Success, however you slice it
'Gromit's' Stinking Bishop plug may cheese off owner
English cheese-maker Charles Martell has given permission for his vividly named creation to be used in Aardman Animation's "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." But now that the film has a global opening, he's having second thoughts.
In his "Wallace & Gromit" shorts, animator Nick Park and his painstaking team at Aardman Animations in Bristol established that human Wallace is an ardent cheese-lover.
Earlier this year, Aardman approached Martell -- a farmer, cheesemaker and self-confessed hippie from Dymock, England -- for permission to let Wallace eat a Martell-produced cheese flavored with pear cider called Stinking Bishop.
"Rabbit" world premiered in Sydney on Sept. 4 and bows next month in the U.S. and the U.K. Martell fears that increased worldwide interest in Stinking Bishop might affect his simple way of life.
"I'm quite happy with what I've got at the moment. I don't need more money. I can only wear one suit at a time, or drive one car. And I certainly don't want fame" he told the Guardian newspaper.
When Wallace a decade ago smacked his lips over Wensleydale cheese, sales skyrocketed. The creamery quadrupled production to meet the demand.
Martell has no plans to similarly ramp up production. "We're limited for space. We've got two people making the cheese. If we get another one, where will we park the car?"
