In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I watch a lot of television. I also read a lot of books and watch a lot of movies. I am completely fascinated by stories. That’s why I started this column, so I could write about all the TV shows and movies I love, and share that love with readers.

However, Fanning Out isn’t just about a TV show, or a movie. You can also Fan Out over people and places. Two of my favorite places are the United Kingdom and Ireland which, coincidentally, have also happened to produce many of my favorite shows and people.

I’ve been fascinated by Ireland for as long as I can remember. It probably dates back to my multiple viewings of Darby O’Gill and the Little People as a child. I always pictured it as this magical place with rolling green hills and beautiful lakes and forests. Turns out, I wasn’t that far off. Sure, there aren’t actually leprechauns running around the Ring of Kerry, but the country is peaceful and beautiful. I traveled there with my family back in 2008, and I shared the five reasons I love the Irish for St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, I am there again right now, spending a few days in Ireland before traveling on to Scotland, Wales, England, and France.

Apart from my brief time in Northern Ireland during my last trip, I’ve never been inside the United Kingdom. I am really excited to be seeing some awesome historical and cultural points of interest: William Wallace‘s sword in Scotland, Stonehenge, and Shakespeare’s birthplace, just to name a few). I’m also hoping I have a chance to work in a few more nerdy stops because, honestly, what would a trip to London be without a stop at Platform 9 3/4 in King’s Cross railway station? I’m hoping to track down at least one blue police box while I’m there. Also, I fully intend to point out Big Ben while stating, “Look kids, there’s Big Ben!” Possibly more than once.

My excitement about travelling through the U.K. isn’t just about getting to stop at all these nerdy locations I’ve read about or seen on TV, though. It’s also about getting to finally immerse myself in a place and culture I’ve only known from a distance for years but feel completely akin to.

As I stated earlier, I’ve loved Ireland for as long as I can remember, but my fascination with all things British didn’t really hit until I finally let a coworker talk me into watching this science fiction series some of you may have heard about called Doctor Who. Sure, I’ve always had a thing for British guys and their accents — most likely stemming from the crush three-year-old-me had on Davey Jones of the Monkees — but I never truly appreciated the charms of Britain until I started watching Doctor Who, followed by its spinoff, Torchwood. Both shows were a gateway into the world of British television, and I quickly realized there was a whole range of great television being produced in another country that, in some ways, was much better than anything I was watching in the United States.

Sherlock and Downton Abbey are two British shows that have become very popular in the States, and most fans of The Office are at least aware of the existence of its British counterpart, whether or not they’ve watched it. However, there’s a wide range of television from across the pond that hasn’t become widely available in the United States unless you’re a frequent viewer of BBC America; I watch quite a bit of British television, but there are a lot of shows even I don’t know about.

British television has a very different feel from American television. As anyone who has watched one can tell you, British sitcoms have a completely different sense of humor, which is one of the reasons why you hear fans debating over whether they enjoy the British or American version of The Office more. I honestly haven’t watched a lot of British sitcoms, but two that I have seen — and love — are Black Books and The IT Crowd.

Black Books is the perfect sitcom for anyone who has ever worked in a bookstore — or worked in retail at all. The series stars Irish comedian Dylan Moran as a belligerent book shop owner who hates his customers and, pretty much, people in general. The IT Crowd stars Chris O’Dowd, perhaps better known in the U.S. for his appearance in Bridesmaids, and Richard Ayoade as two nerdy information technology employees working under a recently hired supervisor who knows nothing about computers; I fell in love with this series almost immediately.

I spend much more time watching British dramas, which are also very different from U.S. dramas. What I love about British dramas is their understanding of suspense. An entire hour of a British drama can have very little real action (no car chases, explosions, gunfights, or anything of the sort) and still have you on the edge of your seat.

The first season of Broadchurch, starring David Tennant, is a perfect example of this. The series was utterly compelling without any over-the-top action sequences, and the performances of the entire cast were brilliant. The eight-episode series focused on the investigation of the murder of a 10-year-old boy. If you like mysteries and suspense, I highly recommend you watch this series. And try to do it before the Americanized version of the show, Gracepoint, comes on in the fall. While the previews look somewhat promising, and the same team is adapting the series with Tennant in the same role, there’s a high probability that the original series will be far superior to the Fox version.

Another great series for fans of suspenseful mysteries is Wallander, starring the always wonderful Kenneth Branaugh. Wallander is based on the mystery series by Swedish author Henning Mankell. The series uses the same format as Sherlock, each season just three 90-minute episodes. If you need further encouragement to watch, the first two seasons also starred another popular British actor, Tom Hiddleston.

I’ve been watching all these series and more for years, and now I’ll finally get to see the England that I’ve previously only seen on television. I can’t wait to finally get to see the streets of Sherlock’s London, seaside cliffs like those in Broadchurch, and the old book shops like Bernard Black’s (though, hopefully, with proprietors a little more friendly than he).

But it isn’t just about visiting places shown on television. I’ll finally get to see the countryside where Jane Austen heroines walked, that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to create Middle-earth, and where Shakespeare was born.

Of all the things I tend to fan out about, Great Britain is high on the list, and I’m finally going to be there.