The new book Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage . . . And Other World Exclusives from Britain's Finest Local Newspapers will be published on October 13 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
There is even a Twitter link @CustardShortage.
What next? Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage, the movie.
The idea, according to publisher Penguin, is for a gift-book compendium of all the daftest stories from across Britain's local newspapers that were published on slow news days, including the Whitstable Times' classic tale of a mum who couldn't find any custard in the town.
Viking editorial director Joel Rickett said the idea came from within the publishing team, with the book bringing together the most banal headlines and articles, reproducing either just the top line or the full text of the articles created around such promising topics as "Chair Destroyed", about a chair found burnt and torn apart in the middle of a village green, or "Road Stays Open".
Pitching it to the "QI" and "The News Quiz" audience, Rickett described it to the Bookseller as "a classic loo book".
He said: "We're hoping it will be the tillpoint bestseller for this Christmas . . . Everyone keeps coming forward with their own favourite headline. It's also in part a tribute, a bit of nostalgia, about the local newspaper industry that is under threat at the moment."
But will it include the great Whitstable custard shortage rival from the Folkestone Herald: 'Out-of date-pasty is sold to young mum' ?
- @CustardShortage is tweeting such classic tales as "Horsham coat hanger theft – verdict”, West Sussex County Times, and "French City player's biscuit craving", Herts Advertiser.
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