Back to the Future

Available for over a year

Will Self embarks on a 1000 mile tour of the UK travelling only by bus and coach, exploring urban Britain and British identity at a time of flux. Bus and coach windows afford Will a different perspective on the nation. He eschews the bright lights of the big cities, heading instead for smaller urban centres. His objective is to speak to Britons about how they view their cities and themselves in 2018. Will's first trip takes him to Plymouth, once the cockpit of British naval power - a time when national identity was clear and certain. Over ten programmes, Will takes in Swansea, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Preston, Middlesbrough, East Kilbride and Derry-Londonderry. In the fish and chip shops, the B&Bs, the pubs and car repair garages, Will debates the state of British identity - and discovers that Britain has become a highly debatable land. Producer: Laurence Grissell. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.