Star Trek legend William Shatner has left British fans fuming with a comment about the UK. The 95-year-old actor, best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, kicked up a storm on X – formerly Twitter – when he responded to English pop band Right Said Fred in a debate about the weather.
Shatner's original tweet
Shatner originally tweeted: “We are 3 weeks away from Labor/Labour Day in the US and Canada and 2 weeks away from UK Bank Holiday. Where did the summer go?”, sparking a reply from the two-piece band which read: “In the UK we’ve actually had a proper summer. So when we’re all complaining about the endless grey skies in January at least we have a great summer to remember.”
The exchange that sparked backlash
Shatner then replied: “My take on UKers is that they need to complain in order to survive, and even if you point out what a great summer they had for weather, they will complain that it was an anomaly and too hot!” with a winking emoji.
The band then replied: “We are extraordinarily well-rounded complainers.”
Fans hit back
But not everyone took it in stride. One fan fumed: “You can’t have come across any of us who are the complete opposite of what you’ve just described. Just like in any country you get miserable b******s, but please don’t tar us all with the same brush!”
Another fumed: “Ridiculous interpretation. The problem is not just the heat, impossible to endure as it was. The major problems are the effects on farming, depletion of water supplies, wildfires, death of other species... That is not a 'proper' summer but a cataclysmic one.”
And a third said: “No one is complaining because the weather was nice. They're complaining that the complete lack of rain, the much higher than normal temp, has led to severe drought, wildfires, and deaths.”
Someone else posted: “You have been misinformed Bill. It’s been a very extreme hot and dry summer not a proper summer at all. No doubt you will have air-conditioning in your house. Almost no one over here does. Don't listen to people like Right Said Fred.”
Some fans see the funny side
Other fans did see the funny side, with one writing: “We do love a conversation about the weather. Oh, and a queue!”
Another said: “It’s what we do, and we are good at it. Especially if the weather is involved!”
