
Loch Ness Monster hunters have included the Chuckle Brothers – and even David Lean. As the Scottish icon is honoured in a new stamp and a stirring musical, we separate the classy from the crackpotIt is the UK’s largest body of fresh water, its volume totalling more than all the lakes of England and Wales combined. It is also the UK’s greatest source of daft stories. For the best part of a century, Loch Ness has used its monster-adjacent status not only to finance a healthy tourist economy, but also to generate a small industry in Nessie-related fiction, from the inspired to the crackpot. The Simpsons sent Mr Burns to do battle with the creature in an episode called Monty Can’t Buy Me Love. From the pen of poet Ted Hughes came Nessie the Mannerless Monster, who was tired of being told she does not exist. And indie folkster Matilda Mann has a song called The Loch Ness Monster, containing this advice: “Stay right down there.” Not wanting to be left out, the Royal Mail has just honoured...
An article in The Guardian's "Stage" section discusses the various portrayals of the Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie") in popular culture, from The Simpsons to Werner Herzog's mockumentary "Incident at Loch Ness." It traces the monster's fame back to 1933, noting its cinematic depiction, common tropes in Nessie films, and Herzog's humorous exploration of fact versus truth in relation to the legend.