The English at Play: Photographs by Orlando Gili highlights all the things we miss right now

What makes the English so... English? London photographer Orlando Gili is on a mission to find out, and he's travelled the length and breadth of Britain to capture our distinct character.

Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling, Gloucestershire

Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling, Gloucestershire

Published by Hoxton Mini Press, his new photobook The English at Play focuses on how we as a nation spend our leisure time. And the timing couldn't be more perfect, as it now serves as an intoxicated document of the freedoms we've been sorely missing since March.

From horse racing to ancient rituals like cheese rolling medieval village bottle-kicking to more modern activities such as Santa pub crawls, Orlando's photographs reveal something that's at the heart of Englishness: a relentless desire for organised fun.

Trivial Pursuits: The English at Play was designed to be a celebration of the community, culture and tradition of the English. Now the world has changed, it represents something very different. Either way, it holds up a mirror to our nation that proves irresistible to look into.

Trivial Pursuits: The English at Play by Orlando Gili is published by Hoxton Mini Press.

Bestival, Dorset

Bestival, Dorset

People’s Vote march, Park Lane, London

People’s Vote march, Park Lane, London

DJ Argue presents Hell in a Cell 2, Shoreditch, London

DJ Argue presents Hell in a Cell 2, Shoreditch, London

Last Night of the Proms, Hyde Park, London

Last Night of the Proms, Hyde Park, London

Royal Wedding street party, Hampshire

Royal Wedding street party, Hampshire

Whitstable Oyster Festival, Kent

Whitstable Oyster Festival, Kent

Royal Gunpowder Mills VE Weekend, Essex

Royal Gunpowder Mills VE Weekend, Essex

Pride, Soho, London

Pride, Soho, London

World Cup 2018 England vs Tunisia, Essex

World Cup 2018 England vs Tunisia, Essex

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