Izzard show to probe British identity

Eddie Izzard is to host a TV series about the English national identity.

The series has been commissioned by the Discovery Channel for broadcast in the summer.

Tom Adams, of Outline Productions, told Newcastle's Sunday Sun: "The series looks at the fact that the English draw on a 2,000-year-old melting pot of cultures. Four groups of invaders - Romans, Normans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings - left a cultural identity.

One of the programmes will examine the clash of north versus south - at a Newcastle vs Arsenal football match.

Adams said: "We will look at the effect of Viking ancestry on [the Toon Army] behaviour, and see if their is any truth in the stereotypes like Northerners being hardier and friendlier."

Izzard is known for his interest in cultural identity, especially in how it relates to a single Europe.

Published: 26 Jan 2003