Aynuk and Ayli are two mythical characters from the Black Country that figure in a large number of local jokes. Their names are literal, phonetical translations of the names Enoch and Eli into the Black Country accent. They also appeared as a cartoon strip in the Express & Star. Aynuk and Ayli were personified by a comedy duo consisting of John Plant (7 December 1951 – 21 November 2006) and Alan Smith (born 1937). They performed across central England from 1984.