The song began in 2012 when Muhammad Shahid Nazir, a Pakistani fishmonger working at Queen's Market in Upton Park, London, sang his sales chant to attract customers. A bystander's video went viral on YouTube, turning 'Come on ladies, one pound fish' into a national catchphrase. Nazir recorded it as a novelty single that reached the UK charts that Christmas. Dance remixes kept the chant alive online, where editors reuse the loop for bargain jokes, market scenes and nostalgic British meme edits long after the original video faded.