51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Hard-drinking, string-vested, professionally challenged Glaswegian television hero Rab C. Nesbitt has proved an inspiration to competition entrants.

Students and their tutors on a distance-learning modern Scottish history course run by Dundee 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ in association with the Open 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ had to write 1,500 words on "Rab C Nesbitt: Scottish cultural observer or Scottish cultural cliche?" The prize was donated by a fellow student.

Tutor John Kemp, joint winner of the Pounds 50 competition with student John Shone, wrote a spoof academic paper praising Robin Chalmers-Nesbitt's "pioneering work at the Centre for National Stereotyping at the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Buckfast" and his involvement in the supposed political machinations of forming and reforming the national cultural identity.

Mr Kemp claimed Dr Chalmers-Nesbitt was involved in the first successful creation of a deliberately manufactured cultural stereotype when he worked with Professor Alfred Garnet, head of the Institute of National Cliche at Cambridge.