I’ve covered this before but for the sake of clarity I’ll go over it again - the question over where the North of England begins has well and truly been answered, owt south of Sheffield is the Midlands, end of discussion.
Not satisfied with this well established border, Richard Osman decided to kick the hornet’s nest and stoke up old tensions.
The Pointless presenter asked the people of Twitter to add their two cents over where the North and South of England start.
Forgive an England-centric question, but, Southerners, name the place where you think the North begins, and, Northerners, name the place where you think the South begins. #NorthBegins #SouthBegins Do please RT.
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) May 12, 2019
As you’d expect with something so sensitive, the debate quickly got heated.
Like a typical Southerner, Osman himself claimed the North starts at Gatwick, a place so Southern I can hear them running a baaarrrrrth from here.
The North begins at Stoke on Trent. Everything south of that is the Midlands. #iamright
— Anne Hegerty (@anne_hegerty) May 12, 2019
According to Chaser Anne Hegarty the North starts at Stoke-on-Trent and everything below is the Midlands - for such a quiz genius that’s not a very smart answer to be honest.
Twitter user Andrew Baker posted a map of the historic divide between the archbishoprics of Canterbury and York as an indicator of the North-South line, and to be honest it’s fairly spot on.
Almost perfect overlap pic.twitter.com/ZPcuLGcTqI
— Ben Allen (@ukbenallen) May 12, 2019
And interestingly, the split between those that say breakfast, dinner and tea, and those that wrongly call it breakfast, lunch and dinner almost perfectly overlaps this map, as pointed out by Ben Allen.
Some more wrong answers:
You trying to start a war, Richard?!
— Michael Brown (@MentalHealthCop) May 12, 2019
Born in Newcastle, raised in Northumberland - everything south of the Tyne. ?
They all talk funny. ??
Born and raised in Cornwall/Plymouth, so the North starts just above Exeter ?. there is no south.
— Mark Trewin (@markybt) May 12, 2019
I was born and grew up in Devon. To me, the north began at Bristol.
— John Ruddy (@jruddy99) May 12, 2019
Anything below Tebay is the South
— Tim Jackson (@TJack9) May 12, 2019
Hi Richard. I’m from Edinburgh. For me, “South” begins to exist at Carlisle or Berwick. No political undertones at all, it’s just how I’ve always thought of it.
— muzz (@whiskystring) May 12, 2019
And some right ones:
My very crude map #NorthBegins #SouthBegins #MidlandsExists pic.twitter.com/hiPKhncaRo
— James Hope (@WWFCSouthBank) May 12, 2019
Northerner. Anything south of Sheffield
— Nate H (@theatreofchips) May 12, 2019
As well as a non-scientific yet accurate barometer for working it all out:
The south begins where people wear coats on a night out ?
— Michael Nixon? (@michaelnixon70) May 12, 2019
You could also argue the North starts where a Greggs appears on every other street.
So there you have it, it seems even in 2019 people are still very confused as to where the North begins. And the debate doesn’t look like ending anytime soon.
What do you reckon?