Come for the Museum, Stay for the Show – James and Russell’s Dash of Comedy, History, and Tourism in York

The concept of the comedic duo has deep roots in England. The characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the Shakespeare play Hamlet, have often been viewed as providing the audience, in an otherwise gloomy play, with a touch of comic relief and since then Britain has produced its fair share of double acts including: Clapham and Dwyer, one half of Laurel and Hardy, and modern iterations like Walliams and Lucas and Mitchell and Webb. But good comedy isn’t reserved solely for the theatre or the television, it persists in small corners wherever two people work in close confines, know each other well, and have the timing to deliver at just the right moment.

I don’t have the patience for most things on the tourist agenda, but I have a curiosity as to what’s out there and so when I ascended the city wall walk in York at the Micklegate Bar and I saw the sign for the Henry VII experience, I entered with an innocent curiosity. My question was a simple one, “where am I?”. Normally when I ask such questions it leads to a very simple answer. I get a brief description of the exhibition on display and a quote for the price of admission and I go on my merry way. But on this occasion the attendants, James and Russell, hit the ground running and without warning I was whisked away on a journey back into English history and into their little world.

Besides getting a recap on the history of Henry VII and the house of Tudor, I got all the details about what the Richard III of history’s English drawl may have actually sounded like, how accurate the Shakespeare play actually is, how it all relates to the city of York, as well as how the English and their neighbours all connect with each other through amusing anecdotes like: “The English and the Welsh have a relationship built on trust and understanding. That is to say that they don’t trust us, and we don’t understand them”, or “There are four kinds of people in the UK – First, there were the Scots who kept the Sabbath – and everything else they could lay their hands on; Then there were the Welsh – who prayed on their knees and their neighbours; Thirdly there were the Irish who never knew what they wanted – but were willing to fight for it anyway. Lastly there were the English who considered themselves self-made men, – thus relieving the Almighty of a terrible responsibility”.

About twenty minutes in, I actually had to stop them and explain that the artifacts and the exhibition weren’t going to be enough to justify the admission and that they shouldn’t feel obliged to entertain all of my curiosities. “Do we look as though we’re preoccupied with other more pressing matters?” Russell asked rhetorically with a smile.

The facts are the facts, but the real show hinges on the combination of James’ knowledge and enthusiasm for the history and Russell’s experience with the city and attempts at tempering that enthusiasm. James has a Master’s Degree in medieval history from the University of Hull and he gets animated when discussing the subject matter. His passion for history is remarkable and his delivery can get intense. As the intensity of the subject matter ebbs and flows so does the volume and Russell has to interrupt and not so gently remind James that he can be heard across town.

I felt like I could have stayed there all day, but the rain had finally gone away and I needed to see York, so after getting waylaid for about an hour I bid them farewell and travelled on along the wall and through the town to see more of the city. I’d been bogged down with work recently so getting out to visit the city was tough, but by the next day I decided that I had seen the better part of what York had to offer and by then I had decided that the finest thing on offer was at the Micklegate Bar at the Henry VII experience with James and Russell so I decided to return.

When I entered through the door it was like a reunion of old friends and they picked up right where they had left off covering everything from the war between the houses of Tudor and York, the historical accuracy of the film Braveheart (never failing to mention that they omitted the bridge from the battle of Stirling bridge), to the reasons why Leeds United recently failed to gain promotion to the Premiere League. Russell sat making refinements to his blueprints and cutting sections for his model of the minster while James continued to hurl history lesson on top of history lesson for me and whoever wandered in. All the while the one constant was their delicious banter back and forth – James provided the commentary and Russell added the colour.

Russell helps to run one of the chapters that helps to organize civil war reenactments in York (of which he leads the parliamentary side) and he told me I could participate were I to be in town in early July – a tempting offer, despite it not being on the pre-formed itinerary I decided for myself in my own mind – I’d get to fire a musket and everything. He also worked as an archaeologist and, during the late 70’s, helped to unearth the old Viking ruins that confirmed York’s status as a major trading hub prior to the Norman conquest. The artifacts from the dig site are now on display in one of York’s major tourist attractions – the Jorvik Viking Centre. We shared a cup of tea and I stayed the whole afternoon until they closed. The performance of Russell trying to keep James focused on counting what was in the till at end of day, while delivering an in-depth explanation of who were the most universally loved monarchs in English history, and why, was particularly entertaining.

I’ve been to museums and sights all over the world. Were you to travel to Chicago I’d say that a visit to the Art Institute to see Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte or the Chagall window are an absolute must; If you travel to Jordan, then don’t miss a visit to Petra; When in Brazil, go to Iguazu and have your mind blown; When in Portugal, visit Vila Nova da Gaia and sample a Port wine that is older than yourself. There are just some things in some places that you need to do out of all of the things that you could do. When in York head to the Henry VII experience, save your money and spend an afternoon with James and Russell – it’s the best “free” you’ll ever spend.