Bill Bryson Notes from a Small Island

In the first episode in his affectionate survey of Britain, Bill hails a London cab driven by Stephen Fry before traveling to Liverpool to take a ferry across the Mersey and discuss Scouse humor with Alexei Sayle. Along the way his attention is caught by a proliferation of blue plaques, a forgotten tale of failed revolution, and a little-known subterranean kingdom.

Bill salutes a uniquely British genius - the ability to fill any idle moment with a diversion, hobby or obsession. He meets the horn dancers of Abbots Bromley, caber tossers in Glenfinnan, ballroom dancers in Blackpool and a fell runner in the Lake District. Then, in a Bournemouth beach hut on a wet afternoon, he puts it all into perspective in conversation with Victoria Wood.

Bill continues his journey with a search for the country's soul. Is it to be found in the capital, on a seaside pier, out in the country side, or on a mountain peak? Or must he leave the mainland to understand what is special about being British?

The Japanese recognize the British genius for invention; they've calculated that sixty per cent of "the things we take for granted" came out of a British mind. Join Bill as he tries to understand what makes the inhabitants of this small island so good at innovation.

"I'm not into dukes and earls - outside of jazz music", states Bill, who examines two very different views of the way in which heritage forms the backbone of Britain. From Blenheim Palace to a Glaswegian pub and on to a socialite who spends more on her clothes than a colliery band spends on their brass instruments, Bill observes Britain's heritage, north and south.

In this final program, Bill returns to the spot in Britain that means the most to him, and travels from a south-coast geology lesson with adventurer Redmond O'Hanlon to the north most tip of mainland Britain - somewhere more remote and more beautiful than even John O'Groats.