In Other Popular Culture
The phrase has also found more general usage in the UK as a humorous or satirical metaphor for being in a state of fear or terror. For example, after he was sacked as the presenter of the comedy programme Have I Got News for You in 2002 due to revelations about his private life, Angus Deayton released a press statement which concluded: "I sincerely wish the show well in the future and look forward to watching this Friday's episode — from behind the sofa." Another example comes from sports coverage; in a live text commentary on a cricket match in the 2005 Ashes series for the Guardian Unlimited website, journalist Rob Smyth wrote of one moment during the game: "Now that Warne's gone, it's safe for Gilo to come out from behind the sofa: his second ball is chipped tantalisingly over the blundering Hoggard at mid-off by Gillespie."
In scripted programming, a reference occurred in a 2001 episode of the BBC sitcom Coupling, where the central character Steve, while extolling the virtues of a sofa, remarks on its usefulness in avoiding Daleks. Coupling writer Steven Moffat went on to write for and then become executive producer of the revived series of Doctor Who.
Read more about this topic: Behind The Sofa
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