stare decisis(Latin; “let the decision stand”)

In common law, the doctrine under which courts adhere to precedent on questions of law in order to ensure certainty, consistency, and stability in the administration of justice. Since no court decision can have universal application, the courts, in practice, must often decide that a previous decision does not apply to a particular case even though the facts and issues appear to be closely similar. A strict application of stare decisis may lead to rigidity and to legal hairsplitting, whereas too much flexibility may result in uncertainty.

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Stare-Out is a series of animated sketches written by Paul Hatcher and animated by Chris Shepherd, composited and additional animation by Rhodri Cooper and Jeff Goldner of Animation Post, that first appeared in the first series of the BBC sketch show Big Train. It is a satire of televised sporting events coverage (and over-excited commentators), inspired by events such as the World Chess Championship and the football World Cup. The sketches are set during the World Stare-Out Championship Finals, a staring match which is described as a global event broadcast all over the world.

After the success of the Stare-Outs, Hatcher created two follow-up books, The World Stare-out Championship Final and Chang Jin-Ming's Guide to Refereeing Stare-out under the name of Chang Jin-Ming.

Big Train sketches

The television sketches concerned the 43rd World Stare-Out Championship Finals. All of the events were commentated by John, and David Joyce, voiced by real life commentator Barry Davies and impressionist Phil Cornwell. Each episode followed a different match, the last one being the grand final between the Italian Alessandro Kampagnola and the previous champion, the Polish Sigmund “Siggy” Spatsky, with Siggy emerging as the victor.

Often the stories told by the commentators echoed those of real sporting events, such as performance-enhancing drugs, streakers, and a tale about the trophy based on the theft of the World Cup in 1966.