United Zingdom BBC Sounds

Zing’s reached the end of her adventure around the UK and it’s time for her to make a decision: does she want to give up her Singaporean passport for a British one? Has touring the country and having frank and difficult conversations about national identity helped her decide whether she’s ready to trade in citizenship of the country she was raised in for the one she calls home now? Before she answers these questions, she’s got one final stop to make on her tour - Belfast. Unfortunately, with the country still locked down due to coronavirus, Zing can’t travel there in person. However, journalists Jordan Dunbar and Ciarán Logue are ready to give her a virtual tour of the city, an introduction to its nightlife and slang, and some fascinating insights into British, Irish and Northern Irish identity. Ciarán teaches journalism at Queen’s University Belfast and he’s asked some students there to share their thoughts on what national identity means to them.

Something that still occasionally baffles Zing about life in the UK is the British sense of humour. Why does it often involve taking the piss out of the people you love most, or jokes about the bleakest things imaginable? This week Zing puts her questions to a professional: Geordie stand-up comedian, Louise Young. Louise tells Zing about the comedy scene in her home city of Newcastle, what Geordie identity means to her, and Title: “Geordies - we’re a tenacious bunch of people!” Short: Zing chats to Geordie comedian Louise Young Long: Something that still occasionally baffles Zing about life in the UK is the British sense of humour. Why does it often involve taking the piss out of the people you love most, or jokes about the bleakest things imaginable? This week Zing puts her questions to a professional: Geordie stand-up comedian, Louise Young. Louise tells Zing about the comedy scene in her home city of Newcastle, what Geordie identity means to her, and how she plays with regional stereotypes in her shows. how she plays with regional stereotypes in her shows.

Zing’s first trip to Glasgow has to wait because of the coronavirus lockdown. Luckily, Glaswegian poet and performer Kevin Gilday has the perfect antidote to Zing's cabin fever: a virtual tour around the places, culture and history of his home city. Kevin shares what he learnt about Scottish identity by writing his one-man show, Suffering From Scottishness, and explains why his accent produces different reactions around the world.

Zing is in York chatting to student and political activist, Dominique Samuels. Dominique is the president of Orthodox Conservatives, a new conservative pressure group. Zing hasn’t met too many young Brits with conservative views and she’s keen to hear Dominique’s perspective. Dominique has Jamaican heritage and she and Zing discuss whether Britain’s imperial history affects people today. Plus Zing hears Dominique’s take on nationalism, patriotism and Englishness.

Zing heads to Lytham in rural Lancashire for a trip to Tom Pemberton’s farm. Tom’s the fifth generation of farmers in his family and he’s one of very few young people in the UK working in this tough industry. He’s also something of a farming influencer – his videos about the highs and lows of farming life get thousands of views. He tells Zing about nursing new born calves, chasing escaped cows and why Britain should be proud of its grass.

Zing speaks to poet and photographer Nabeelah Hafeez about what being from Bradford means to her and why the city’s arts scene is thriving now. Nabeelah feels that negative news stories about Bradford being a segregated city are exaggerated, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t sometimes experienced racism and Islamophobia. Recently she was shocked to discover it very close to home.