http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/04/nspam04.xmlShowbusiness merchandising, such as Harry Potter jigsaw puzzles and James Bond water pistols, may sometimes seem to be the curse of our age. But, for sheer absurdity, the latest commercial spin-off may never be beaten.
The makers of Spam, the processed pink slab of tinned meat that has long been a national joke, announced yesterday that they are to produce a "collector's edition" flavour, Stinky French Garlic, to cash in on the West End opening of Spamalot, the Monty Python musical fresh from Broadway, at the end of the month.
"That was a long time ago and like the Monty Python team we have a sense of humour too," said Swen Neufeldt, the European general manager of Hormel Foods, the American makers of the tinned meat. "There have never been any hard feelings. Spam and Monty Python have a wonderful relationship that goes back years and years and it seems right that we should celebrate Spamalot."
In the true spirit of the entente cordiale, Mr Neufeldt said: "We will send a tin of Stinky French Garlic Spam to Jacques Chirac. He tends to complain about British food."