From Norwich, England to Edinborough, Scotland
The featured couple Rod and Isi.
Episode synopsis.
Mark and Isi are moving in together in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mark is a capoeta instructor looking to give up his "rolling stone" lifestyle for a new life with his long-distance girlfriend Isi.
All three homes shown to Mark and Isi are priced at $1,350. HGTV's choice to present these homes in terms of USD when the couple was from the UK is strange as homes will usually be priced in terms of British pounds in Edinburgh. The couple is renting below usual prices for Edinburg, Scotland at approximately 1,050 pounds whereas the average for the area is around 1,450 pounds.
Isi, who studied medicine in Edinburg and is a doctor there, is a good portrayal of Edinburgh where Health forms the largest industrial sector by size.
HGTV's representation through B-roll.
Much of HGTV's representation of Edinburgh has to do with its cobble streets and castles. In fact, one property shown the couple is given special recognition for having a unique vantage point on the famous castle. This is important in the representation of life in Edinburgh as it is very popular for tourism. Edinburgh is the second most visited city in the UK. It's important to note that in the city council's graph on the left they omit the most visited city in the United Kingdom, London. Part of the reason that Edinburgh is so popular is the city's rich history and buildings. For example, the Edinburgh castle draws in the second most number of visitors to the city, behind only the city museum.
Although no b-roll footage was provided, the narration of the episode also included a mention of the popular art festival that occurs in Edinburgh referring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a major part of the local culture.
A Comparison of Maps
HGTV's map is very sparse but considers the same points of interest as other local tour maps of the area. For example, the royal botanical gardens, and the Edinburgh castle are designated as important. The zoo is not marked on the tourist map. A few locations of interest that HGTV does miss is the local university, the train station, and the Scott monument.
The Sound of Scotland
HGTV's first audio portrayal of Scotland heavily uses flute instrumentals. This has remained relevant in even the pop songs that are popular in the UK. For example, in the above charts, the most popular song that uses noticeable flutes in it's instrumental track is at number five with Jonas Blue's Rise.
Works Cited
City of Edinburgh Council . “Edinburgh By The Numbers.” City of Edinburgh Council, 2017, www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/9904/edinburgh_by_numbers_2017.pdf.
This source by the city of edinburgh council was used for a variety of graphs concerning mostly tourism and points of interest.
“Edinburgh Market Rent Summary.” Home.co.uk: House Prices Report for Eastbourne - January 1995 to July 2018, www.home.co.uk/for_rent/edinburgh/current_rents?county=edinburgh.
This source was used to find an average rent price for Edinburgh to compare to the current couple's situation.
OrangeSmile. “Edinburgh Map.” Htel Reservation System (OrangeSmile), OrangeSmile, www.orangesmile.com/common/img_city_maps_560/edinburgh-map-1.jpg.
This source is a small map of the city of Edinburgh.