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ITV Leaders' debate: Paul, Leanne and... Natalie?

  • Published
    19 May 2017
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Screen grab of tweet by @RhysCaerdyddImage source, Twitter/@RhysCaerdydd
By Lamia Estatie
BBC News

It's one thing for someone to mispronounce your name, but calling you by an entirely different one is something else altogether.

Leaders of five political parties - the Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Plaid Cymru, SNP and UKIP - took part in a live election debate on ITV on Thursday.

During the debate, UKIP leader Paul Nuttall twice called Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood "Natalie", twice, despite there being no Natalie on the panel.

Some online users were quick to poke fun over the mistake, saying Mr Nuttall had confused, external Ms Wood for the late American actress Natalie Wood. Others, such as former Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell, tweeted, external the hashtag #IAgreeWithNatalie.

Media caption,

UKIP's Paul Nuttall twice got the leader of Plaid Cymru's name wrong in the ITV leaders' debate

Since the mishap, Ms Wood herself has posted the word Natalie on her Facebook page. One user went on to add that she should have called Mr Nuttall "Theresa" in response, Ms Wood replied, external: "I missed a trick there."

Screen grab of tweet by @WelshDalaiLamaImage source, Twitter/@WelshDalaiLama

Trigger and Rodney from the British TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses also featured among the online jokes. In the series, Trigger continually refers, external to Rodney as "Dave", fully convinced it's Rodney's real name.

A Welsh Twitter user shared, external a screen grab of the pair, with Trigger referring to Rodney as Natalie.

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A pro-Brexit Twitter account photoshopped, external the podiums so the three women present at the debate were all called Natalie.

But Telegraph contributor Tim Stanley identified, external them all as Natalies.

Screen grab of tweet by @timothy_stanleyImage source, Twitter/@timothy_stanley

"I think the second one from the right is Nuttallie," The Times' Daniel Finkelstein suggested, external.

"Right, I've heard what they've all had to say on the #ITVDebate and I'm voting for Natalie," talkRadio host Julia Hartley-Brewer continued on Facebook, external.

By the UGC and Social News team

More on this story

  • Parties clash with UKIP in live debate

    • Published
      18 May 2017
    Leaders' debate
  • Conservatives pledge to stand up to SNP

    • Published
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  • Poll tracker: How the parties compare

    • Published
      19 December 2017
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