Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Fish fingers with custard


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was delete! Delete! Okay, not really. I just really wanted to say that. The real result is redirect to The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who), because redirects are to cheap as bowties are to cool. As always, the page history remains available to those interested in performing a merge. --BDD (talk) 21:57, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Fish fingers with custard

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Fails GNG. No secondary sources showing coverage or significance. Hell In A Bucket (talk) 05:16, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Dr. Who trivia, no third-party references. Delete. - Mike Rosoft (talk) 05:18, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Television-related deletion discussions. Northamerica1000(talk) 08:33, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Science fiction-related deletion discussions. Northamerica1000(talk) 08:34, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of United Kingdom-related deletion discussions. Northamerica1000(talk) 08:34, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment A quick search on Google produces pages of references to this, many substantial. For evidence of it passing into at least elements of the national culture, see this blog. So I think the nomination fails on a literal interpretation of the rules and the question is whether this is a case for merging or whether there is a proper article in it. The feeling at the back of my mind is that as a concept it actually pre-dates the use in Dr Who - the writers delight in placing obscure cultural references, but I cannot pin-point it. --AJHingston (talk) 10:12, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment You are correct, and I have found some basic references. I am sure this is more. FishFingersCustard (talk) 17:27, 11 August 2013 (UTC)


 * Delete Sheer trivia. A small plot detail. There's no WP page for far more famous fictional-character foodstuffs: Lembas bread is mentioned in List of Middle-earth food and drink; Tea, Earl Grey, hot is a redirect; for marmalade sandwiches you have to read Paddington Bear (although to be fair Shaken, not stirred does have a page, but that's a little bit more well-known). I don't think there's much to be said about this beyond what's in the episode plot summary: you could I guess redirect to The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who), the episode which contains the fish fingers. But is this really a plausible search term? The stats page currently says it's been viewed 18 times in August - though I guess this will rise due to this AfD - and there are no incoming wikilinks from main article space. There is a significant number of Google hits but almost all are unimportant non-professional blogs, comments on blogs, or internet forums, and all mention Doctor Who. So I can't find any evidence to support AJHingston's suggestion that this precedes Doctor Who. --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:54, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete - totally non-notable trivia, no evidence it pre-dates Doctor Who or has gained any notability through its usage therein -- ChrisTheDude (talk) 11:49, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete The only reliable sourcing I can find for this is from a Doctor Who trivia book. Nwlaw63 (talk) 13:15, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Search term Try entering fish fingers and custard into Google and you will get a very different result from the result using the search term at the top of this page! Try also customising a Google search for references prior to 3 March 2010 when the episode first went out - zazzle were selling a range of t-shirts bearing that slogan since at least 2009 for example. I do not really care either way, but we should not be conducting the discussion based on a misleading Google result (a frequent problem at afd, BTW). --AJHingston (talk) 14:02, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete - Nonsensical trivia that is much less well-known than such other fictional foodstuffs as Colapeninsula mentioned. ö   Brambleberry   of   RiverClan  15:04, 9 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Redirect to the episode per WP:ATD. I don't have a strong opinion on whether the current contents should be deleted first--there's nothing particularly important there, but also there is nothing harmful or controversial.  I agree with AJHingston that the alternative version of the name is more popular, and should also be redirected to the episode. Jclemens (talk) 03:06, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * User:AJHingston and User:Jclemens I would think that a merge to Fish finger would be more appropriate. Would you agree? Hell In A Bucket (talk) 07:54, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I am at a bit of a loss to know what to say about this because clearly other people are getting different impressions from a Google search to mine. But although very many of the Google hits are to food related sites I do not think that is the central point. If there is to be a redirect it ought to be to the Dr Who episode, but in fandom it seems to be used as a code for the current (and soon to end) incarnation of the title character. In the wider meaning it is about improbable combinations and the individuality of taste. There is the clear evidence that it had a currency which pre-dates the Dr Who reference. Somebody could make an effort to track that to source, because it is relevant to an encyclopaedic entry (I have an uncomfortable feeling the allusion might be sexual) but I will leave that to others. Notwithstanding the promotional efforts of the brand leader in fish fingers, I do not think that it has ever been about either food as such. --AJHingston (talk) 08:38, 10 August 2013 (UTC)


 * Redirect to the episode. JASpencer (talk) 08:05, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete: Trivial plot detail with no substantial coverage in reliable secondary sources. No redirect is necessary because it's not a plausible search term. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 13:15, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Keep: Researching on Google Books reveals this to be a significant part of the show's mythology, and the phrase is referenced somewhat often. I added a lot of references and some backstory. FishFingersCustard (talk) 20:30, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Is this above user a sock or a single-purpose account? I fail to see why anyone would register under the moniker of "FishFingersCustard" and instantly begin editing a brand-new article with a similar title.  Taylor Trescott  - my talk + my edits 22:05, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I ran a quick little check, and it does appear to be a single-purpose account, not a sock. I can confirm that with CU data this does not appear to be a second vote from anyone else involved in the AfD discussion, even though I agree it's suspicious enough to investigate. Jclemens (talk) 01:16, 11 August 2013 (UTC)


 * alternative merge to Fish Fingers or create disambiguation to Fish Fingers and Doctor Who incorporating all information from this article. FishFingersCustard (talk) 17:05, 13 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete. A trivial plot detail. None of the sources added qualify as substantial coverage, with most of them simply being fleeting mentions. A redirect would be non-germane as I don't foresee anybody searching this.  Taylor Trescott  - my talk + my edits 21:22, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
 * You don't understand Dr. Who, do you? Redirects are cheap, so "I can't imagine anyone searching for this" is not a good reason to not have a redirect. While we seem to be mostly agreed a standalone article isn't warranted, comments like this demonstrate that some users either don't understand the appropriate use of redirects or don't understand why such an element would benefit from one. Jclemens (talk) 01:09, 11 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I do not watch Doctor Who, but I can tell when something related to it is notable. This clearly is not. I don't oppose a redirect either, but from the article it seems this is a running gag, so I can't imagine a one topic this should point to.  Taylor Trescott  - my talk + my edits 02:34, 11 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete. Redirects are cheap, but there comes a point where WP:ITSVERYSILLYSTOPIT needs to be written to cover why, well, it's very silly, stop it - and this is it. (Not notable, not a plausable search term, 'significance' comes only from WP:GHITS.) - The Bushranger One ping only 04:39, 13 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment Would like to point out that the article now mentions references to fish fingers and custard that predates the Doctor Who series. It seems to be a minor part of English culture. FishFingersCustard (talk) 17:00, 13 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Merge Either with the episode or the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond's articles. It's not really notable enough for it's own article. Ang el of Mi sc hief   Talk  18:52, 13 August 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.