Mat Watson isn’t suffering from a memory relapse, and he’s well aware of the true meaning of “Ee by gum”—even though he’s a Brummie and not a true-blooded Yorkshireman.

What’s the difference between a Brummie and a Yorkshireman? Well, one comes from central England, where men are no longer men. The other hails from the cold, harsh climate of Northern England, where men still chop wood with their teeth.

The Yorkshireman is a distinct breed—a subspecies, if you will. Blessed with more Viking DNA than Englishmen from the South, who are themselves a mix of Angles, Saxons, and Normans. In other words, Germans and French Vikings.

Yes, the Normans who conquered England in 1066 were, in fact, descendants of the Vikings who raided what is now France from the 8th century onwards. Eventually, the French granted these Norsemen (“North Men”) land in exchange for peace.

Yes, the French effectively ceded territory, paving the way for the establishment of a Viking colony that quickly assimilated into the Kingdom of the Franks—Francia, now known as modern-day France. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So the term “Ee by gum”—a Yorkshire expression used to convey mild surprise—was probably first uttered by their Viking ancestors… probably.

Anyway, what has any of this got to do with Mat Watson and Carwow? Absolutely nothing. We just wanted to fill some column space instead of writing yet another “Mat Watson Reviews the Jaecoo 8 SUV” headline.

And we haven’t roasted Carwow or Mat Watson for a good few weeks. Did you know Carwow considers us a media partner? That’s what their Head of Marketing revealed. Funny, really, because we don’t get paid a penny. Still, it’s nice to be taken seriously… from time to time.