I may be an American, a born and raised New Yorker, but my heart belongs to a city thousands of miles away: good old London Town. There are few places in the world that I look back on with such fond memories and such a full heart. This past summer, my anxious self boarded an international flight for the first time to live in this great city for two of the most amazing months I’ve ever had. For as long as I can remember, London fascinated me. I used to watch British movies or TV shows just to hear them speak in those accents, which I would embarrassingly try to imitate with little success. When the opportunity presented itself to study abroad in this city, there was no way I was going to let it slip away from me. London has so many cultural aspects and value that I was barely aware of, or didn’t fully appreciate, until I had the chance to study topics such as British society, their pop culture and my personal favorite, their film/ TV.
British Society
One of the most popular and well-known families around the world just so happens to be from London, and that is the Royal family of course. They’re the real life kings and queens that live in castles written about in the fairytales. All throughout the UK, the extended Royal family, like Dukes and Duchesses, live in royal estates with endless grass fields and magnificent gardens. The Queen, who is 90 years old and still slaying life, lives in Buckingham Palace, accompanied by her ever-famous corgis. Her son Charles, next in line for the throne, was married to the beautiful Princess Diana, known as “The People’s Princess”. She tragically lost her life in a car accident caused by the paparazzi. She left behind two young sons, Will and Harry. Both now fully grown, Will is a father of two and married to Kate Middleton. Harry is an infamous bachelor, known for his partying ways and devilishly handsome good looks. There’s an obvious international obsession with members of the Royal family. Will and Kate’s marriage was broadcast for the world to watch, receiving over 30 million views. But nothing compares to how deeply this family is loved by the British people. Some sort of Royal family souvenir shop or stand can be found on almost every street corner. Thousands line the streets to watch and celebrate royal ceremonies, like the Queen’s 90th birthday this past summer.
The Royal Family reigns at the top of a society class system structure of the UK. This class system has held strong for centuries, ever since the medieval beginnings of England. There have been changes over time as to the make up of the class system but there are still fundamentally the same boundaries that existed hundreds of years ago. Most ranks in the system don’t allow for social mobility; you are born into a class and that is that. This system is ordered by having the most powerful on top and least powerful on bottom.
Royals/ Upper Class
Upper Middle Class
Middle Class
Lower Middle Class
Working Class
The Royals and the Upper class consist of mostly landowners, clergy and members of academia. The members of this class set social trends and styles that are copied and imitated by the classes below them. Next is the Upper Middle Class, where members are usually born into families of wealth but are more defined by family background instead of income. The Middle class is comprised of politically, socially engaged citizens who have jobs like accounting, social work, teachers, while the Lower Middle Class holds unskilled jobs like retail or factory workers. The Working Class holds completely unskilled jobs such as steel mills, coalmines and textile mills, typically located in North England and Wales. Social Class structure is noticeable to an outsider, like I was, and makes up a large part of how British society is run. Living in central London as a foreigner to this system led me to encounter large varieties of all different types of people within each rank. I took the Tube with the Middle class while they commuted to work. I watched the Upper class shop on Oxford Street in upscale department stores. It opened my eyes to everyone around me and made me aware of my surroundings.
British Pop Culture
London, like any other major city, has its own “personality”. Even if you’ve never visited, you’re able to recognize what, and who, contributes to London’s overall pop culture. The first thing that comes to my mind, even after living there, is The Beatles. With over 600 million album sales and 1.6 billion single record sales in the US alone, no other band compares to the international success of The Beatles, who began in Liverpool, England. Here are more impressive stats on just how successful Paul, Ringo, George and John became. They’re considered the original boy band, paving the way for others, like One Direction. The Beatles trademarked themselves as an essential British band, something that the American people ate up. The Beatles will forever influence the British music scene. Other iconic British musicians include:
Elton John
The Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
David Bowe
Queen
All the above artists and bands were extremely popular for decades and their success rivals most American bands. The Queen herself knighted Elton John, which is pretty darn cool if you ask me. Queen, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones were some of the most successful bands of their day, each with an undeniably British sound, categorized by their hard rock style and classic English accents when they sang.
It’s also important to mention other aspects of what gives London its identity, such as Big Ben, the London Eye, red double decker buses and telephone booths. All these things are unique to London and are most commonly thought of when one thinks of London. Big Ben is the famous clock tower that stands tall over the River Thames, located right near the London Eye, the world famous Ferris wheel, one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of the Europe. The open air double decker red buses are perfect for sight seeing tours, allowing you to experience the major parts of the city, while sitting above traffic and crowds, because there’s bound to be a lot of both.
British TV/ Film
A little known fact about me is that I’m a huge movie nerd. I can’t even begin to describe how much I love the film industry and everything that comes along with it. So obviously, I was beyond excited to learn more about the British film and TV industries and experience them first hand. As most kids that grew up in the early 2000s will say, Harry Potter was one of the largest and most important parts of my childhood. J.K. Rowling touched the lives of children, even adults, around the world with her stories of adventure and magic. The seven-part movie franchise is one of the most successful of all time, let alone in British history. The James Bond movies are also a largely successful franchise, with the films spanning across decades and multiple actors all playing the legendary James Bond. Here’s a list of 100 of the best British movies of all time, according to TimeOut London.
In a time of hugely successful shows, like Breaking Bad and Entourage, British TV series are not to be forgotten. My favorite show at the moment, Game of Thrones, has become one of HBO’s most successful and popular series, with having a record 10 million viewers during the season five finale. Filmed mostly in Northern Ireland, Game of Thrones made its way into the main stream American media, becoming a force to be reckoned with. Another popular British series is Doctor Who. On the air since 1963, the BBC’s science-fiction hit has gained a cult-like following in Britain and across the world. For more popular British TV shows, check out BBC America’s site.
British culture is something best experienced by living it for yourself. Immersing myself in everything there was to do, see and experience in London was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s so easy to look around and find things that were given to us from British pop culture or music. If you’re like me, and have been fascinated with all things English for as long as you can remember, when it comes to what city is your favorite in the world, there really is no comparison. My love of this country, this city, its culture has only increased since my time abroad, experiencing everything I had seen and read about through my own eyes.
