The Downbeat Britain Blogs (1) - Not Going to Extremes

As a personal antidote to the upbeat marketing excesses of governments and corporations, on the one hand, and the "Bad News" culture of some journalists and broadcasters, on the other, I've decided to develop a series of blogs on the theme of "Downbeat Britain", or "Not Going to Extremes". For me Downbeat Britain is a place both physical and cultural.

Indeed I would argue that some of the nation's best culture over the last 5o years or so has come from precisely this downbeat place. I'm thinking of the tradition of comedy stretching from the likes of the "Carry On" films, to "Fawlty Towers" and "Only Fools and Horses". Funnily enough, as they are exported around the world , these kind of shows still conjure up the spirit of Britain for many foreign people who have yet to visit the country.

With regard to the actual location of Downbeat Britain, I would say that this can be found pretty much everywhere, so I've decided to explore its presence in my fairly immediate locality. Therefore a personally regenerating visit last summer (during the heatwave) to the Droitwich Brine Baths, and regular travel on the 382 Worcester to Pershore bus (an excellent service) will be the kind of experiences I shall recount in my forthcoming series.