Why do we call unwanted emails ‘spam’?

Why do we call unwanted emails “spam”? The origins of the term are a lot funnier than you think.

Word expert Graeme Donald told 5 live Breakfast that the use of the word to describe emails comes from Monty Python’s famous “Spam” sketch:

“Back in the early days of the computer and the internet the ‘anoraks’ who populated the computer world were avid Python fans.

“It was the script of that spam skit – the relentless spam, spam spam, spam, spam, and the way that unwanted mail just regurgitates out of the PC… the email connection was forged by the Monty Python sketch.”

This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on Wednesday 5 July 2017.