Asterix in Britain is the eighth in the Asterix comic book series. It was published in serial form in Pilotemagazine, issues 307–334, in 1965, and in album form in 1966. It tells the story of Asterix and Obelix's journey to Roman-occupied Britain.
Synopsis
has invaded Britain and succeeded in his conquest; but a single gaulish village in Kent remains independent. One member of the village, Anticlimax, is dispatched to Gaulish village to enlist the help of Getafixthe druid in providing magic potion for the British rebels. It is decided that Asterix and Obelix should accompany him, to help transport a barrel of the potion; but while beating up a Roman galley in the English Channel, Obelix mentions the mission, which is reported to the Roman high command in Britain. In Britain, the barrel containing the potion is confiscated from a pub cellar owned by Dipsomaniax, along with all the barreled "warm beer" and wine in Londinium, by the Romans, who set about tasting the barrels to find the right one. Soon the whole unit assigned to the testing is hopelessly drunk; whereupon Asterix and Obelix steal all the barrels labelled with Dipsomaniax's name, but Obelix is himself drunk and starts a fight with some passing Roman soldiers. During the commotion a thief steals the cart with the barrels. Anticlimax and Asterix leave Obelix at Dipsomaniax's pub to sleep off his hangover; but while Anticlimax and Asterix go in search of the thief, the Romans capture the sleeping Obelix and Dipsomaniax, and raze the pub. In the Tower of Londinium, Obelix wakes up and frees himself and Dipsomaniax out of the jail, and the three heroes, after a search, find the potion in use as a pick-me-up for a rugby team. After this team wins their game, the protagonists seize the potion and escape on the riverThames, where the Romans destroy the barrel and release the potion into the water. At the independent village, Asterix eases the Britons' disappointment by feigning to remake the potion, with herbs Asterix got from Getafix. With a psychological boost, the village prevails against the Romans, and Asterix and Obelix return home to celebrate.
Adaptations
The book was adapted into an animated film of the same name, which was released in 1986. The adaptation is similar to the book.
A second, live-action film was released in 2012. follows the plot of the book, but makes several changes: Chief Mykingdomforanos is replaced by the Queen of England and Anticlimax's tribe are represented as Scots in tartan kilts. The story is combined with elements of Asterix and the Normans – not least in that Vitalstatistix's nephew Justforkix accompanies Asterix and Obelix to Britain.
