If you're British and you know it, clap your hands...

So Saturday night I went to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" with my friend Sara. I have to confess, right from the outset, yes, I am a Harry Potter fan. Strange, I know, but true. Anyway, I thought the movie was excellent, they managed to cut out a lot of stuff from the storyline (which would have made it too long) yet maintained the integrity of the book. And finally the kids have learned to act, which is a big improvement.

Funnily enough, though, in light of my recent cinema visits, and bearing in mind this is allegedly a children's movie, there really weren't many kids there at all. Probably that had to do with the fact that I was at the Odeon, Leiceister Square, so the tickets were exorbitantly expensive. £12.50 for an adult, and then £1.60 booking fee! Come on... although I suppose its understandable when you consider this is the cinema where they hold all the Premiere's...

The wierdest thing about the whole experience was the clapping. Seriously, there was actual clapping. After the ads, (just before the movie started), and then again at the end of the film. Now what I want to know is, who (out of those who deserve congratulations and applause) do they actually think is going to hear this? Do they think Daniel Radcliffe himself is going to look up from whatever he's doing, and acknowledge the applause? Seriously, people. Enough already with the clapping.

You know they don't just do it at the cinema either. The first time I encountered this British clapping phenomenon was when I went on a package holiday to Crete. We'd been cramped in this tiny plane (leg room, what's that?) for a couple of hours, and then when we landed (without incident) there was spontaneous clapping. Now at the time I just thought they were doing it out of relief that we could get out of this cramped space. But since then, every time I've been on a plane with predominantly British passengers, there's been clapping.

Bizarre...