Britain at Low Tide
John Young explores the British nationalism of broadcast media.
Here’s some of the programmes with Britain or British added to the title in recent years [our favourites *].
I think it’s called over-compensation…
Britain and the Sea
The Great British Bake Off
Great British Rail Journeys
A Very British Airline
Yoga: Bend it Like Britain
Festivals Britannia
Hairy Biker’s Best of British
James Martin’s Food Map of Britain
Nairn Across Britain
Punk Britannia
Rip Off Britain
The Best of Britain
Britain at the Bookies
Britain Beneath Your Feet
Britain’s Lost Slave Owners
Britain’s Whale Hunters
The British Connection
Britain’s Fortified History
Diary of Britain
The Wonders of Britain
Fake Britain *
Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model
Britain’s Hardest
Britain’s Secret Treasures
Britain’s Brainiest Kid
Britain’s Missing Top Model
Britannia High
British Isles – A Natural History
Brit Cops
The Nature of Britain
Brits Behind Bars
Benefits Britain
The Great British Menu
Britain’s Heroes: Winter Storms
Great British Benefits Hotel
Britain’s Spending Secrets
Bargain Fever Britain
Britain’s Killer Storms *
Good Morning Britain
Dinosaur Britain
Breaking into Britain: The Lorry Jumpers
Britain on Benefits: Life on the Dole
Britain’s Biggest Adventures with Bear Gryll’s
A History of Celtic Britain
Britain’s Best Loved Sitcoms
Is Britain Racist?
Disappearing Britain
Restoring Britain’s Landmarks
Tough Justice in Britain
Benefit Brit’s by the Sea
Britain’s Flashiest Families
Face of Britain by Simon Schama
The Great British Year
Britain’s Ultimate Pilots
Secrets of Great British Castles
Secrets of Britain
Britain’s Worst Teeth *
Britain’s Outlaws
Britain’s Craziest Christmas Lights
Britain’s Wildest Weather
Britcam: Emergency on our Streets
The Year Britain Froze
Britain’s Favourite Children’s Books
A Very British Map: The Survey Story
Brit Cops: Rapid Response
Britain’s Favourite Children’s Book
Britain’s Dinosaurs
What Britain Bought in 2015
Britain’s Fattest Man
Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun
Griff’s Great Britain
Britain on Film:The World of Work
The 80s: Ten Years that Changed Britain
Very British Problems
Britain’s Bloody Crown
Majesty and Mortar: Britain’s Palaces
Pop Charts Britainia
Castles: Britain’s Fortified Defence of the Realm
Britain’s Trillion Pound Paradise
Shipwrecks: Britain’s Sunken History
Britain’s Toughest Cops
The Great British Benefits Handout
Car Crash Britain Caught on Film
Britain’s Weirdest Council Houses
Barging Around Britain
Frustrated Britain
Britain’s Horror Houses
Land of Hope and Glory: British Country Life
Pagans and Pilgrims; Britain’s Holiest Places
Hidden Britain by Drones
Britain’s Treasure Islands
A History of Ancient Britain
British Army Girls
Ram Raid Britain: Caught on Camera
Caravans: A British Love Affair
Great British Menu
Britain’s Billionaire Immigrants
Dan Cruickshanks: At home with the British *
The Great British Sewing Bee
Britain’s Puppy Dealers Exposed
British Connections: Clydebank and Kelso
Beware: Grand Theft Britain
Britain’s Oldest Crooks
Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport
An Immigrants Guide to Britain *
Break-in Britain: The Crackdown
Butterflies: A Very British Obsession
A Very British Airline
Britain’s Most Extreme Weather
Make! Craft Britain
The Hairy Bikers Pubs that Built Britain
Seven Ages of Britain
The Art of Gothic: Britain’s Midnight Hour
UK’s Best Part-Time Band
Rip Off Britain: Holidays
From the Sea to the Land Beyond – Britain’s Coast on Film
Britain’s Most Spectacular Backyard Builds
Timeshift – The Trains that time forgot – Britain’s Lost Railway Journeys
The Great British Basket Case
The Golden Age of the British Sports Car
What Britain Buys
Britain’s Benefit Tenants
Shipping Wars UK
Inside Porton Down: Britain’s Secret Weapons Research Facility
Jet!When Britain Rules the Skies
How Britain won the Space Race: The Story of Bernard Lovell and Jordell Bank
Britain’s Lost Waterways
The Great British Year
Bullseyes and Beer: When Darts Hit Britain
Secrets of the Great British Castles
The Investigation: A British Crime
Britain As Seen on ITV
Rude Britannia *
Rediscover Ancient Britain
Taking Flight: Britain’s America’s Cup Challenge
Britain On Film: A Woman’s Place
The Great British Basket Case
Britain’s Pompeli: A Village Lost in Time
Sacred Wonders of Britain
On Benefits: The UKs most Hated Woman
Brexit: The Battle for Britain
Britain on Film: Getting Down to Business
Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion
The Great Antique Map of Britain
Britain’s Benefits Tenants
Britain on Film: The Joy of Tech
Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork
Britain on Film: War and Peace
Britain on Film: This Sceptred Isle
Britain on Film: Kid’s Today
Britain on Film: Times of Change
Britain on Film: Island Nation
Britain on Film: The World of Work
Britain on Film: Road, Rail and Runways
Britain on Film: A Woman’s Place
Skies Above Britain
Britain’s Hardest Workers: Inside the Low Wage Economy
Tattoo Disasters UK
Can Britain Have a Pay Rise?
Britain’s Most Wanted Motorbike Gangs
Secrets of Underground Britain
Rule Britannia Music
The Boats that Built Britain
Hidden Histories: Britain’s Oldest Family Businesses
Timeshift: How Britain Won the Space Race
British Sitcom: 60 years of Laughing at Ourselves
Full Throttle: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes
Brushing Up on British Tunnels
Brushing Up On: British Bridges
Rule Britannia! Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th century
Benefits: Breadline Britain
Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue
Brushing Up On: British Towers
Brushing Up On: British Factories
Brushing Up On: Miniature Britain *
Brushing Up On: British Statues
Brushing Up On: British Beaches
Brushing Up On: British Schools
Scotland and the Battle of Britain
Britain’s Tudor History: A Night at Hampton Court
Brexit: A Very British Coup
Suspended: Britain’s Pay Scandal
Britain’s Winter: Storm Heroes
The Cars That Made Britain Great
Rory Bremner’s Great British Views
British Gardens in Time: Great Dixter
Fair Cop: A Century of British Policewomen
Britain’s Treasure, American Gold
On Benefits: Breadline Britain
Britain’s Star Men: Heroes of Astronomy
Railway Nation: Across Britain in a Day
Timeshift: The British Army of the Rhine
Timeshift: Hurricanes and Heatwaves – The Highs and Lows of British Weather
Britain’s Lost Masterpieces
Undercover: Britain’s Abortion Extremists
Anne Robinson’s Britain
Castles – Britain’s Fortified History
Britain’s Lost Masterpieces
Full Throttle: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes
The Great Butterfly Adventure: Africa to Britain with Painted Lady
Great British Bridges *
Britain’s Greatest Bridges
Britain’s Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson
Britain’s Gardens in Time
Whose Spending Britain’s Billions?
Britain’s Pet Secrets with Anne Robinson
Little British Isles with Alison Steadman
Britain’s Body Image Secrets with Anne Robinson
A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story
The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
Sailors, Ships and Stevedores: The Story of British Docks
Britain’s Whale Hunters: The Untold Story
Fabric of Britain: The Wonders of Embroidery
A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley
Britain’s Classroom Heroes 2016
Books That Made Britain
The Secret Plan to Save Fat Britain
Secret Knowledge: A Very British Pornographer
British Art at War: Bomberg, Sickert and Nash
The Choir: Gareth’s Best in Britain
Pride of Britain Awards 2016
Birth of the British Novel
Black and British: A Forgotten History
Britain’s Adoption Scandal: Breaking the Silences
The Great British Fake Off: Undercover Criminal
Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister
Battered Britain: Winter Road Rescue
Penny Blacks and Two Penny Blues: How Britain Got Stuck on Stamps
Fighting for King and Empire: Britain’s Caribbean Heroes
Why Can’t Britain Sleep Tonight?
Britain at Low Tide *
What Britain Earns with Mary Portas
How Quizzing Got Cool: TV’s Brain’s of Britain
The Brits Who Designed the Modern World
Britain’s Lost Waterlands: Escape to Swallows and Amazons Country
Inside Britain’s Fertility Business
Nigel Slater’s Great British Biscuit *
Britain’s Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned
Very British Problems
Britain’s Horror Homes
Digging for Britain
Slum Britain: 50 Years On
Roman Britain: A Timewatch Guide
The Great British Pub Revolution
UKs Biggest Family at Christmas
More Sex Please, We’re British
Britain’s Favourite Christmas Songs
Britain’s Deadliest Rail Disasters: Quntinshill
Britain’s Favourite Abba Songs *
Snowstorm: Britain’s Big Freeze
What Britain Bought in 2016
A Very British Renaissance
A Very British Brothel
Britain’s Favourite Dogs
Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun
Sword, Musket and Machine Gun: Britain’s Armed History
Britain’s Favourite TV Detective
Britain’s Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney
Millionaire Mansions:Designing Britain’s Most Exclusive Homes
Britain on Film: The Home Front
Kinky Britain
Britain’s Best Walks with Julie Bradbury
The Brits are Coming
Great British Railway Journeys to Ireland
When Ali Came to Britain
Brit Cops: War on Crime
Frustrated Britain: Caught on Film
Reef History of Britain
British History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Britain’s Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield
The Modern British Slave Trade
Undercover: Britain’s Cheap Clothes
The Investigator: A British Crime Story
Bought with Love: The Secret History of British Art Collections
Britain’s Most Fragile Treasure
British Empire: Heroes and Villains – A Timewatch Guide
***
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Brainwashing! Probably most of them focus on England or skew the bits towards England.
A sign of insecurity when there is a need to stress “Britain”.
Propaganda at its worse and trite programming. Ugh!!!
“John Young explores the British nationalism of broadcast media.” Where?
He really does not need to say anything.
And can anyone do the math on where they were made? Is the programming geo demographically representative for pre and post production?
I seem to remember back a while ago the memo from the BBC , and BT campaign about not using the word Scottish other than as a negative , ie indy Scottish , “Scottish Gordon Brown” though seemed to be rolled out a lot pre indy on the beeb (top gear) , or in the usual culprit media. So perhaps this is an attempt at “English pride” , to prevent English Indy Pride?
Scotland has the talent , and would have more , even Iceland seems to be overtaking us with a population the size of Greater Glasgow , but still employs English editors , talent and producers , we lack the covered filming units but not the locations , we lack the tax benefits to convince companies to locate and thrive here.
There is a reason why WM dont want either the film industry in Scotland to be outwith its control , its protectionism if not paracitism , so just like a borderless Scotland where a third of Londons banking Jobs would relocate to Scotland for the EU banking Passport , it will prevent any mechanisms that show Scotland can be an economic power house.
Just think of that for one second , ie banking , the UK taxpayer will either fund this remaining in London , thats if the EU allow it at plus 6b a year , or it will cast it in the wind hoping that it lands in EIRE – but in reality it would rather see that happening than for it to remain in the UK via Scotland…. thus supplying Scottish Jobs and UK tax receipts.
Right now the Scottish GOVT should be looking at ways to court such investment TV and Banking , bringing ballast to the indy table , ready for those usual suspects to say we are pulling out post indy – the banks said the same with the EU ref for the UK as they did with Scotland , so its time for them to come in from the cold….. and reap the benefits of low costs compared to London and relocate to Scotland , even without a devolved corporation tax lever granted to Wales.
Point definitely made, but I was hoping for some analysis after the list!
How about: propaganda? enforcing ideology? indoctrination? If you repeat a lie often enough…….
I’m not sure that I’d take anything from this at all. Firstly, there is nothing in the article to show any comparison to previous programming to prove the suggestion that there has been any increased usage of Britain / British. Secondly, a number of the titles could quite justifiably say that the inclusion of the word Britain / British in the title realistically reflects the scope of the programme.
Lastly, I would seriously question any benefit to be coming from this policy, if indeed it is indeed a matter of fact. Given the dross that is shown across most of the available channels these days more often than not watching any of the programmes requires a brain switch off to preempt a TV switch off.
I think we can safely say that the battle for independence will not be won or lost on the field of TV programme titles.
You don’t think there is a cultural agenda at play here, to make folk think they are more British than they really are? e.g. ‘British and Scottish’? Or maybe ‘more British than Scottish’? This recent tsunami of ‘British’ programming (intensified over the last 10 years, what a coincidence, since SNP took office) inevitably influences the way people vote, their loyalties etc. It is all intentional, and extends our understanding of the fake news epidemic.
Alf dear , your such a cynic , mibbe the truth is to crush the rise of English nationalism and a drive to its independence.
BTW I peed a little typing that wan.
c rober, nae doot the majority in England wid tak a wee hauf tae baith an eu exit and exit of us ‘whinging Jocks’ (Joxit) fi thair ‘Britain’. Brexit + Joxit = real proper English independence. Thon 56 roarie hoose-cats shuid dae the necessar.
That was a massive list. I have been moaning about the number of TV programs on all channels (the BBC probably has more than any other channel) that have Britain or British somewhere in the title. There are a few where it is probably necessary but most are there to poke Britain down our throats. Also there are a large number of TV programs of all genres including documentaries that show union jack cushions, curtains, sofas, chairs, clothing, biscuit tins etc. very prominently. Again the BBC is the worst offender.
Thanks to the commenters for someone writing something!
It’s certainly weird. Some dates would help. I mean, is this since 1975 or what?
So when is Bella being rebranded The Great Scottish Naval-Gaze?
A brilliant piece of research, highlighting just how much the agenda of the media has shifted. On Thursday 2nd few 2017, there were three such programmes shown on BBC4. Is this a record?
Probably true. The BBCchanged its news website after 2014. Previously the link to Scottish news was on the top level, now you have to go UK News – Scotland, emphasising that one is a subset of the other.
(On the other hand, the popularity of Jack Wills Union flag branded clothes with younger people suggests an increased comfort (indifference?) to that iconography).
On the continent your hard pushed not to find the union standard , post boxes , buses , parliament of Westminster , Big Ben all the regalia in furniture shops , from framed pics and printed canvas to cushions and other brit a brac.
After careful checking the other week for country of origin – China.
Me I bought two Scottish Terriers stuffed door stops , a St Andy Flag cushion , another cushion with Black and White terriers. That was all Scottish related seen and if you like your stats therefore 100 percent sold out – unlike that of Uk product , is this an omen? Or am I bending the maths to suit the argument like a reverse yoon?
If we had pics I would upload my little EU bought , china made collection.
Someone somewhere is I think trying to tell us we’re British. But is shrinking the weather map of Scotland not the best of it all. (Sorry North Britain technically )
It all kicked off hundreds of years ago when they all but destroyed our culture/history/language,they were ably assisted by the lords/clan chiefs/reformed church nothing has changed,our education makes little or no mention of Scotlands huge contribution to the world,we have been brainwashed the way all colonised peoples have,they didn,t quite succeed with the Irish who were made of sterner stuff,this goes a long way to understanding of their/our hatred of them,we succumbed they didn,t.
Hatred of who?
Excellent work John, I knew there had been a deluge of pro-Brit-Progs especially since the SNP took office in 2007, but I had little idea it was this many. There must be a secret UK propaganda cultural ministry/dept at work here, no way does such a sustained tsunami of pro-Brit-Progs happen by chance.
On a related matter, the owner of the ‘Really British’ shop in Muswell Hill, when interviewed on Politics Today, was asked what the aim of his shop was, to which he replied: “to celebrate Englishness”. I guess many of his countryfolk view these pro-Brit-Progs in the same ‘enlightened’ way.
In the same week I watched Britain’s Treasure Islands and in the first moments the presenter flipped from English to British back and forth interchangeable monikers. The Union Flag used to conceal and disguise English colonialism at home England/Britain(Britain/England) and abroad. You see it time and time again on Question Time various other programmes people talking using English when they mean British or visa versa. On some occasions I wonder what they had truly meant, some it’s blatantly obvious they see no distinction. I try to work out were they working within historical or geographical taking in specific population movements, was it before the Union of the Crowns or the Act of Union. But mostly they’re just fucking ignorant.
Coming from Nairn I find –
“Nairn Across Britain”
– skin crawling!
It’s funny how brits pick and choose what they wish to be british, e.g. when Andy Murray is winning he’s british, but when he looses he’s Scottish and even more topical Donald Trump’s mother has moved from being Scottish to british upon the election of her son.
Don’t get me started on Scotland’s oil!
How about the death tolls of the best and
biggest empires. 1 Great BRITISH empire 150 million
2 world wars Germany 30 million last and least spoken about the lazy nasty evil Scotch seps 0 million When I was young my heroes on the great BRITISH TV. was Jimmy Saville Stuart Hall and Rolfe Harris turns out they were the nice entertainers for this septic Isles real raIsson detre mas genocide on an enormous industrial scale.With Brexit the ghouls of Westminster are very much back in business and their voice of authority the BBC will be cheerleading all the way, to their next illegal war.