Police officer has perfect response to man who made Hot Fuzz joke during swan rescue

From a quick GIF reaction in the group chat to a sharp comeback to your mate’s roasting, our favourite TV and film references often come into our daily conversations.

But there’s not exactly always a place for using them - like in police duties for example.

Although when they’re dealing with something relatively silly, I guess there’s time for some silliness.

And Mendip Police stretched their comedic muscles when they had to deal with a swan rescue earlier this year.

An absolute whopper of a bird was looking a little worse for wear sitting in the middle of a road in Wells, Somerset.

Police showed up in the early hours of a cold February morning to try and rescue it.

And photos of the swan were shared to X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “It’s just the one Swan actually. PC EDWARDS from Response assisting in Wells.

“The swan was carefully transported to a local wildlife hospital.”

As most of you lot will have gathered, Mendip Police snuck in a little reference to Hot Fuzz – how could they not?

Mendip Police

For those not in the know, the Edgar Wright 2007 film was the middle of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, and put a British twist on best mate-centred cop movies.

Following Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) on his move from London’s Met Police to a rural village as he’s landed with Constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) desperate to be his mate.

And within the whacky, hilarious wildness, the two coppers spend quite a long time trying to capture an escaped swan – one of the most famous parts of Hot Fuzz.

Quite ironically, Wells is actually where the film was filmed, making this whole exchange even better.

Mendip Police

In a video of the police trying to deal with the real swan this year, an on-looker shouts: “No luck catching them swans then?”

And the police officer turns round to perfectly respond: “It’s just the one swan.”

It’s a real-life recreation of the fictional pair being asked by a local shopkeeper: “No luck catching them swans then?" to which PC Butterman defensively says: "It's just the one swan actually."

Users on X were quick to point out: “What’s amazing is that this happened in Wells!”

Reacting to the video on Reddit, one user joked: “The copper spun around so fast he’s obviously been waiting for that set-up all night lol.”

And another put: “That is one of the most British things I’ve ever heard.”

Topics: Animals, TV and Film, UK News, Weird, Simon Pegg, Reddit, Twitter

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_