Whilst I was sourcing writers for the online component of the Story of England trip, one tutor from my alma mater in Scotland questioned me on why Studio did not run a ‘Story of Britain’ trip instead. As a comment stuck on at the end of her email, almost as an afterthought, it was difficult to assess whether I was to take it in the spirit of the sort of academic playfulness one comes to expect from the university environment or as a more sincere challenge altogether.

In either case, the fact that this matter was raised by someone at least domiciled in the northern (and some might say fairer) regions of the United Kingdom is hardly surprising. The Scottish have long suffered in the shadows of their neighbours to the south, especially since the Union of Crowns in 1603 that saw the two countries accept the rule of the same monarch, James VI of Scotland and I of England. It has been too easy to regard this ancient and proud kingdom as little more than a curiosity, a tourist destination for the romantic and the adventurer, whilst the grave affairs of state are dealt with in Westminster.

However, all History is tied up in contemporary politics. Suffice to say, the political and constitutional scene in Scotland is a fertile breeding ground for the demand to an end of centuries of English domination. On the one hand, nationalists who aspire towards Scottish independence clamour for their history as an independent, integral, viable country to be fully recognised without being wallpapered over by the Union. On the other, unionists who support the current status quo are quick to point out the unique Scottish contributions to whole British experience as an example of their country’s present influence. The overall consequence of these sentiments, accentuated during both the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 and on UK membership of the European Union in 2016, has been a mainstream renewal in a sense of identity amongst the majority of Scots even if those identities are often variant.

“Mainstream” is the operative word, as these sentiments are only ‘recent’ in their pervasiveness and intensity. Nor are they reserved only for the Scots; the Welsh, cruelly sporting an ironic demonym that means “foreigner” as coined by Saxon invaders for the indigenous Romano-British, have also faced the threat of having their culture utterly subsumed by the English. Indeed, the non-existence of a ‘Kingdom of Wales’ prior to occupation by the English Crown has dealt the Welsh a heavy blow in their quest for greater autonomy and acknowledgement. There is an old joke that the ‘Six Nations’ rugby tournament (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy) ought to be renamed the ‘Five Nations and a Principality’ to accommodate for the fact that Wales as a country has only ever been ruled by a prince at most.

I shall leave the (Northern) Irish question, with all of its mind-boggling complexity and sense of exhausting sempiternity, for another time.

Thus, the question of “Why the ‘Story of England’ and not the ‘Story of Britain’?” is of particular currency and relevancy in the present British climate. For many Scottish, Welsh and (no doubt) Irish observers, the name of this trip would pique fears that this was actually a ‘British’ history trip that had carelessly failed to admit the existence of the other constituent countries of the United Kingdom. Cue the notoriously classic popular ‘truth’ of the archetypal American tourist referring to the whole of the UK as ‘England’, which for many represents the banal but no less painful result of the historic Anglo-Saxon suppression of indigenous languages, preferred forms of worship, ageless ways of life, folk customs, traditional dress and self-governance.

However, it is for the very reason that far too often the United Kingdom is shamefully viewed as little more as “England+” that it is important to maintain the ‘Story of England’ title and itinerary. Were it expanded to the ‘Story of Britain’, then the chances are that the voices of Scotland, Wales and (Northern) Ireland would be drowned out to an unacceptable and inaccurate extent on three counts:

I. As a simple matter of logistics, within a three-week trip it would be impossible to properly cover everything necessary in each of the four constituent countries. Travels to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would in all probability only include trips to their capital cities, which have generally less radical histories than other, less accessible, locations. There would be a real danger that students would not have the real opportunity to explore the differences with England

II. In its current state, the Union continues to be an implicitly Anglocentric arrangement given that the main political centre remains at Westminster and plans for a fully federal United Kingdom appear far from consideration, especially as the Northern Irish executive is currently in abeyance. One would have to be extremely careful to not convey the idea that a united ‘Britain’ is the natural cultural-political unit for these isles when discussing pre-Roman Celtic cultures.

III. Leading on from point II, the idea of the ‘Story of Britain’ suggests a teleology in its attitude towards Scotland, Wales and (Northern) Ireland. It treats the Union as the end-point, the final conclusion and fulfilment of the potential of these islands, and by implication relegates the rich, varied, illustrious histories of the individual constituent countries and their cultures to the narratives of aberrant and/or inchoate phases of national development

The United Kingdom is a fascinating political unit, the product of centuries of struggle, conflict and compromise. England, Scotland, Wales and (Northern) Ireland continue to be locked in constant, never-ending negotiations over identity, autonomy, security and prosperity. To regale tales from beyond English borders, each other constituent country would be due the utmost respect and reverence rendered to an ancient culture and people. Perhaps one day you will be signing up to Studio residentials bound for Belfast, calling in at Cardiff, and ‘eading to Edinburgh!

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