Radio 4’s season on the state of the UK stumbles over England, while Peter Curran sparks joy on a drive from Land’s End to John o’Groats
This Union: A Sea Between Us (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Sounds
This Union: The Ghost Kingdoms of England (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Sounds
This Union: Two Kingdoms (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Radio 4
Neil Oliver’s Love Letter to the British Isles Acast
The Irish Passport
Electric Ride UK (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Sounds
Every so often, TV and radio commissioners feel moved to explore the “state of the union”. They pick up a map, and a newspaper, look at them for a couple of seconds and wonder: “Whither the UK?” And how they unwhither their whithering is by asking someone they like (a comedian or in-favour presenter) to travel around parts of Great Britain in an unusual vehicle, such as a train, or to take a long hike along the coast, or to cycle about having chats with friendly locals. The underlying question is always the same: what exactly is the United Kingdom? What do Scotland, Wales and England have in common other than a shared seaside, some laws and a tendency to binge-drink? And, oh dearie me, what about Ireland?