Everything about Babycham totally explained
Babycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling
perry (pear cider) invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in
Shepton Mallet in
Somerset,
England. Launched nationally in the
UK in 1953, the drink was possibly the very first '
alcopop', marketed with pioneering
television advertisements to appeal to women.
Popular through the 1960s into the 1970s, the brand's appeal waned with the rise of
wine and ready-mixed
spirit drinks. The current owners are trying to reverse this, with some success, following the reinstatement of its leaping
fawn trademark, a giant version of which used to adorn the Shepton Mallet
factory where it's produced.
Babycham can also be used as a
mixer for
brandy. The resultant "Brandy and Babycham" was particularly
en vogue in
Blackpool during the 1980s.
Similarly, in central
Scotland, Babycham has in recent years been used as a
mixer for the fortified wine
Buckfast. This potent blend is known as "Buckcham", "Babyfast", or "Fuckfast".
Babycham in the media
Possibly indicative of its status at the time, it appeared as the butt of many jokes in the 1993
BBC comedy series
The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, suggesting that it was a suitable drink for babies.
In
The Young Ones 1982 episode, "
Boring", Vyvyan Bastard (
Adrian Edmondson) orders a Babycham - "uh, mine's a Babycham" – from his mum who is bartending at a pub. In the 1984 "
Summer Holiday" episode of the same BBC comedy series, Vyvyan attests that one sip of Babycham and he's anybody's. In the 1984 episode "
Bambi",
Griff Rhys Jones played a
University Challenge presenter who, in addition to the Disney film and a
video nasty sequel, had done the Babycham commercials.
A series of Babycham television spots featuring choreographer, Charles Augins, best known for his role as "back-up" computer,
Queeg 500, in the
Red Dwarf episode,
Queeg, are referenced in the 1988 film "The Firm" (directed by
Alan Clarke) in which a
football hooligan jokingly tells his friend who is ordering drinks at the bar "Hey, I'll have a Babycham". The drink also featured in a
dance hall scene in the Reggae film
The Harder They Come.
One of the rock-band
The Libertines's side-projects was of bootleg recordings called
Babyshambles. After the band split co-front man
Pete Doherty used the name for his next musical project,
Babyshambles. The connection to Babycham is evident in not only the
portmanteau of "Babycham" and "shambles," but also in light of Doherty's fondness for fun.
Babycham is mentioned in the 1979 track 'Saturday's Kids' by mod-revival band
The Jam.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Babycham'.
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