British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message! Did you know that Halloween has its roots in the British Isles, especially from an ancient festival called 'Samhain'? Welcome back to our special returning guest, Caine, who gives us all the details. He previously gave us: the ' Deep Dive Into Tea '; the ' Deep Dive Into British Men's Wardrobes '; the ' A Deep Dive Into I...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thank you very much to the chaps in the Facebook Group, ' The Gentlemen's Society for the Appreciation of the British Empire ' who provided so many great insights into the REAL Battle of Rorke's Drift, portrayed in the 1964 movie. There were over 300 comments, and I draw from as many as I am able to, as well as the following books: 'Ror...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Every year, on October 28th, the Royal Navy celebrates Admiral Nelson’s most famous victory. 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 James  ‘ Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World ’ by Brian Lavery ‘ HMS Victory ’ by Peter Goodwin I als...

Don't be shy, send me a message! What's coming up on the podcast? A trilogy of British Empire classics, the first two as part of our 'season of Michael Caine'! Next week (24th October, 2022): 'Zulu' (1964) starring Michael Caine, and based on the Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879). The next week (31st October, 2022): 'The Man Who Would Be King' (1975) starri...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Last week, I appeared on the podcast ' From Tailors With Love ', talking about the 1987 movie 'The Fourth Protocol'. That film was adapted by Frederick Forsyth from his own novel after Michael Caine read it and loved it. I also appeared on ' The Bond Experience ' on Youtube, talking about Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, and o...

Don't be shy, send me a message! It is the guiding question of this whole podcast! After a tumultuous month, it's time to get back to basics. I asked a Facebook group, 'What is Britishness?' and their answers were outstanding. Thank you to everyone who took part in the discussion and made this episode possible.  *** Subscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I watched Queen Elizabeth's funeral procession from The Mall, the road that leads to Buckingham Palace. It was a moving occasion. I this episode, I talk about how the news broke for me, how the transition looked from West Yorkshire, and my trip down to London to pay my respects. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I spent this morning at The Mall, in London, watching the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth II. These are my brief thoughts as I travel home, a longer episode is coming soon. This is a day to be remembered. Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. With her passing, we mark the accession of Charles, formally Prince of Wales, as King Charles III. Prince William is the new Prince of Wales. The initial announcement was made from Balmoral, with a statement from Prime Minister Liz Truss followi...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Liz Truss has just been elected leader of the Conservative Party in the UK. As the leader of the party with the largest number of Members of Parliament, it is expected that The Queen will invite her to become Britain's third Prime Minister... ...But who is she? I draw largely upon the (online) Encyclopedia Britannica article on her, giving my own observati...

Don't be shy, send me a message! What is a Bank holiday? Why do we have Bank Holidays? What do people do on Bank Holidays? Most importantly, what am *I* doing on this August Bank Holiday. Listen to this little episode and all will be revealed. I also have a question for all listeners; have you ever tried to teach a dog to read? If so, let me know your findings. The reason for this question is,...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In Ian Fleming's 1957 novel, James Bond 007 visits Istanbul. The city is wonderfully described, from a British perspective. Having studied Turkish for over 20 years, I go through Fleming's chapters on Turkey, and give my own perspective. This is Part 3 of a series initially focusing on Fleming. You can listen to these in any order, having read the boo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This week, I am looking at the Darlington and Stockton Times (North Yorkshire), seeing what I can learn about this very rural area of England. A schoolboy saves a man's eyesight, the merits of solar panels verses potatoes are debated, ospreys return after more than 200 years, and much more.  The series 'James Bond in Istanbul' *will* return... Yo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In Ian Fleming's 1957 novel, James Bond 007 visits Istanbul. The city is wonderfully described, from a British perspective. Having studied Turkish for over 20 years, I go through Fleming's chapters on Turkey, and give my own perspective. This is Part 2 of a series initially focusing on Fleming. You can listen to these in any order, having read the boo...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In Ian Fleming's 1957 novel, James Bond 007 visits Istanbul. The city is wonderfully described. Having studied Turkish for over 20 years, I go through Fleming's chapters on Turkey, and give my own perspective. This is Part I(i) of a series that will initially focus on Fleming. After that, how far I go, you can decide! You can contact me using any of t...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thank you to everyone who messaged me about my last episode. This week, I'm answering the top ten questions (decided by me) that I was asked this week about UK politics. They are (in order of me receiving them): 1) How is Brexit going? Did it work? 2) Is there anything like a libertarian party there? 3) How could politics be made more interesting, especial...

Don't be shy, send me a message! The Prime Minister is the most visible representation of the UK, after the Queen. Travelling around the world, I have often been asked my views on Thatcher, Blair, and the most recent incumbent of Number 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson (BoJo). Since Boris Jonson announced his resignation on the 7th July, the Conservative Party has been focused on selecting its...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Enjoy this special bonus episode, just a couple of minutes long. It was originally made for my Chinese social media account several years ago, as part of a campaign to promote a large James Bond themed event. Mixing Martinis and Vespers was a highlight of the event, as was our Goldfinger singalong (aided by the libations). On Youtube, my "007's Drinks...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Hello there! Many of you know me from my Ian Fleming / James Bond themed Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/   In this podcast episode, I delve into the importance of Queen Mary's Rose Garden in Regent's Park, London to the James Bond canon, which I recorded on location. The garden features in the second chapter of Ian Flemi...

Don't be shy, send me a message! What could be more English than an Englishman abroad? Having spent the majority of my adult life outside the UK, and much of my time in the UK supporting international students, I'm giving my insights into the phenomenon of ' Culture Shock '. The five stage are: (1) Honeymoon (2) Denial (3) Anger (4) Escape (5) Maturity I give an outline of each...

Don't be shy, send me a message! There were no strange stories about travelling on the busses here in the UK for the first few months, then suddenly, three mad stories all come along at once! I hope you enjoy this episode, recorded once again as I was out and about on a country walk. There's a bit of wind at the beginning, but I realized when I was recording and found a better spot. So, a...

Don't be shy, send me a message! I've been back home for 3 months now... how is it wearing on me? Honestly, watching ' The Spy Who Loved Me ' (1977) in the cinema was pretty cool, and attending the Institution, Induction and Installation of the new Dean of Bradford Cathedral was wonderful. I talk about these two events, my house-hunting, and reflect on the last 3 months. Enjoy!...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In this episode, I respond to questions from my Instagram friends over at @flemingneverdies Who should be the next James Bond? Should 007 ever look at British 'street culture' like Kingsman? Why do British people have terrible teeth? Are red trousers okay? Why do people think UK food is appalling?  Why do British people love curry, when it isn't...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Britain has just celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee with a four-day national holiday. Rather than do a Deep Dive into the life and times of the Queen, which is done elsewhere and done well, I recorded my own audio diary as I joined celebrations in North and then West Yorkshire.  Thank you very much to the City of Bradford Brass Band with Jonny Bat...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Just a quick slice of life from me this week. I haven't been travelling, except to go to Ilkley to take a friend to Bettys Tea Room (no apostrophe) .  I talk about that, look forward to the Platinum Jubilee coming up, and tell a tie story too. A fuller episode coming next week. You can find me on Instagram: @FlemingNeverDies You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverD...