The Full English: A Journey in Search of a Country and Its People

A Sunday Times Book of the Week and Top 10 BestsellerA Times bestsellerA Waterstones Paperback of the Year 2024A Spectator Book of the Year

What kind of country is England today?

What does it mean to be English?

Are we hungry for change or seeking old certainties?

Join Stuart Maconie on an enlightening, entertaining journey through England, from Bristol’s Banksy to Durham’s beaches, from Cotswolds corduroy to Stoke’s oatcakes.

As his guide, Maconie walks in the footsteps of J.B. Priestley’s classic travelogue, English Journey, to explore our national identity and how it has evolved over the last century. On his way, Stuart takes inspiration from the people he meets at bus stops and train stations, cafes and corner shops.

Travelling the length of the land, Maconie explores the differences between city and town, north and south, and examines our past and present with affection and insight. Whether he’s passing the boutique hotels of Manchester, the moors of Ilkley or the grand houses of Tynemouth, looking out over misty fens or urban skylines, he shines a light on the people who make these places and asks what the future holds for them. Along the way, he uncovers local heroes and secret histories over early breakfasts and last orders.

Through his journey, he lets us see our homes and habits, hopes and eccentricities with fresh eyes. The Full English challenges us to embrace the messy, shifting and diverse nature of England, and to ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be.

Stuart Maconie is a writer, broadcaster and journalist familiar to millions from his work in print, on radio and on TV. His previous bestsellers have included Cider with Roadies, Pies and Prejudice and Adventures on the High Teas. He hosts a show for BBC Radio 6 Music (with Mark Radcliffe) every weekend morning between 8 and 11am.Based in Birmingham and Manchester, he can also often be spotted on top of a mountain in the Lake District with a Thermos flask and individual pork pie. He is a champion ice skater and once shared a van with Napalm Death.