Gerald Ratner voted Nation's Number One 'Banana Skin'
Ratner pips Bush and Trojan Horse to the post
Gerald Ratner has triumphed in a nation-wide poll to find the top 'banana skin' of all time, it is announced today.
Donough O'Brien, who spearheaded the poll, in which over 500 people voted, was inspired by his book Banana Skins to ask the nation to name its number one bungle, debacle or PR disaster. He launched the national campaign to get people voting by touring regional radio stations and entering debates with listeners to encourage them to vote.
The top five banana skins of all time, as voted for by the public, are:
- Gerald Ratner and his 'crap' media skills (13.5%)
- George Bush and his verbal slip-ups (12%)
- The Trojan Army and the Wooden Horse (10%)
- John Profumo and his affair (9%)
- Clinton and his 'sexual relations' (6.5%)
Gerald Ratner went from famous to infamous after a fatal slip of the tongue which cost him his entire fortune and business empire. In 1991 he was addressing the Institute of Directors, and made his fateful gaffe by joking that his chain of jewellery stores “sold a pair of earrings for under a pound, which is cheaper than a prawn sandwich from Marks & Spencer – but probably wouldn't last as long”. He went on to describe his sherry decanters as “crap”.
Unbeknownst to Ratner, a reporter from the Daily Mirror was present and prompted a media frenzy which saw his reputation and company fall in tatters.
Advertising and PR-man turned author of Banana Skins, Donough O'Brien, says:
“Poor Gerald Ratner's really is the archetypal banana skin, and features in the book Banana Skins because of that. He was the man who had it all as one of the biggest tycoons in Britain, but who slipped up on that most deadly sin; overconfidence. So classic is his gaffe, that 'doing a Ratner' is now a universally understood saying!”
He continues:
“It's wonderful to have such a range of favoured debacles topping the list: the Trojan Horse comes in at number three, and the Roman Emperor Caligula rather unexpectedly triumphs in sixth place for choosing the word 'buttocks' as a password.”
Voters were asked to pick their number one banana skin from a list of 25 suggested slip-ups, with the option of adding their own.
Other 'banana skins' competing for the coveted accolade were :
- How Prince Harry wishes he hadn't added that Swastika armband to his party costume…
- John Major, his 'family values' and regretting advocating the Englishness of 'once a week or so, really getting stuck into a curry'
- Nelson's fatal mistake in not taking off his star-encrusted Admiral's coat as the French battle line approached
- President Nixon and his 'Watergate' scandal
Banana Skins, by Donough O'Brien, is published by Bene Factum Publishing on 14 th September 2006 at £9.99 in paperback and £14.99 in hardback.
For more information please contact Anna Mayall or Liz Sich
at Colman Getty on 020 7631 2666 or anna@colmangetty.co.uk
Notes to editors:
- Donough O'Brien is available for interview. To arrange please contact Anna Mayall at Colman Getty on 020 7631 2666.
- A jacket image of Banana Skins, author photo and further information is available from Colman Getty.
- The author, Donough O'Brien has enjoyed an active career in advertising, public relations, graphic design and film-making. Donough's interest in unearthing hidden facts and quirky events now finds full expression in Banana Skins. He lives in London with his wife, Liz, also a writer, and has two sons and a stepdaughter all working in the media. Donough is the son of Toby O'Brien, the mastermind of Britain's wartime propaganda against the Nazis. He has written two other books; Fringe Benefits and Fame by Chance.
- Praise for Fringe Benefits includes:
'A great mixture of hilarious, cranky humour combined with unusual information and sobering reflections'
Joanna Lumley
'An hilarious and fascinating insight into a family that has lived life to the full on the fringe of the good, the bad and the beautiful'
The Sunday Tribune
'A glass of wine on the go and an affability that hits you before you've even sat down. Donough harks back to a time when people still knew how to have fun. The book certainly gives a glimpse into a world long gone.'
Sunday Express
- Praise for Fame by Chance includes:
'It's a wonderful book. It's one of those things where you say, I wonder why somebody hadn't thought of it before?'
Sandi Toksvig
'This is a heck of an idea – a clever idea. I loved so many of the stories. A great Christmas present.'
Marty Whelan, RTE, Ireland
'The descriptions of the Mille Miglia really brought memories of that great, if daunting, motor race.'
Sir Stirling Moss