This week in Anglophile Life, we talk about the Scottish Highlands and plans to bring people back, a new Ian McEwan book, Prince William and Harry, In-flight Maps and all the great British TV we’ve watched recently.
Re-peopling the Highlands
I found this recent article published in The Herald Scotland very interesting. It’s about how the Scottish government can go about re-peopling the Scottish Highlands. When we drove through the Highlands last year, we were shocked at how remote and depopulated it was. Not just empty land, but scores and scores of abandoned cottages and small farms called crofts. It was a very, very empty place. Which struck us as odd because it’s a very beautiful place and people like to live in beautiful places, so why is it so empty?
It’s empty because of the Highland Clearances. It’s amazing that something that happened over 250 years ago, still affects the Scottish Landscape today. There was a concerted movement to remove the Scots from the Highlands and build massive sheep farms. The clearances became a huge part of the sadness around the Scottish diaspora and also explains why countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia have rich Scottish Heritage. But that heritage is tinged with sadness and you feel it all the more when you drive through the empty highlands.
Professor Jim Hunter thinks it’s time to reverse the clearances. Britain has a reputation as a crowded country, but that really only applies to England. Come north to Scotland and it’s very not crowded. In fact, there’s plenty of room. But the legacy of the clearances prevents people from easily settling in these empty places. The biggest reason is that most land in Scotland is owned by just a few hundred people and they are not keen to split up their estates. It’s kept as a playground for the rich who use it for hunting, fishing, and shooting. Land Ownership is a very emotive topic in Scotland, for good reason. The article talks about a few use cases where remote Scottish communities were able to buy the land they sit on from the local Lairds using Scottish government money. More of this should be done.
As we drove through the coastal villages on the eastern coast of Caithness and saw all the abandoned places, we harbored the fantasy of buying one of the rundown cottages and restoring it and turning it into a retreat for writing until we can live in Britain full time one day. It’s a wild, remote place. But it’s beautiful. And it’s not cut-off from civilization – they have all the major British stores and amenities you expect in modern Britain. We’re lucky that the business we run, can be run from anywhere and there are plenty of jobs out there that can be done remotely. They have fast broadband internet. So, Professor Hunter envisions a modern Scotland where the highlands have bustling new communities where the people work in a world where they can work anywhere.
Sign me up.
A New Ian McEwan Book
I don’t read a lot of fiction – maybe a few a year. There are lots of reasons for this but mostly because I just prefer to read non-fiction, which is 90% of my book diet. But in the world of fiction, there is one thing I will stop and drop everything to read: a new book by Ian McEwan. I’m going to fanboy a little bit.
I love his books and I think he’s probably one of the finest living English authors. Many of his books in the last 20 years have had a big impact on me and I’ve loved them all. So, I was excited last autumn when it was announced he had a new book coming out called Machines Like Me. In this book, McEwan was going to take on the specter of Artificial Intelligence. When it was announced, I pre-ordered it immediately from Blackwell’s in Oxford (one of my favorite bookstores).
Then promptly forgot about it in a time of personal crisis and stress. Fast forward six months and the British newspapers began to talk about the book and I remembered that I’d pre-ordered it. Then I got the notification that my copy had shipped to me. It took about 10 days to reach me from the UK. When it finally arrived the other night, I opened it up and was greeted with the fact that the book was signed by Ian McEwan.
Apparently, Past-Jonathan, in his excitement to order, ordered a signed copy from Blackwell’s. Thank you Past-Jonathan! I can’t wait to dive into this book!
It comes out in the USA in a few weeks. Here’s the relevant Amazon link. Blackwell’s still has signed copies, which you can buy here.
Flight Tracking Maps to Become Terrible
The must be an immutable universal law that states that anything good about flying will eventually become terrible. One of those aspects that has been and really only improved are the simple maps that show your journey on the screen in front of you. Looking at the maps can be quite relaxing on a long transatlantic flight. And when you drift in and out of sleep you can see where you are in your journey. Some people leave them on the entire flight and watch a geographic form of Slow TV.
So, of course, it’s time for the airlines to make them terrible.
The Times of London recently reported what sounded like good news at first: “Followers of the basic in-flight moving map are in for a treat as manufacturers plan an upgrade to the feature that has remained largely unchanged since its debut more than 30 years ago. Bored passengers and aviation geeks will be able to tap an interactive screen to uncover encyclopaedic details about destinations and landmarks they fly over, or receive travellers’ tips compiled from social media.”
OK – that sounds kind of nice. A bit more interaction that we really need when all we want is to see is the flight progress. But then I read on.
“The revamped feature will also be another revenue generator for airlines,/TheWall Street Journal/reports. Companies will use the maps to sell tickets to events and entertainment in the destinations researched by passengers. It will also feature advertising for hotels, theme parks, restaurants or other attractions along the route.”
Oh, there we go.
These new innovations are just a smokescreen to create another revenue generator for the airlines. They’re taking something simple and wonderful and creating another way to show us advertisements.
A Royal Rift?
A big ‘bombshell’ article was published in the Sunday Times last week about the growing rift between Prince Harry and Prince William. The tabloids have been talking about this for a while, but once a publication like the Times starts talking about it – you know there is some truth to it all. Granted, I have no inside knowledge on this. I live in Indiana, how could I? But I think the rift it less pronounced than it actually is and is more based on the changing roles that Will and Harry will have as time marches on.
They were always going to have different lives. William will be King, Harry will not. As the Queen ages and heads towards the dark day when we will no longer live in a world with her, the Royal family will substantially change when Charles is King. And, based on the longevity of this family, he won’t be King for nearly as long as his mother. That puts William in a more prominent position in the Royal Family as he prepares for the top job himself.
Harry has no real ‘role’ in the family, officially anyway. He’s always been free to carve out his own life and have his own goals (and why he was allowed to marry a non-royal American). Once he matured out of his younger more, shall we say, controversial days, he was bound to become an important part of the firm. He’s married now, with a kid on the way. But it makes total sense that Harry and William will split their households, they will be doing very different things in the coming years. As brothers age, they tend to grow apart as they pursue different paths. I think that’s what is going on here. I doubt there was ever a moment where either of them just said ‘bugger off’ to the other.
And there is nothing wrong with that. I just wish the tabloids would stop trying to find the drama in it. But that’s what they do. And that’s what the people who buy them and read them want. So, that’s the way it will remain.
British TV We Have Watched Recently
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones has returned and all is right with the world. Tonight is the ‘big battle’ the show has been working towards for 8 years. It’s difficult to contain my excitement!
White Gold
White Gold was one of the best breakout comedies in the last few years and it became a hit when it came to Netflix in the USA. Set in Essex in the 1980’s it follows a bunch of skeezy salesmen as they try to get rich selling the new innovation of double glazed windows. Most of the cast are alumni from The Inbetweeners. The show was a huge hit in Britain and in the USA and it was quickly commissioned for a second series. I quite liked it myself. Then the show had a problem – its star – Ed Westwick – who was accused of rape and sexual assault.
He became persona non grata in British TV – they even went so far as to reshoot his scenes with a new actor in Ordeal by Innocence. The second series of White Gold was put on hold while the allegations were investigated. He’s the main character on White Gold, so they could not recast or write him out of the show. So, the BBC waited. Westwick was eventually cleared of the allegations and never prosecuted. Production of Series 2 finally commenced and it just recently aired in Britain. It was very, very good but I couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable with Ed Westwick now. His character in the show is a scumbag so it makes you really wonder how much is actually acting.
I doubt there will be a third series at this point, although they could easily write him out at this point based on what happens in series 2. Series 2 should be on Netflix soon.
Travel Man
This is one of our favorite British TV shows. Do you remember Moss from the IT Crowd? He was played brilliantly by Richard Ayoade. Since then, he’s done a few different shows but now mostly makes factual programming. His current biggest show is Travel Man, where he spends the weekend traveling somewhere with a fellow comedian (it changes every episode). Ayoade plays up the awkwardness of Moss in real life as they travel to far-flung places. The show mostly consists of him being uncomfortable about something and making very biting jokes about what they’re doing. It’s great. It’s funny and you get to see some interesting places. It airs on Channel 4 in Britain. It’s on the Ovation Network in the USA and is available for free on their streaming service Journey (which has a small selection of British TV).
Killing Eve
After a year of hearing about the hype, we finally watched Killing Eve, the hit BBC America produced Drama. I don’t have much to say about it other than that we really, really liked it. It really is as good as everyone was saying. We were sorry to have waited so long to finally watch it (there are only so many hours in the day, people). We’re eagerly awaiting watching season two, which is currently airing on BBC America (we’ll wait until it’s done, so we can binge it all at once).
Ghosts
Horrible Histories is a favorite in the Thomas household – where history is broken down into jokes and songs – so I was excited to hear the creators were turning their hand a doing a scripted comedy. I went in with no expectations and came out finding a new favorite British comedy. Ghosts follows an ensemble cast of Ghosts who live in a falling down stately home. It gets inherited by a young couple and they plan to renovate the beautiful place and turn it into a hotel. This horrifies the ghosts, who try to do everything they can to prevent this. It’s both morbid and hilarious and despite being a comedy – there are a few instances where you get a chill down the spine! I love it!
Don’t Forget the Driver
I wanted to love this, but I did not. Toby Jones, whom you may remember from Detectorists, co-created the show and even learned how to drive a bus for the role. It’s being billed as a comedy. But. It’s. Not. Funny. I would describe it as ponderous. It’s bleak, it’s cynical. I watched one episode and that was enough for me. I’m a huge fan of Detectorists, so I can abide by a ponderous, slow-burn English comedy. But this is not Detectorists.
Have you watched a good British TV show lately? Or read an interesting article? Please share in the comments below!
You can download a full-sized desktop wallpaper version of the Scottish Highlands picture by clicking it or following this link.
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
Well, anyone who had already seen Ed Westwick in Gossip Girl kind of had to wonder about the allegations and whether they were true. What can a person say? Nobody plays skeezy like Ed Westwick–I just hope that means he’s a spectacular actor and it is not his true personality. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen of “White Gold” and hope it runs for more seasons.
When and where will Ghosts stream in the USA?
Not known yet. Hopefully soon!
I am all for retiring in the UK one day however there is that little problem of medical care. Have you figured that one out? Going to Edinburgh & Inverness in August. Should I look for some property? 🙂
Give Don’t Forget the Driver another chance I’m watching the sixth episode right now and it’s really good. Just don’t think of it as a comedy. Once you get past the first episode it really gets interesting.
I have Acorn. Last night I watched a production of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. Terrific! Good acting, good plot twists and an interesting look at the lives of soldiers who lived through WWI and made it back home.