“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, goes an English saying. Recreation and entertainment are important to people anywhere in the world. However, forms of popular entertainment are different in different countries.
In Britain, the most common leisure activities are home based. Watching television is by far the most popular pastime, and nearly all households have a television set. Over 51 percent of households have two or more television sets and average viewing time for the population aged four and over is 25 hours a week. Other pursuits include listening to music, reading, do-it-yourself home improvements, and gardening.
British people are also very interested in watching and taking part in sports. Walking and swimming are the two most popular sporting activities, being almost equally undertaken by men and women. Snooker, pool and darts are the next most popular sports among men. The most popular spectator sports are football and rugby in winter, cricket and athletics in summer.