Will and Kate’s kids’ names? I’m sick of being told I’m supposed to know about these things

November 7, 2026 — 5:00am

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The TV series Clarkson’s Farm is not to everyone’s taste, but I’m partial to the show. I particularly like Jeremy Clarkson’s sidekick, Kaleb Cooper, the farm manager.

Kaleb knows his stuff when it comes to crops and machinery, but is gloriously uninformed when it comes to the things everyone is supposed to know. When a James Bond film comes up in conversation, he doesn’t have an opinion. He’s never seen one.

When the Irish band The Corrs are booked to play at a local venue, he wonders who they are. He’s never heard of them. He also draws a blank when asked about Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and Robert De Niro.

Oh Kaleb, I am so with you. There’s some impulse in our culture to assume everyone is signed up to the same email. We are required to know certain names, to recall certain facts, to watch certain TV shows. Anything else and you are considered a bit weird.

My local bus stop is outside the newsagency. For decades, waiting for the bus, I’ve spent my time studying the posters advertising New Idea, Woman’s Day and Who. I am always left with so many questions.

I knew, back in 2005, that divorce had struck Brad and........

© The Age