One week from this moment I hope to be at city center, Oxford, taking in our new home town. Yesterday I posted about books I’m currently reading as Tara and I prepare for the semester. Today I’m posting a list of series I’m currently streaming, or those I plan to stream while in the UK. Check out the list, and feel free to post in the comments your recommendations for other shows that will enhance our semester in the UK.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die
I watched season 1 of this Netflix series several years ago. It was a rollercoaster journey through Sunderland A.F.C.‘s travails in the English Championship. Sunderland is a former Premier League club that has suffered through years of mismanagement. I’ve just started season 2 of the series and loved the first episode. I’m considering watching at least some of this series with my soccer colloquium students, mainly for its vivid depiction of the strong bonds that sometimes form between soccer teams and their adoring fans. This is a good watch for any Americans who want a window into the passions that surround football in the UK.
Outlander
This one is for my wife. She is eager to do an Outlander tour in Scotland this Fall. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling book series, Outlander may be your cup of tea if you are into time travelling and historical romance set in 18th-century Scotland. I’ve watched the first half of season 1 and feel the need to watch further so that I can enjoy the tour as much as Tara.
Rich Steves’ Europe
Over the last few weeks I’ve been tuning in to different episodes of Rick Steves’ Europe, a popular travel series that Tara and I have been big fans of over the years. Steves has a great three-part series covering practical advice for Americans traveling in Europe. There are also some great episodes on Oxford and Cambridge, visiting London, and a host of other episodes covering areas of the UK we are likely to visit this Fall.
Any other suggestions? Let me know in the comments! Be certain to subscribe!
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I absolutely love outlander!! Have you checked out Welcome to Wrexham?
Not yet, but you are the second person who has recommended this series to me. I’ll check it out!
I can highly recommend an Outlander tour! I went on an excellent 10-day one in April of 2019 and by this point I’m sure there are even more places to visit. I would recommend watching the series first so that you can relate when you visit the various sites. In America we are impressed with places that are 200 years old. In Scotland that was yesterday.
I also recommend the Anne Perry mystery series to read. She writes Mysteries based in the Victorian era but you get a lot of information about London. The PBS series Grantchester, which I think you can find other places, is set in Oxford in the 1950s and ’60s and and has a priest for a detective. It is based on a series of mystery novels written by author James Runcie. I haven’t read the books yet but have enjoyed the TV series.
Thank you for these recommendations!