In search of the English eccentric

the long version

On his entertaining and thought-provoking quest to discover the most eccentric English person alive today, Henry Hemming unearths a surprisingly large array of unusual and inspiring characters. Together they take him back to the moment in English history when the eccentric first appeared, and by so doing allow a new understanding of what it is to be English. He asks what it is to be an eccentric. Is it simply to thrive on creativity and individuality? And where does this incarnation of Englishness stem from? Hemming concludes that the tribe is, in fact, in rude health, as essential as ever to the English national identity, only its members are no longer to be found where you'd expect them.