One of the very first Britons to get the coronavirus vaccine caused uproar and hilarity on Good Morning Britain after telling Piers Morgan he did not know who he was.
Martin Kenyon, 91, shot to social media fame on Tuesday after he charmed an over-excited US reporter with his understated account of vaccination – calling the experience “not very interesting”.
The pensioner also told CNN about his “rather nasty” lunch, and complained he “couldn’t damn well find anywhere to park my car” outside St Guy’s hospital in central London.
Appearing on ITV on Wednesday morning, the grandfather said he was perplexed by his sudden fame – calling it “ridiculous” – and appeared unimpressed by the host’s questions.
“Now who are you? Who are you?” he asked Mr Morgan half-way through the interview, prompting laughter from co-host Susanna Reid. When the presenter told him his name, Mr Kenyon replied: “How do you do? I’m Martin Kenyon.”
The London pensioner also corrected what he had said on the US network about his “nasty” hospital lunch. “I don’t know why I said that – it was delicious. It was a prawn sandwich … and a glass of orange squash. Deeply uninteresting subject.”
Mr Kenyon revealed he had vivid dream the night before his vaccination about several people coming round for dinner. “It was obviously a portent …I don’t normally [dream]. I don’t dream – very odd.”
The 91-year-old also said it would be “foolish” of people not to take the vaccine, if it helped the country return to normality.
Mr Kenyon was praised online as a “national treasure” and his CNN was interview described as “peak British” behaviour. Asked why he phoned the hospital to get the vaccine, he quipped: “Well, there’s no point in dying now when I’ve lived this long, is there?”
The pensioner added: “I hope I’m not going to have the bloody bug now,” and said he was looking forward to hugging his two grandchildren.
Presenter Jeremy Vine said: “This is Peak British right here … Could almost be a Monty Python sketch. Lovely man.”
