'I got my revenge on wife by naming my sons after James Bond villains'
William Woodhams says people think he and his wife are either 'insane' or 'horrible posh weirdos' but the family from Notting Hill are 'loud fun people' - and certainly not dull!
A man who named his sons after James Bond villains to take 'revenge' on his wife says they won't be bullied because most children in their posh area are called Tarquin.
William Woodhams and Annabel Simpson and their sons Stanley Beats Scaramanga Woodhams and Basil Groove Blofeld Woodhams live in plush Notting Hill, London. The dad was not happy with her selection for Stanley's middle name and made his feelings known.
The publishing company director says Annabel’s decision was a reference to her career as a DJ and her favourite character from the BBC sitcom People Just Do Nothing. He decided to add Scaramanga, bond's enemy in The Man with the Golden Gun because he hated her choice.
When baby Basil arrived, the couple decided to place an announcement in The Times. He went on the explain he took inspiration from Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a recurring adversary for 007. But the dad doesn't think either of his children will suffer at school.
After Annabel picked her half of Stanley's middle name, her husband reacted. “I was annoyed about it because I thought it was pretentious,” he said, speaking to the publication. “So I got my revenge.” But he doesn't think the boys will be picked on after other children discover their full names.
He went on: “My middle name is Rodney and I grew up when Only Fools and Horses was popular. I got called a ‘plonker’ for ten years. We will back our children and they will likely be loud, fun and funny. People think ‘How dare you do this' - but there is definitely an inverted snobbery as they believe everyone should be called Henry or George."
He added that because they are living in Notting Hill and "all the kids around here are either called Tarquin or Farquaad" they are sure to get through school without any issues and the father urged others parents not to play it safe with dull names for their kids.
The confession comes after a new mum accidentally named her baby after dog food brand having never heard of the product before.
She was left horrified after her sister told her that the baby name she chose sounded is also the name of the popular pet food.
In a post on Reddit, the mum said: "My boyfriend and I are having our one and only child. We don’t know the gender and don't want to know until delivery, so we are planning for a boy's and a girl's name.
"My boyfriend and I both love the girl's name Pierina. It’s a family name on my side and means a lot to me.
"My sister, on the other hand, is very against the name and says that everyone will pronounce it Purina like the dog food brand. Obviously, I hate the idea that she is probably right, but the truth is that's not how it's pronounced.
"Despite this being a family name for our family, it is starting to spread around, and other family members are cautioning me against this name. Advice needed, please! Is this name awful?"