I was reading about Spike Milligan's biography on Wiki and found this:
"Nationality
As Milligan was not born in the United Kingdom, his claim to British nationality was never clear. Milligan felt that he was entitled to a British passport, after having served in the army for six years. His passport application was refused, primarily because he would not swear an Oath of Allegiance; his Irish ancestry gave him an escape route from his stateless condition. He became an Irish citizen and remained so until his death.[46]"
So these problems have been going on for a long time.
I had been enjoying this sketch:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tjHlFPTwVk
.