Round Britain Whizz

Round Britain Whizz was a 1986 half-hour programme of the BBC science series Q.E.D.. It consisted of a speeded up flight around the coastline of Great Britain with guest appearances from geologists and TV personalities including Patrick Moore, David Bellamy and Clay Jones telling the viewer about the geology and natural history of certain areas.

The Shape of The Nation

In 1988 the BBC filmed an extended 2-hour version called The Shape of The Nation, which was broadcast on Boxing Day. This version had different narrators for the three countries of Britain: John Westbrook for England, Sally Magnusson for Scotland and Clay Jones for Wales. The coastline of England, Scotland and Wales was filmed at close quarters from an RAF Hawk, and the accompanying narrative included comments from locals, and experts such as geologist Fred Dunning, geographer John Smith, Sir Patrick Moore, Sir Alec Rose and Frank Hennesey amongst others. The Hawk was flown by Squadron Leader Ray Thilthorpe.

Satellite pictures show a coastline that's very familiar, yet hardly anyone's seen it at close quarters. Photographs give an inkling, but what you really need to do is fly; fly around the entire mainland of England, Scotland and Wales with experts to explain what you see and ordinary people - who live on the coast - to say what it means to them. That way you paint a living picture of the shape of the nation.

External links

• Round Britain Whizz BBC Archive