Reading

Reading has asked to be made a city more times than most people have asked for a pay rise, and been turned down every time, which explains a lot about its self-esteem. It used to bake biscuits for an empire and now fills spreadsheets in glass boxes that line the M4 like they're waiting for a lift. Londoners see a cheaper postcode and everyone else sees a place to change trains. The locals gave up correcting either of them years ago.