British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message! This week, just a 10-minute update explaining what's transpired with me over the last week. In short, expect more next week; especially as I've been longing to cover Shakespeare for a while now. I may also get moving again with the Alphabet of Britishness, but that depends on you all really. Anyone up for 'V is for Victoria'? Message me anyt...

Don't be shy, send me a message! 007 visits many beautiful locations as part of his service to Queen (now King) and country, but which are the best? I talk about my own experiences in Hong Kong, Istanbul, and London, with an additional special mention for San Francisco. Thank you to Sam the Instagram @britishbondfan for suggesting this topic, and for all those who joined the discussion on my I...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Friends, Romans, and podcast listeners! Lend me your ears for about 27 and a bit minutes! Listener Sam ( https://www.instagram.com/britishbondfan ), asked me to look into Pre-Roman and Pre-Christian Britain, and I kind of allowed this little rabbit hole to go wherever. I am very keen on written texts when it comes to history, archeology, less so (sorry Indiana...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This week, I interview a seasoned expat and comedy podcaster 'Jorma Kirkko', well known from his 'Blackmilkshake Comedy Pubcast'. He is based in Istanbul! It is always a joy for me to talk to a British expat in Turkey. We talk about the highs and lows of being a British culture 'insider' whilst outside the UK. I mainly leave the jo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The King James Bible is one of the most influential works in English. As we approach Christmas, Thomas reads from perhaps the best known chapters telling of the nativity.  Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Humour (with a 'u') is one of the most defining characteristics of a culture, so what are the top three comedy TV shows from the United Kingdom and what can they tell us about British Culture? Here, writer Roland Hulme tells us about Blackadder (starring Rowan Atkinson), Fawlty Towers (starring John Cleese), Red Dwarf (we had to Google the main actor)...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The King James Bible is one of the most influential works in English. As we approach Christmas, Thomas reads from the first chapter, the coming of Jesus.  Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Finally! I have Kyle on the podcast, who contributed enormously to the 'Alphabet of Britishness' series (which *will* return). I interview him about his love of the 2006 movie Casino Royale, which inspired his choice on Instagram handle: https://www.instagram.com/easysmilesandexpensivewatches/ We talk about the joys of the James Bond fan community, ab...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This podcast episode has a whole 5 minutes on Bingley, the little town in the UK where I live. I then talk about the longest running soap opera in the world; The Archers , an everyday story of country folk. Broadcast since 1951, episodes are broadcast on BBC Radio Four every day, Sunday to Friday at seven p.m., and they're repeated the next day at two p.m....

Don't be shy, send me a message! In this episode, I respond to questions from my Instagram friends over at @flemingneverdies The Spice Girls! Are we getting any Christmas specials? Vodka Martini Stories British Science Fiction Britain Pre-Roman and Christianity  Who should be the next M, Q, and Moneypenny for James Bond? Hannah Waddingham Energy! Top Places to go to enjoy England’s countryside...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Mark Edlitz is the author of works such as ' How to be a Superhero ', ' The Many Lives of James Bond: How the Creators of 007 Have Decoded the Superspy ', ' The Lost Adventures of James Bond ' and most recently, ' Movies Go Fourth: 4th Films in Fantastic Franchises '. We talk about all of these, plus have a trip down memo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Dr. Who's 60th anniversary is drawing closer and closer... At least, according to our perception of time, limited as it is by being only human. The eponymous Doctor is a Time Lord from Gallifrey, so he (or she) is not limited by the limiting limits of such limitations. He's not (or she's not) the only Time Lord out there, so Thomas Felix Creighto...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Two important community events, Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night, and Remembrance Sunday. One to celebrate, one to commemorate. Both draw people together from all backgrounds around the United Kingdom. Thank you to Bradford Cathedral for allowing me to use some of their sound recording of the 77th Bradford Festival of Remembrance. You can find their Youtube channel a...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Doctor Who reached some incredible heights in the '70s and 2000s, and indeed, ever since it started  gracing our screens since 23 November 1963. But with such a long history, how can a new entrant to the series possibly catch up? What's happened so far? Who are the *most* iconic characters? How often do they return? How best to bridge the 'classi...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The new Netflix movie ' Boudica: Queen of War ' starring former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko (Camille, ' Quantum of Solace ') premiers today. But, who was Boudica? Was she really the Warrior Queen she is said to be? What is her significance in history? Check out this podcast episode to find out. Fact is often stranger - and more interesting - th...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting 3 local Members of Parliament, and Michael Gove , who has been a member of cabinet for 12 of the last 13 years. He has served 4 of the last 5 Prime Ministers (not Liz Truss). I was able to meet them all at a dinner thanks to parliament being in recess, when politicians return in Autumn to their shires and connect with the...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Every year, on October 21st, the Royal Navy celebrates Admiral Nelson’s most famous victory, near Trafalgar in 1805 when 27 British Royal Naval ships defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet of 33 warships.  But, what if Nelson had lost? And how can we celebrate this night? I draw upon three books: ‘ The Rise and Fall of the British Empire ’ by Lawrence Jam...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Doctor Who has graced our screens since 23 November 1963. But with such a long history, how can a new entrant to the series possibly catch up? What's happened so far? What's the basic premise? Who are the iconic characters? What's the best 'classic' episode? And who is 'Who'? This episode reveals all. Well, much. Let's no...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In 1999's 'The World Is Not Enough' starring Pierce Brosnan as 007, we see a stunning boat chase down the Thames in the opening minutes of the movie. This was the first time we really see London used in a major action piece in a James Bond movie. In this episode, I talk to a number of fellow Bond fans about their favourite moments of this chase,...

Don't be shy, send me a message! My first ever movie review on this channel, 2 years on, time to share my first impressions of the 25th James Bond film from EON Productions. I give my views, and wander down a few little rabbit holes, as is my style. I talk about my personal journey with this film, three of the major talking points (full spoilers, so only listen if you've seen the film), a...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In every Bond film there’s a real-life historical event that goes with it. Donnie's podcast researches and presents the history that inspired the stories. Here, he sets out the best *and worst* of the James Bond franchise. One of the 007 films is absolutely (in his view) beyond redemption . Yet there are several others that are "perfect tens". We...

Don't be shy, send me a message! She spoke better Arabic than Lawrence of Arabia, helped draw the borders of modern-day Iraq, and founded the National Museum arguing that historic relics should be kept in the country of origin. Yet Gertrude Bell is a relatively little-known British Imperialist. Perhaps as she was so ‘of her era’, as opposed to the more self-questioning heroes we might focus on...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I have mentioned Yorkshire many times, but rarely focused on it. Time to rectify that. Yorkshire is a historic county of England, between the Pennies and the North Sea. It is England’s largest historical county with a history shaped by the Vikings (Danelaw), the War of the Roses (1455 – 1487), and the Industrial Revolution. Famous Yorkshire folk include: Sean B...

Don't be shy, send me a message! All rankings of the 25 007 films are purely personal preference, yet there are some listings that attract more controversy than others. Here, Chris Hunt (aka 'British Bond Addict') and I talk through our most unusual choices, including our views on; 'Thunderball' and  'Diamonds Are Forever' with Sean Connery, 'The Man With the...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In his 007th appearance on this podcast, Chris Hunt (aka ' British Bond Addict ') talks me through his top 6 James Bond films, his bottom 3, and we talk about how our rankings of all 25 differ. Chris is a Brit currently based in the USA, so naturally we find much to talk about in differences between the British and American fandoms, and how experience...