In Popular Culture
The Birmingham band Woodbine's eponymous 1999 album features the track "Outer Circle", a tribute to the bus route. In 2001 a group of musicians from Birmingham created a concert based on the route.
Comedian Frank Skinner wanted to add this bus route to BBC Radio 5 Room 101 (radio series) when he appeared on the show's August 27 1993 edition.
On 11 November 2008 (starting at 11am), humourist Jon Bounds spent eleven hours travelling the route, documenting his journey online, using Twitter, Facebook and a blog, elevenbus.co.uk.
In October 2009 Kevin Beresford, a 57-year old resident of Birmingham, created a calendar dedicated to the anti-clockwise portion of the route.
The Outer Circle has also been the inspiration for a Scottish Country Dance. Devised by Kenneth Reid from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society’s Birmingham Branch, it is regularly featured on dance programmes all over the world. The 48 bar reel represents the circuit of the No 11, with the diagonal corner chain formations inside, and the travelling couple outside of the set highlighting the fluctuation speed and congestion within the route.
The bus has also been the inspiration for a collection of short stories, written by Birmingham-based writers and edited by Jay Barton.
Read more about this topic: West Midlands Bus Route 11
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