"White van man" is a usually pejorative stereotype used in the United Kingdom to describe drivers of light commercial vehicles, such as the Ford Transit. Such vehicles are commonly painted white at the factory in order to facilitate easy sign-writing on the panelled sides and therefore white is a common colour for these vehicle on the roads. The stereotype represents the drivers of such vehicles as having poor driving skills or an aggressive and inconsiderate manner.
The stereotypical "white van man" is often self-employed or the owner of a small business; often a builder, carpenter, or plumber.
Although in popular use beforehand it is generally agreed[who?] that the term was first used in the media by BBC Radio 2's Sarah Kennedy in 1997, sometimes also credited with coining the phrase. However, it had been previously used by comedienne Jo Brand in the early 1990s[citation needed]. Despite this, in 2005 Sarah Kennedy was made honorary president of the First Ford Transit Owner's Club.[1]
Alastair Stewart, presenter of ITV's Police, Camera, Action!, in the episode A Lorry Load of Trouble (produced in 1997), had a sequence of footage from police forces in the United Kingdom showing the problems that "white van man" causes. Between 2001 and 2003, The Sun newspaper used a "white van man" as an alleged representative voice of the people. This feature was subsequently ported to the Xfm radio show The Ricky Gervais Show, in which Karl Pilkington would answer the same questions as "White Van Karl"
An episode of Top Gear featured the White Van Man Challenge.
In Australia, an urban legend exists suggesting that a driver of a white van has been attempting to abduct children. Criminologists have denied that such a pattern of kidnapping has taken place, and some psychologists believe that the public may have been subconsciously influenced by a similar reported incident in the United States, or by the film Silence of the Lambs. ABC News
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