Malaysian kindergarten teacher realises that Uncle Roger was her student, shares pictures from his youth

Pictures of renowned fried rice critic Uncle Roger in the years way before his fame got Malaysians in a frenzy after his kindergarten teacher found out that he used to be her student.

The teacher, who also owned the kindergarten, was watching a couple of videos by Uncle Roger and the name Nigel Ng — the man behind the comedic alter ego — rang a bell. 

The teacher's daughter, Jessica Chen, shared in the Facebook group Subtle Malaysian Traits that her mother did not think too much about it at first.

However, as she continued watching more videos, she noticed that the "mannerisms and smile" mirrored those of a "Nigel kid" in her school. She decided to look him up on the web and read on his Wikipedia page that he apparently hails from the same hometown as her former student. 

Thinking that it was all just one big coincidence, she told her children about it over dinner. Chen's brother decided to look through the kindergarten photo archives afterwards — and now all of them are "100 per cent sure" that Uncle Roger/Nigel Ng was definitely a student from the teacher's kindergarten.

Chen proceeded to share photos of 5-year-old Nigel Ng to showcase the similarities. 

Chen's mother recalled that Nigel Ng was one of the best students in her class. In an interview with World of Buzz, she remembered how he did very well academically, despite being in her school for only a year.

"He was brilliant, sharp and a smart kid. Attentive, well-behaved, not boisterous and communicated well," she added.

Malaysian netizens were so excited that a global star had roots close to their home. Some were surprised to find out that they grew up in the same town, while others cheekily made references to Uncle Roger's popular gimmicks and catchphrases. 

Soon enough, the Facebook post caught the attention of Uncle Roger himself after a netizen re-uploaded the photos onto Instagram. He reposted the photos and graciously thanked Chen for the find. 

The pictures might have been a much-needed source of delight for the Malaysian stand-up comedian, who was assaulted by a stranger back in October in London, where he has been living for five years.

"Even now, I'm very cautious when I walk home, and I try to always be alert," Ng recently told The New Paper and is now considering moving to a different area in London.

qistina@asiaone.com