIA written in black. In their book Tintin Ketje de Bruxelles (Casterman, 2004 ISBN   2-203-01716-3 ), Daniel Justens and Alain Préaux have documented how the Syldavian language is based on Marols or Marollien , the dialect of the Marollen , a formerly working-class (though now trendy) quarter of Brussels . Marols, which Hergé learnt from his grandmother,

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1104-645: A crime he did not commit. However, Hergé dismissed the idea. The Bird brothers have not been seen since, though they were depicted in sketches for the unfinished Tintin and Alph-Art , in which they are at the inauguration of Ramó Nash's art exposition. The Bird brothers appear in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn (Video Game Console Version) . In the game, they are appear only in Marlinspike. Hans Boehm, who appears briefly in Flight 714 to Sydney ,

1196-417: A guerrilla war against Ben Kalish Ezab, the emir. Bab El Ehr's men mistake Tintin for a weapons smuggler working for the sheikh, and rescue him from Ben Kalish Ezab's soldiers. After discovering the mistake, Bab El Ehr accuses Tintin of being a spy for the emir and makes him a prisoner. Tintin collapses from thirst after a long march on foot through the desert, and is left behind by Bab El Ehr. Bab El Ehr plays

1288-511: A large nose, long hair, beard, moustache, and large spectacles, Endaddine Akass holds a conference on "health and magnetism" for crowds of followers including Bianca Castafiore . Tintin recognises his voice. He could be Dr. Müller or Max Bird, but more than likely he is Rastapopoulos in disguise. His name, like many in the series, is based upon the Brussels patois marols . In the two completed versions of Tintin and Alph-Art by Yves Rodier and

1380-518: A major behind-the-scenes role in The Red Sea Sharks , having used Mosquito fighter planes provided by Mr. Dawson to carry out a successful coup d'état and overthrow the Emir. After Dawson discovers Tintin spying on his arms dealership, he warns Bab El Ehr, who puts out a reward for the capture of Tintin and Haddock. At the close of The Red Sea Sharks , Bab El Ehr's regime is declared over. His name

1472-685: A number of guests, including Mr. Gibbons; "He's in import-export", Castafiore says. Not to be confused with another Gibbons, who is an American criminal worker affiliated with Al Capone and appears only in Tintin in the Congo . The gunrunner, who appears in Cigars of the Pharaoh , is an arms trafficker who rescues Tintin from a storm at sea, then turns him over to his enemies when Tintin discovers his weapons of contraband. After he and his men learn that Thomson and Thompson are about to board his ship, he escapes. He

1564-564: A pelican displayed sable , second and third gules two increscents in fess argent ; for a crest , on a barred helmet affronty or, mantled azure doubled Or , the Royal Crown of Syldavia proper ; behind the shield the Royal Sceptre of Syldavia and a sceptre of justice in saltire ; the motto "Eih bennek, eih blavek" on a scroll below the shield, pendent therefrom the badge of the Order of

1656-572: A pseudonymous writer called Ramó Nash, Endaddine is indeed revealed to be Rastapopoulos. "You will never take me alive!" he says in the dramatic conclusion. Colonel Alvarez is the polite aide-de-camp to General Tapioca who appears in Tintin and the Picaros . He is the one who receives Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus when they arrive in San Theodoros and takes them to their apartment. When he

1748-479: A rock that had been intended for Tintin. When the Blue Lotus was originally published in black-and-white, the fakir tells his boss on the phone how he intends to bribe an asylum guard into arranging Tintin's "suicide". It is also later hinted that he is the chairman of the meeting of the hooded leaders of the drug cartel. In the sequel The Blue Lotus , the fakir escapes from prison and again uses his darts to poison

1840-570: A second series of documentaries, including on national service ( Caught in the Draft ), and also about the evacuation of children from major British cities during the Second World War ( Nobody Cried When The Trains Pulled Out ). Both programmes were presented by Michael Aspel . As well as writing for television, Thompson wrote biographies of Hergé (1991), Private Eye editor Richard Ingrams (1994) (of which The Independent said, "The problem

1932-466: A time when the various Balkan monarchies providing models for the fictional Syldavia had been overthrown and their rulers exiled. It is not clear what form of government is in power in the post-war Syldavia. The Syldavian achievement of arms is shown on the title page and page 62 of the King Ottokar's Sceptre album. It would be blazoned heraldically as follows: Quarterly , first and fourth Or

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2024-619: A tree. In the morning, Calculus finds a bracelet that belonged to Rascar Capac and puts it on. He is promptly kidnapped by Chiquito and his men for sacrilege. To get past a roadblock, he and his accomplices switch cars. Chiquito takes the professor to Peru and Tintin and Captain Haddock go after them. He reappears in Prisoners of the Sun on the Pachacamac and catches Tintin who has swum aboard and found Calculus. When Chiquito calls for assistance, Tintin takes

2116-551: Is a monarchy , ruled at the time of King Ottokar's Sceptre by King Muskar XII . The capital is Klow, formerly Zileheroum, located at the confluence of the Moltus and Vladir Rivers (after Prague , which is on the Vltava River). Other cities named in the books are Niedzdrow, Istov, Dbrnouk, Douma, Tesznik, and Zlip. The population of Syldavia is 642,000 with 122,000 living in Klow, suggesting

2208-494: Is a German arms dealer who appears in The Broken Ear . He sells weapons to both sides of the conflict between San Theodoros and neighbouring Nuevo-Rico. He also works with his associate Mr. Trickler in an attempt to bring an end to their mutual enemy Tintin. Hergé's Basil Bazarov was "characterised in every detail" by the real life Greek Vickers arms dealer Basil Zaharoff , who profited by selling weapons to both sides of

2300-566: Is a form of Dutch incorporating many words of French origin as well as a sprinkling of Spanish. Syldavian seems to incorporate features of various Central European languages into the Marols foundation to suit Hergé's taste, such as German , Polish , Czech , and Hungarian . It is written both in Cyrillic and in Latin script, like Serbian . Educated Syldavians are shown speaking Tintin's language (French in

2392-402: Is being patronised by Rastapopoulos . He has Tintin and Captain Haddock denied entry to Khemed and plants a bomb on their return plane. Dawson's plan ultimately fails. Although he does not reappear after this, Dawson is depicted in some sketches of the unfinished Tintin and Alph-Art , in which he is at the inauguration of Ramó Nash 's art exposition. In the animated series, Dawson's role

2484-694: Is derived from the Brussels dialect word babbelaar or "tattler". See Alonso Pérez and Ramón Bada , (French: Barnabé ) Barnaby is the man hired by the antique dealers, the Bird brothers , to acquire the three parchments from the three model ships of the Unicorn —the first of which he finds in the Brussels Place du Jeu de Balle old market in The Secret of the Unicorn . When he failed his employers and Tintin purchased

2576-570: Is first introduced in the adventure, he seems to be friendly and good-natured, which impresses the Captain. However, it is then revealed that Alvarez is a part of the plot orchestrated by Colonel Sponsz to eliminate Tintin, the Captain, and the Professor, and Alvarez is enraged when his men fail. When General Tapioca is overthrown, Alvarez shifts over to Alcazar's side, even expressing disappointment that Tapioca will not be executed. He then assists Tintin and

2668-441: Is highly reduced. He speaks only briefly with first Mitsuhirato (by phone), and then Thomson and Thompson (in person). He does not appear to have anything more than an informal alliance with Mitsuhirato, as he only agrees to help arrest Tintin on trumped-up charges. (French: Caporal Diaz ) Corporal Diaz was a colonel for General Alcazar until Alcazar demoted him to corporal, replacing him with Tintin, after Diaz complained to

2760-618: Is not given in the comics, and nothing more is known than that it is located on the Balkan peninsula , bordering another fictional country Borduria , and that it has access to the sea. It is also mistaken for Greece in one instance, but explained as having very different local clothing. In Destination Moon , the trail of the Syldavian-launched rocket points to a location north of the Danube . There are various inspirations for Syldavia. As Hergé noted,

2852-614: Is nothing quite like it". More recently a Guardian critic called it "a wonderful programme... perhaps the best thing in Thompson's formidable CV". Thompson's last broadcast work was the Channel 5 sitcom Respectable , on which he finished work the week before he died. Co-written with Shaun Pye, the programme was set in a suburban brothel and aired in 2006. The Guardian criticised the programme's "woefully old-fashioned, juvenile outlook" and called it "drearily unsophisticated". The programme

Syldavia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2944-462: Is one of the pilots and hijackers of that flight. Rastapopoulos planned to eliminate him and the other conspirators. Mr. Bohlwinkel is a financier from the fictitious South American country São Rico , who appears in The Shooting Star . As the owner of a major banking concern and a petroleum firm called Golden Oil, he uses his wealth and resources to attempt to beat Tintin and his friends in

3036-464: Is related to German. Within the universe, the existence of the Germanic Syldavian language (and most likely Bordurian as well) may be explained as having been brought by the in-migration of German-speakers, such as the real-life Transylvanian Saxons and Danube Swabians , perhaps as part of the larger Ostsiedlung , but whose language diverged over a thousand years due to relative isolation from

3128-460: Is secretive and has very tightly-guarded security, including a large number of security checkpoints, helicopter surveillance, anti-aircraft artillery, and a squadron of fighter aircraft based at the facility. Work at the centre, carried out by a large team of international physicists recruited by the Syldavian government, involves research into protection from the effects of nuclear weapons and

3220-516: Is that Thompson simply worships Ingrams, and his biography melts steadily into hagiography... [an] overlong panegyric") and Peter Cook (1997). His novel This Thing of Darkness , a historical fiction about Charles Darwin and Robert FitzRoy , the captain of the Beagle , was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2005. Thompson described Fitzroy, rather than Darwin, as the book's hero: At its heart, it

3312-454: Is the attempted murder of their helper, Barnaby , just before he can tell Tintin of their plot. The Bird brothers are eventually captured by Thomson and Thompson . Max escapes, but is later caught while trying to flee the country. In Red Rackham's Treasure , Max Bird is said to have escaped again and is spotted near the Sirius , a ship about to set sail with Tintin and Haddock in their search for

3404-459: Is the base for the Syldavian space program . The facility, which seems to be entirely self-sufficient, is administered by the Director, Mr. Baxter . The Sprodj Centre has its own atomic pile for processing uranium into plutonium and has vast facilities for the research and construction of the rocket-ship which carries Tintin and his colleagues to the Moon . The gargantuan complex is last seen at

3496-479: Is the loincloth-wearing ascetic appearing in Cigars of the Pharaoh as a high-ranking member of an opium smuggling ring. He shoots darts soaked in the dangerous Rajaijah juice that drives people mad. Among his talents are hypnosis, the Indian rope trick, and escapology (to the point where he is offended by Tintin thinking he could tie him up). He is eventually captured when the leader accidentally knocks him out with

3588-428: Is the true story of someone who epitomised a certain sort of person that this country produced in the 19th century. There was a fantasy of chivalric empire, run by Britons who were gentlemen and played the game. Of course the reality was that our empire was no better than any other. We were busy conniving in the extermination of tribes, robbing natives of their land and we sent droves of brilliant young men, brought up with

3680-640: Is ultimately seen as a leading member of the Incas in Prisoners of the Sun . He assists General Alcazar in his knife-throwing act, but this serves as a cover since Chiquito, unknown to the General, is out to punish the Sanders-Hardiman expedition members who violated the tomb of his ancestors. He does so by breaking into the homes or offices of the explorers and breaking crystal balls in their presence. The balls contain

3772-512: The motion capture film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn , Barnaby is an Interpol agent investigating Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine . It was implied that he did not survive after being shot by Sakharine's accomplices. (French: Basil Bazaroff ) Basil Bazarov (formerly Mazarov in an early edition) of the Korrupt Arms Company (Vicking Arms Company in the French edition)

Syldavia - Misplaced Pages Continue

3864-635: The 10th century by the Turks , who occupied the plains forcing the Slavs into the mountains (in reality, the Balkans were conquered in the 14th century). The modern Syldavia was formed in 1127 when a tribal chief called Hveghi defeated the Turkish conquerors at the battle of Zileheroum and took the name Muskar, ruling until 1168. Although he was a successful ruler, his son Muskar II was an inferior king as ruler. Borduria conquered

3956-699: The 1950s Syldavia had a secret, but successful space program in the area of Sbrodj (named Sprodj in the English edition). The Sprodj Atomic Research Centre, seen in Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon , is located in Syldavia. The sprawling complex is located in the Zymylpathian Mountains of Syldavia (a play on the Carpathian Mountains ), located close to rich deposits of uranium . The Centre

4048-458: The 50 funniest or most influential people in British comedy, citing Monkey Dust as evidence: "the most subversive show on television. The topical animated series is dark and unafraid to tackle taboo subjects such as paedophilia, taking us to Cruel Britannia, a creepy place where the public are hoodwinked by arrogant politicians and celebrities. This edgy show doesn't always work, but when it does there

4140-530: The African diamond production. He orders thugs to face Tintin in Tintin in America . Capone's main rival in Chicago is Bobby Smiles . Tintin arrests 355 members of Capone's Central Syndicate of Chicago Gangsters. Capone himself is tied up by Tintin and arrested, but he escapes. The character is based on the real-life Al Capone of Chicago. Al Capone was alive in 1931 when Hergé depicted him in his comics. He would be

4232-494: The British edition, the translators rendered the motto "If you gather Thistles, expect Prickles"). The motto can also be interpreted as a Brussels dialect rendering of the Dutch phrase " Hier ben ik, hier blijf ik " ("Here I am, here I stay"). Syldavians seem to be fond of mineral water , which does not go down well with the whisky -drinking Captain Haddock , one of Tintin's travelling companions. The exact location of Syldavia

4324-418: The Captain in rescuing Thomson and Thompson and also freeing Bianca Castafiore and her entourage. Sheikh Bab El Ehr is an Arab insurgent who fights Emir Ben Kalish Ezab , ruler of the fictional Arabian state of Khemed ; though overall he comes across as a villain rather than a noble fighter. In Land of Black Gold , he is shown allied with Dr. Müller and his Skoil Petroleum Company and fighting

4416-411: The Cyrillic letters used are a straight transcription from the Latin letters (e.g., "sh" is written "сз" -compare to Polish "sz"- rather than "ш"). The kingdom's motto is " Eih bennek, eih blavek! " which Hergé translates as " Qui s'y frotte s'y pique " "Who rubs himself there gets stung" (in fact, the motto of Nancy , from the Latin non inultus premor , referring to its emblem, the thistle ; in

4508-520: The Golden Pelican. The flag of Syldavia is seen on page 59 of King Ottokar's Sceptre, as the King's procession passes onlooking crowds. It appears to be identical to first and fourth quarter of the coat of arms, that being Or a pelican displayed sable . The flag is seen earlier, flying on a toy castle, on page 44. A potential maritime ensign is seen on page 61, as Tintin and the detectives are piloted on

4600-595: The Japanese authorities in retaliation only to be arrested as a liar when his information is found inaccurate. He is a friend of the Shanghai police chief Dawson who arranges for Gibbons to be released in return for expelling Tintin from the International Settlement into Japanese hands. In the unfinished adventure Tintin and Alph-Art , Haddock and Tintin visit Bianca Castafiore at an island villa. There they meet

4692-502: The Japanese, who have put a price on his head, calmly dismissing Tintin's protest that he is on neutral ground, as he did not have a passport to enter the Settlement to begin with. Dawson is ultimately forced to attend the ceremony in honour of Tintin. Appearing in a more sinister role in The Red Sea Sharks , Dawson sells weapons to both General Alcazar and General Tapioca using the pseudonym Mr. Debrett (French: M. Dubreuil ), and

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4784-723: The Lake of Sharks . The national lake is "Pollishoff", meaning "Lake of Sharks". The inspiration for this lake seems to be various lakes in the southern Balkans, particularly the Ohrid , Skadar or Prespa . By 1930s standards Syldavia has a modern military, equipped with anti-aircraft guns and radar stations. It appears to have well prepared defensive systems with checkpoints and bunkers. The army has an Eastern European appearance, possibly modeled on that of Poland or Czechoslovakia . The helmets used resemble those of Switzerland however. The uniforms have standing collars and rank indications are worn on

4876-664: The Nine O'Clock News and BBC Radio 's The Mary Whitehouse Experience . Rising to the level of producer, he produced the BBC radio shows The News Quiz and Lenin of the Rovers . Hat Trick Productions subsequently employed Thompson to produce a television adaptation of The News Quiz , entitled Have I Got News for You , a critical and commercial success which Thompson produced for five years before moving onto other projects. A biographer and novelist, Thompson wrote six books: an investigation into

4968-601: The Royal Court in Klow uses the Latin alphabet . The song Sildavia from the Spanish group La Unión ( Mil Siluetas , 1984) mentions this country as a land of dreams. The Dutch group Flairck also has a song called Syldavian Waltz , featured in their album The Emigrant ( Syldavische wals , De Emigrant , 1989). Tintin stories featuring Syldavia: Harry Thompson Harry William Thompson (6 February 1960 – 7 November 2005)

5060-494: The Sun . Paolo Colombani, is Skut's co-pilot and hijacker of that flight. Rastapopoulos planned to eliminate him and the other conspirators. Mr. J.M. Dawson is the corrupt British chief of police of the Shanghai International Settlement in The Blue Lotus . In revenge for Tintin's rebuking of his American friend, businessman Mr. Gibbons , Dawson has Sikh prison guards assault Tintin, but Tintin outwits them. Dawson then plots with Mr. Mitsuhirato and turns Tintin over to

5152-415: The borders. (The situation was very similar to that of Anschluss in Austria in 1938 though the conclusion was not the same.) King Muskar XII is a keen motorist who drives himself with only an aide for escort and carries his own pistol for protection. He appears in elaborate hussar dress for court and public ceremonies and in a plainer uniform on other occasions. Muskar XII is an actual ruler rather than

5244-426: The central character, each imbued with a strength of character and depth of personality that has been compared with that of the characters of Charles Dickens . Hergé used the supporting characters to create a realistic world in which to set his protagonists' adventures. To further the realism and continuity, characters recur throughout the series. During the German occupation of Belgium during World War II , and

5336-538: The chivalric fantasy, to enforce what was in many cases a visibly corrupt system [...] But Fitzroy's morality was iron. He said no. And it destroyed him. His final book, the semi-autobiographical Penguins Stopped Play , was finished in 2005; it dealt with his amateur cricket team, the Captain Scott XI, and was published posthumously in 2006. Thompson was married to Fiona Duff. They had two children, Betty and Bill. The breakdown of their marriage became public in 1997 when Duff wrote an article about Thompson's affair with

5428-411: The collar. The green-uniformed armed police or gendarmerie are stationed in both rural and urban areas. The Royal Guard wear hussar uniforms, a style which originated in Eastern Europe. The ceremonial guards at the Royal Treasure House, Klow have elaborate costumes of traditional Balkan design and are armed with halberds . The capital of Syldavia is Klow. The city was founded in the 10th century by

5520-462: The conflict between Bolivia and neighbouring Paraguay during the War of the Gran Chaco (in The Broken Ear , Bazarov fuels the "War of the Gran Chapo"). Sir Basil Zaharoff enjoyed a good reputation at the time The Broken Ear appeared; he was made a Grand-officier de la Légion d'honneur and made member of the Order of the British Empire . (French: Les frères Loiseau ) The Bird brothers, Max and G. Bird (French: Maxime et G. Loiseau ) are

5612-409: The country during the reign of Muskar II in 1195 until Ottokar I (his real name and title being Baron Almaszout) drove them away in 1275. King Ottokar IV became King in 1360. He took away the power of many upstart nobles. When an enemy, Baron Staszrvitch, claimed the Throne and attacked him with his sword, Ottokar struck him to the ground with his sceptre . The King then said the motto and decreed that

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5704-414: The country is similar in size to Montenegro . The national airline is Syldair and the official currency is the khôr. One khôr is subdivided into 100 paroe. The people speak Syldavian , a language that looks and sounds Slavic but is mostly based on the West Germanic Marols dialect from Brussels. It is written in Cyrillic , but curiously, the Latin alphabet is used in medieval documents, and some of

5796-514: The end of Explorers on the Moon and is never again seen in the Tintin series. In Destination Moon , the Sprodj Atomic Research Centre invites Professor Calculus to head its space division, and later Tintin and Captain Haddock to be part of the Moon mission. In The Calculus Affair , Syldavia's secret agents compete with archrival Bordurian agents to kidnap Professor Calculus and obtain the secrets to develop sound-based weapons. The Blushtika, meaning "Goat Dance Twisting", as seen in Tintin and

5888-407: The fame of Czech architecture. As a large and relatively well-off capital city, Klow has a large museum of natural science with mounted dinosaur skeletons. Klow is said to be the Capital of Mineral Water, and they are famous for their Klowaswa (Cyrillic: Кловасва), their national mineral water, literally meaning "Klow Water" or "Water from Klow". In contrast to ordinary Syldavians, who use Cyrillic ,

5980-415: The general that San Theodoros had too many colonels and too few corporals ( The Broken Ear ). In revenge, Diaz engaged in repeated, unsuccessful assassination attempts against Alcazar. Diaz expired in the last attempt when the bomb he planted exploded prematurely. Alcazar had just arrested and sentenced Tintin to death due to faked evidence, and had just promoted Corporal Diaz back to colonel. The fakir

6072-636: The humour in the show, he publicly announced that "You'll never see anything PC or right-on in my shows. I get accused quite a lot of straying into bad taste , but I think you can laugh at almost anything." In 2003 Thompson, alongside Shaun Pye , created and wrote the adult cartoon comedy Monkey Dust . The programme was known for its dark humour and handling of taboo topics such as bestiality, murder, suicide and paedophilia . There were three series broadcast on BBC Three between 2003 and 2005; no further series were made following Thompson's death from lung cancer. In 2003 The Observer listed him as one of

6164-504: The invading Turks and was then named Zileheroum. The Magyar nomads that lived there were forced to live in the Zmyhlpathernian mountains, while the Turks themselves settled in the newly founded city located in the lush hills. In the year 1127, the nomads, led by their chief Hveghi, defeated and drove away the Turkish conquerors. Hveghi took the name Muskar, meaning "the brave" and Zileheroum was renamed to Klow, meaning "freetown" from kloho ("freedom") and ow ( town ). In 1168, Muskar died and

6256-411: The last real-life individual to appear as a character in the Adventures under their real name. Pietro is an Italian-American gangster in Tintin in America and one of Al Capone's fellow gangsters. Chiquito, or Rupac Inca Huaco, is a full-blooded Peruvian Quechua and one of the last descendants of the Incas . He is first seen as the sidekick to General Alcazar in The Seven Crystal Balls and

6348-410: The late-night news programme Newsnight , later commenting that it was "the most awful experience of my life, full of people who barked into phones, professionally". Switching his focus to comedy, he worked as a researcher for BBC2's Not the Nine O'Clock News and for various comedy shows on BBC Radio , including BBC Radio 4 's The Mary Whitehouse Experience . Rising to the level of producer, he

6440-437: The main adversaries in The Secret of the Unicorn . They are antique dealers who learn about a treasure left by the pirate Red Rackham , and are willing to kill in order to possess it. In the original French, their names are Loiseau (French for "the bird"). Maxime is renamed Max in the English version. In the Golden Books edition (American English), their name is spelled Byrd. The Bird brothers, like Tintin, are looking for

6532-412: The opportunity to jump back into the water, swimming back to safety as Chiquito shoots at him. Their next meeting is at the Temple of the Sun, high in the mountains, where he and the Incas perform the ceremony of burning Tintin and his friends at the stake , only to be interrupted by a solar eclipse . He eventually releases his control over the Sanders-Hardiman expedition members by order of the Prince of

6624-506: The original). There is a hint that German is the predominant second language among the less educated, as in one scene when Haddock complains he is thirsty, a Syldavian soldier does not understand him until he yells " ich bin durstig ". At that time, German was the dominant lingua franca in Central and Eastern Europe, and Syldavians would be expected to have a better command of German than most other Central or Eastern Europeans, as their language

6716-529: The police are onto him. Bohlwinkel has physical traits reflecting a stereotypical Jew in Nazi propaganda . In the original edition of The Shooting Star published during World War II , he was named Blumenstein, an American Jew from a bank in New York. For the later edition of the book, Hergé altered the financier's antecedents by relocating him to the fictitious South American country São Rico and changing his name to

6808-411: The primary inspiration was Montenegro , but the country's history is modeled after many Balkan countries. Har Brok writes that Syldavia "may have been modelled after a country like Romania or Yugoslavia ". Syldavia is also known for exporting violinists. The region of Syldavia was inhabited by nomadic tribes of unknown origin until the 6th century, when it was overrun by Slavs . It was conquered in

6900-409: The race to find a recently fallen meteorite . Apart from financing the exploratory vessel Peary , he unsuccessfully attempts to sabotage the competing expedition's ship Aurora , helmed by Captain Haddock. This includes depositing lit dynamite onto its deck (which Snowy puts out), instructing another ship under his control to ram the Aurora during a storm, refusing to allow the Aurora to refuel at

6992-411: The research facility, he is hit with high alcohol duty. It is mentioned that a prime dish in the country is szlaszeck, described by a waiter as the hind leg of a young dog in a heavy Syldavian sauce. However, this may not be true as the waiter was deliberately attempting to disturb Tintin. Szlaszeck (apparently from Polish szaszłyk , " shish kebab ") is served to Tintin with mushrooms and a salad. In

7084-589: The rest of the Germanic-speaking world and contact with other groups, which is in fact not unlike how Romanian developed. Syldavian cuisine appears to be typical of Eastern Europe; blini , herbs, sausage and garnish are seen in the kitchen of a Syldavian restaurant in King Ottokar's Sceptre . Mineral water is an important export, and alcohol is scarce, much to Captain Haddock 's disgust. When Haddock tries to bring in alcohol with him when visiting Calculus at

7176-510: The ruler of Syldavia must have hold on the sceptre, otherwise he would lose his authority, as it had saved his life. This custom had the power of law as late as 1939. In 1939 Syldavia was nearly invaded by its neighbor Borduria, part of a plot to oust King Muskar XII . The sceptre was stolen in the hope that the king would abdicate. Tintin had a hand in defusing the situation by returning the sceptre just before St Vladmir's day. The Bordurians then announced they were withdrawing troops 15 miles from

7268-586: The ship instead, first he stole Tintin's Unicorn , then ransacked Tintin's flat after he broke the mast and did not find the parchment. Later, he chloroforms Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine and breaks the mast of his ship, acquiring a parchment. When he brings it to the Bird brothers and then asks them for more money to get the other two, then threatens to expose them when they refuse, he is shot and wounded outside Tintin's flat. He turns from his employers and tries to warn Tintin of them but could only point to feeding birds. In

7360-420: The show first began, he was extremely confident, considering it to be "the best comedy show on TV. It never occurred to me that anything else could be better… I know it sounds arrogant". Have I Got News For You initially screened on BBC2, but proved enough of a success that by 2000 it had been moved to BBC1 . Moving on to produce other comedy panel shows, in 1995 he began work on They Think It's All Over ,

7452-520: The story of The Man in the Iron Mask ; a biography of Hergé with a commentary on his Adventures of Tintin series; biographies of Peter Cook and Richard Ingrams ; a novel, This Thing of Darkness ; and the semi-autobiographical Penguins Stopped Play . Harry William Thompson was born on 6 February 1960 in London. His father was a marketing manager who worked for The Guardian , while his mother

7544-469: The subsequent restrictions this imposed, Hergé was forced to focus on characterisation to avoid depicting troublesome political situations. The public responded positively. Colourful main characters, villainous antagonists, and heroic supporting cast were all introduced during this period. Endaddine Akass is a guru and main antagonist of the unfinished book Tintin and Alph-Art , the last of The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé . An odd-looking man with

7636-429: The three parchments from Sir Francis Haddock that hold the secret of Red Rackham's Treasure . They operate from their manor, Marlinspike Hall , where at one point they hold Tintin prisoner to force him to surrender the parchments. Furthermore, they threaten him with torture while refusing to accept Tintin's explanation that a pickpocket had earlier stolen his wallet containing the parchments. Amongst their other crimes

7728-457: The treasure. Thomson and Thompson are thus sent as part of the expedition in order to look out for him, but he never appears. The detectives conclude at the end of the adventure that he was discouraged because of their presence. At one point of the early development of what became Tintin in Tibet , Hergé originally considered bringing back the Bird brothers in a story in which they frame Nestor for

7820-467: Was a teacher who campaigned for higher standards in education. He attended the private, fee-paying school Highgate School before going on to study History at Brasenose College, Oxford . There he became editor of the university newspaper, Cherwell , working alongside arts editor Roly Keating , the future controller of BBC2 . Leaving university, he joined the BBC as a trainee in 1981. Here, he worked on

7912-426: Was a truly independent spirit and one of the funniest people I've ever known". His literary agent Bill Hamilton told BBC News that Thompson had been "plainly a genius". In a 2005 episode of Have I Got News For You , featuring Alexander Armstrong as host and Fi Glover and Ian McMillan as guest panellists, a message stating "In Memory of Harry Thompson, the first producer of Have I Got News For You (1960–2005)"

8004-431: Was also criticised in some quarters on the grounds that it made light of prostitution. Harry Thompson also produced non-comedy documentaries for BBC Radio. He made several programmes with writer/presenter Terence Pettigrew, starting with anniversary tributes to Hollywood icons James Dean ( You're Tearing Me Apart ) and Montgomery Clift ( I Had The Misery Thursday ). Pettigrew and Thompson subsequently worked together on

8096-407: Was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer , novelist and biographer. He was the creator of the dark humour television series Monkey Dust , screened between 2003 and 2005. Born in London, Thompson was educated at Highgate School and Brasenose College, Oxford , then joined the BBC as a trainee in 1981. He soon focused his attention on comedy, working as a researcher for Not

8188-568: Was displayed. List of The Adventures of Tintin characters#King Muskar XII This is the list of fictional characters in The Adventures of Tintin , the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé . The characters are listed alphabetically, grouped by the main characters, the antagonists, and the supporting characters. Before the list, there is an index of characters for each of the 24 albums. The supporting characters Hergé created for his series have been described as far more developed than

8280-468: Was responsible for the production of long-established show The News Quiz as well as Alexei Sayle 's new comedy series, Lenin of the Rovers (1988). The Guardian would note that at this time he established himself as "a maverick" who pushed established boundaries with "outrageous jokes". During the 1980s several independent producers realised that BBC Radio 4 had a number of comedy shows that could be successfully converted to television. Among them

8372-457: Was succeeded by his son Muskar II. Muskar II, however, was weak, and the neighboring Bordurians took over the country. Klow has a wide variety of cultural styles. Mostly typical Yugoslavian, there are also many buildings of Austrian and Turkish appearance, for example, the old mosques. However, the Kropow castle's architecture and decoration are of Bohemian pattern, but this could be because of

8464-467: Was the company Hat Trick Productions , who decided to adapt The News Quiz for television in 1989. Jimmy Mulville , the company's managing director, asked Thompson to produce this venture, which first appeared in 1990 as Have I Got News For You . Thompson selected Angus Deayton to present the show, with Ian Hislop and Paul Merton as the team leaders. He oversaw the production of the show for 93 episodes over five series. He later remarked that when

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