A BBC Radio 4 show provoked bemused and angry responses on Twitter by suggesting cities Manchester and Sheffield are part of the UK’s South.
They shared a controversial map as part of a discussion between writers and academics over where the North-South border lies.
The unusual suggestion was put forward by Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones of Newcastle University.
A map of where the ‘North’ and ‘South’ lie based on a suggestion by a Newcastle Uni academic
Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones said the North-South divide should be based on transport accessibility to London
BBC Radio 4’s Today current affairs show opened up the question of where a North-South boundary would exist as part of the Great Exhibition of the North in Gateshead, which opened on Friday.
In anticipation of a broadcast from the summer-long event, they tweeted out Tewdwr-Jones’ lopsided proposal of where the ‘North’ divides the ‘South’.
The marker starts at the lowest tip of Wales in the Vale of Glamorgan stretching up and around the Midlands up as far as York before looping back down, encompassing Lincolnshire and ending near Norfolk and East Anglia.
Mark Tewdwr-Jones’ lopsided map is tweeted out by BBC Radio 4’s Today current affairs show
BBC radio broadcaster Mishal Husain was bombarded with messages from Twitter users about the map
Mishal Husain was ‘fully briefed’ on the discussion of the North-South border after BBC Radio 4 tweeted out an illustration of the map
It separates regional neighbours Liverpool and Manchester, which are placed in the ‘North’ and ‘South’ respectively.
Cardiff is also considered ‘South’ while Swansea is in the ‘North’, despite being roughly 200 miles south of Manchester in proximity.
Leeds and Sheffield are also placed in the ‘South’ while nearby Bradford and Huddersfield are ‘North’.
The map irked a number of Twitter users who bombarded host Mishal Husain with messages on the subject.
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The BBC broadcaster tweeted she had received a ‘storm’ of mentions about the map prior to going on-air.
‘Having gone through a storm of subsequent mentions on this topic – am considering myself fully briefed for this discussion.’
Tewdwr-Jones, whose expertise lie in urban development, explained his North-South divide is based on accessible transport to the capital.
‘The most pertinent question is where does London end?’ he said.
‘My map is a northern area defined as being ‘not London’, where London’s sphere of influence extends over most of the country — determined by two hour commuting patterns to London which is becoming the norm.’
Twitter users responded with more straightforward definitions of the North-South border
A woman labelled the map shared by BBC Radio 4 ‘utterly ridiculous’
There is no official definition of a North-South border in the UK.
The idea is generally conceived as economic, cultural and political differences between areas in the North or South of the country.
In the run up to the World Cup, the England football team had a North versus South fixture in training which resulted in a win for Harry Kane’s southerners.
Last year, former chancellor George Osborne called on Prime Minister Theresa May to support a rail service development project to help bolster assets in the North.
Osborne is chairman of the government-supported Northern Powerhouse Partnership that works with businesses and civic leaders to help improve the livelihoods, work, education and transport for people in northern England.
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu released the song ‘It’s Grim Up North’ in 1991, where the lyrics comprehensively list towns and cities across Lancashire, Yorkshire and parts of the North-East to be considered ‘North’.
Twitter users were astonished by Tewdwr-Jones’ suggestion, prompting a flurry of maps with more imaginative borders.
One man suggested the ‘North’ is anywhere with an Ikea.
Another questioned wherever you say ‘tea’ or ‘dinner’ should be considered ‘North’ and ‘South’ respectively.
The consensus was if Tewdwr-Jones’ tweet was serious, then anything is fair game.
Popular belief that anywhere beyond London is to be considered ‘North’
Don’t expect to find a Swedish furniture store in Cornwall
Does language help determine where is ‘North’ and ‘South’?
Even parts of Scotland were considered South by some in the foremost North