Billy Bunter should be taught in schools because children need more fat heroes, an academic has said.
Billy Bunter should be taught in schools because children need more fat heroes, an academic has said.
Frank Richards' fictional Greyfriars schoolboy who was famously overweight and called names such as "fat Owl" and "fathead", would be a more relatable hero for youngsters because of his imperfections, according to Prof
Graeme Davis, an expert in linguistics at Buckingham University.
He said that leading characters in modern children's literature, such as the boy wizard Harry Potter and the teenage spy Alex Ryder, tend to be overly successful.
"Every boy would like to be a bit like Alex Ryder, but let's face it, no one really is," Prof Davis said.
"He is this incredible kid who speaks multiple languages, is proficient in karate, brave, resourceful, you name it, he has all the skills. Realistically he is just an impossible model to live up to.
