A comedic song written and performed by George Formby in 1935, exploring the ironies of holidaymakers’ romantic expectations on the Isle of Man.
Recorded on 28 November 1935 for Regal Zonophone Records, the song was released alongside “Riding in the TT Races” to promote Formby’s breakthrough film No Limit, an Ealing Studios comedy set on the Isle of Man. Written by Formby with Harry Gifford and Frederick E. Cliffe, the lyrics follow his characteristic innuendo-laden style: women arrive on the island seeking romance but find themselves disappointed by an apparent shortage of available men, despite the place being called the Isle of Man. The song captures both the music hall tradition of double entendre and the cultural association between the Isle of Man and leisure travel in the 1930s, particularly around the famous TT motorcycle races that feature in the film.
The Isle of Man has not yet appeared in Adventure Diaries episodes.
