British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message! Have you ever tried to tie someone else’s tie, as opposed to your own? Imagine trying to tie a turban on someone else! In this second part of my interview with Del Singh – ‘Turban Expert’ to 1983’s Octopussy – I ask how were turbans kept in order as men ran ontop of trains, and even clung to the outside of airplanes?   Del also tells me about the wonderful cast...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Why does an imposing James Bond henchmen wear a school turban? This is the podcast episode that will answer this question, which you may never have asked, but are surely now desperate to have an answer to! 40 years ago, Del Singh was involved " in a very un-orthodox way " with the 007 franchise. This interview with him is so great, so fun, so lively,...

Don't be shy, send me a message! For  (I think) the first time in my adult life, I have stayed within the UK's borders for 365 consecutive days. Of course, I lived in England as a child. I have also visited. But, for the majority of my adult life, I have been primarily been based overseas. Even when I was a student in the UK, I would spend a few months of the year away, visiting family. S...

Don't be shy, send me a message! What is the UK, Great Britain, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland... and also the Scottish islands such as the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Shetland Islands, and the Orkney Islands? What are those other British islands, like the Channel Islands, The Isle of Wight, and the Isle of Man? That’s what this episode is all about. I refer to the speech given b...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Roland Hulme is a published author who has previously joined me discussing 'The Saint' [Episode 104], 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' [Episode 98], and his experience as 'A Brit in New York' [Episode 30]. I am truly delighted to have him in the podcast again, and hope you enjoy the little clips from 1985's 'A View to a Kil...

Don't be shy, send me a message! To prepare for this podcast, I have read the Hobbit more than 30 times (once every year), I have read the Lord of the Rings twice cover to cover, and the Silmarillion at least twice. I listened to the 13-hour BBC Radio adaptation and watched the Peter Jackson films, theatrical and extended, and all the DVD bonus extras. I also watched the ‘70s animated version...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Special thanks to Caine, and a mystery writer, whose identity is revealed in the episode, and who wrote this poem: Thomas, a fan of Bond so bold,  With knowledge of British tales untold, Set out to educate and teach,  His passion for culture within him to reach, He spoke of knights and of lords so grand, Of misty moors and rolling green land, Of scones and tea,...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The 20th letter in the 'Alphabet of Britishness', is here! I am joined by Thunderbirds super-fan Chris; known to many on Instagram as @BritishBondAddict ! He previously joined me on: Episode #10: "The 7 Pillars of Britishness: An Interview with Instagram's "British Bond Addict" Episode #14: "British Bond Addict talking about B...

Don't be shy, send me a message! What is it like to work for a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons? This week, I talk to an insider to find out. Thank you, once again to this week's guest for making this such a special episode.  I ask her what led her to work at the Palace of Westminster, how it felt to enter the ‘ Mother of all Parliaments ’ for the first time. We discuss the da...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I have been asked to cover British humour and comedy many, many times by listeners. Finally, I have given in with covering 'satire' with the 'Alphabet of Britishness'. What is 'satire'? According to Dieter Declercq, author of 'Satire, Comedy and Mental Health: Coping with the Limits of Critique' (published by the company...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thank you to so many, for so many great suggestions! I list the *main* ones below that I talk about: Shires (and The Shire) Stonehenge Security Service Stoicism Stiff Upper Lip Savage! Just kidding; the title ‘Sir’ Sarcasm and Satire  Sausage Rolls Scones  Seaside  Sandringham SPECTRE Sky  Aside from online resources, such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wi...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Joining me to talk about this remarkable series of novels is British author Roland Hulme , described in his Amazon biography as "a digital Don Draper with a Hemingway complex - one of the world's foremost experts on social media and interactive marketing" . Roland was born in the UK, but is currently living and working across the Atlantic in the...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Happy New Year! Yes! The 'Alphabet of Britishness' is back!! S is for... Sport! I talk about the British codification of football (or 'soccer'), and how this was affected by the development of the railways, recommending Michael Portillo's ' Great British Railway Journeys '. I also talk about cricket, the magnificent beard of W...

Don't be shy, send me a message! After over 100 episodes looking at the positive definition of 'Britishness', it's time to ask what are the limits to 'Britishness'? A negative definition of 'Britishness' attempts to define it by what it is not. Boundaries. To this end, I use the BFI (British Film Institute) rubric to test the 'Britishness' levels of...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a wonderful day. Just a quick chat, as I know some people might have 3 minutes to spare as they dash in a car somewhere, or find some time to themselves, to wish you all a very merry Christmas.  Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Today, I’m talking about: (1) T is for… Thomas I talk about my experience in China, with Chinese social media and blogs, which led me ultimately to creating my @FlemingNeverDies Instagram account, and this podcast, which I chose *not* to give the same name.  (2) What have I learned? Social media works best when it is more 'social' than 'media&apo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! British Christmas traditions feel universal and timeless to us Brits... yet as my interviewee Caine explains, Christmas has changed a great deal since the time of the first Christians in Britain, and indeed, since the first Christians! This is a special two-hour truly deep dive into what makes Christmas special, and what aspects are specially British. There are...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The number one movie on Netflix (UK) right now is the latest adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover". Joining me to talk about this remarkable novel is British author Roland Hulme, described in his Amazon biography as "a digital Don Draper with a Hemingway complex - one of the world's foremost experts on social medi...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This week's episode looks at: Edith Nesbit: British children’s author, novelist, and poet. Among many other stories, she wrote, '5 Children and It' which I talk about here. The Dreyfus Affair: a sandal that captured the world's attention (and was obliquely references in 'The Railway Children'). The TV Show: starring Jenny Agutter i...

Don't be shy, send me a message! That's right! If you can guess the topic of my forthcoming episode, on a certain Edwardian children's story, then you can win an ' A is for... Albion ' mug! Just for fun, and for the three other reasons I give, along with many, many clues in the episode. Send answers to me on Instagram ... ...or by e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com Recommend...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thanks to Frank on Instagram (@HansGruberr) for suggesting this topic. In fact, ‘007’s Drinks’ was the request, but since I have covered some of these on my Youtube channel already ( www.youtube.com/britishculture ), I thought I’d broaden it out to include food from the original James Bond novels by as well. The key reference books I use in this episode are: &q...

Don't be shy, send me a message! If you’ve lived under two British monarchs and three Prime Ministers, you may only be a few months old. Recent events have been (almost) unprecedented, as since so much of the UK’s image abroad can depend on our political representation, I touch on the topic of politics once again. This episode in in three parts: first I give context to recent events, especiall...

Don't be shy, send me a message! By request of many, many listeners, I am covering ' Lawrence of Arabia ' (1962) in the final episode in my trilogy covering the films of British Imperial history. I previously covered the events that inspired the films Zulu (1964) and The Man Who Would Be King (1975), each with Michael Caine. This time, it's the David Lean classic starring Peter...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This is a REISSUE of my Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) special episode from last year. My style has changed a little since then, and I considered simply re-recording this, but there is honestly so much information packed in here, I truly think I cannot do better. Whether it is new to you (many people have discovered my podcast in the last year), or whether it...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I take a NO SPOILERS look at the 1975 film ‘ The Man Who Would Be King ’, and the original 1888 short story by Rudyard Kipling.  I also recommend the books: ‘ The Great Game ’ by Peter Hopkirk' ‘ Inside the Kingdom ’ by Robert Lacey If you are one of the 47% of my Instagram friends who hasn’t seen the film ‘The Man Who Would Be King’, check it out! Do let...