The travel shows about "quaint" old England more in the movies?

Question

Sometimes we see in the United States, I hate to mention his name, (Rick Steves), but seems like from his travel show, everyone in England lives in thatch houses and practice for dance festivals all year long.

I'm guessing that there's more people filming these dances, accents and quaint ways of life than there are those living these lifestyles.

Answer 1

These lifestyles do actually exist as I have friends who live in Somerset and Morris dance all year round and live in thatched cottages.
Most of us, however, live in cities and towns just like you do.
We do 'quaint' very well but its only a small minority

Answer 2

Many people who live in rural Britain still support and enjoy
traditional crafts and folk and Morris Dancing. There are many thatched cottages particularly in the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire and the skill of 'thatching' still survives so the roofs can be replaced and repaired when necessary. A typical English country village where practically every house and cottage has a thatched roof is Wooton Rivers near Pewsey in Wiltshire

Answer 3

Never heard of Rick Steves, thatched cottages - insurance companys hate them.
Morris dancing does happen but only as a tourist thing.
People are more likely to be found spending their leisure time in much the same way as they do elsewhere in the western world, eating drinking and spending money

Answer 4

No, actually, I live in a rural village in Cornwall, and although I personally do not live in a thatched cottage, there are many around where I live. The village I live in, has a rich historical past, and there is always something going on at our local village hall. The population of my village is around 500, and the local school has only 40 pupils. All the villages around me are quaint, and the locals have proper Cornish accents.
There are many villages in, and around Britain, which have maintained old values, and customs. The Towns and Cities, have lost much of the British tradition, but believe me, it isn't dead everywhere in Britain.

Answer 5

Numerically the thatched cottages are definitely the exception rather than the rule, but they are a whole lot better to look at than the thousands of little brick boxes which most of us live in.
And the dancing is also a minority thing, but again more interesting to look at than whatever most of us get up to - drinking beer in the pub, quietly watching dross on TV or boogieing madly in a nightclub.

Answer 6

Yes these places and people do still exist in Britain. Not everywhere but they are real and not exaggerated. For a Britain that doesn't really exist try watching a Richard Curtis Film (Notting Hill, Love Actually,etc) Every one is so middle class and talks so awfully posh. That's the Britain that doesn't really exist.