Chivs Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Anyone familiar with the programme Coast? I was watching the most recent episode when a phrase they uttered caused me to spit out my beer (which does not often happen). They were highlighting the coast around North Devon, past Bristol, up part of the Severn estuary and then around to Cardiff. I was brought up south of Bristol and spent my first 18 years in the vicinity. Now I live in the Forest of Dean. So I like to think I have a passing knowledge of the bit of water between Bristol and Cardiff. I call it "the Bristol Channel". This is because it is "the Bristol Channel". However, the BBC in all it's wisdom decided to call this water "the Severn Sea". WTF? Have you ever heard this term? Nope, me neither, so I decided to google it. It turns out that our Welsh cousins have a term, in a foreign language, that translates as "Severn Sea". Now, I'm not clear on this. There are 27 welsh people versus 50 million English. Plus we own their sorry little county. So surely the BBC should be using the English term for the bit of water that is universally known as "the Bristol Channel"? Am I getting too excited by this or should I be recoiled by the BBC's casual racism? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrs Court Red Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The BBC is having a love in with Wales, specifically Cardiff right now, but I wouldn't worry; Coast is possibly one of the most boring programmes ever produced, so I doubt many people took notice. Email the producers, they will probably respond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MaloneFM Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Email the producers, they will probably respond. Or NTTDS. He works for Sky, has no axe to gring with the corporation, so you will get a balanced reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Hitler Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The first series of Coast was great. Did all the interesting bits. Nicholas Crane realised this so refused to present another series and instead that annoying Scottish girl does it now. The Severn Sea is just the old name for it, so for consistency Gloucester should be Glevum, Devon and Cornwall Cornubia, Bath Aquae Sulis etc. etc. However if the BBC did that they wouldn't annoy any English people so they don't bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MaloneFM Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Nicholas Crane realised this so refused to present another series and instead that annoying Scottish girl does it now. Whom might that be Edward? Not Hazel Irvine? She's VERY clean. Kirsty Young? A goddess that walks among us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Hitler Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Whom might that be Edward? Not Hazel Irvine? She's VERY clean. Kirsty Young? A goddess that walks among us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fka dagest Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The thing I hate about that programme is the intrusive cinematic score which kicks in everytime they show a hill, mountain, old building etc - just leave it alone! I always thought the oldest name for Severn was Sabrina: Sabrina - Severn I've never heard fo it being called the Severn Sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Belgrave Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 The thing I hate about that programme is the intrusive cinematic score which kicks in everytime they show a hill, mountain, old building etc - just leave it alone! I always thought the oldest name for Severn was Sabrina: Sabrina - Severn I've never heard fo it being called the Severn Sea. Yes I have, it's rather in the same poetic vain as when the piece of the Atlantic between Cornwall north-west to Ireland is referred to as "The Celtic Sea".. Geographically, (as you probably know), the Bristol Channel does not become the "Bristol Channel" until west of a line drawn from Sand Point (between Clevedon & Weston-super-Mare ) and Penarth on the Welsh side. East of that line it remains "The Severn Estuary". In turn, the Bristol Channel does not become' The Atlantic (or even 'The Celtic Sea"!) until west of Lundy Island. Actually, the oldest name for the Severn would be the Welsh/Celtic ; Hafren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Colby-Tit Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 I don't care what it's called - I just wish they hadn't built a bridge over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Belgrave Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 I don't care what it's called - I just wish they hadn't built a bridge over it. Back to the Aust-Beachley Ferry then (yes, I am that old !). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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