British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message! In the alphabet of Britishness, 'A' is for 'Albion.... but what does it mean?  I asked on Instagram what I should talk about this week, and 69% of respondents voted for this topic. I'm sick with a cold at the moment, so I've done my best with this one and I hope you enjoy listening to my definition of 'Albion'. After all, it i...

Don't be shy, send me a message! British Bond Addict returns, this time to delve into the world of Ian Fleming's 007. Thomas has 10 questions about James Bond which we thoroughly ignore for half an hour because frankly the topic is so good! However, we do get to them. If you'd like to give Thomas your answers you can contact him at: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ You ans...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Remember Somali piracy? This was a serious issue that, for many people, just suddenly came and went out of the news. With so much of the maritime industry based in the UK, Thomas Felix Creighton was well placed, as a former RNR officer, to research this at the height of its relevance. Now, seven years on, we have a one-off retrospective episode examining this. ...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Aside from the (King James) Bible and Shakespeare, what are my favourite books? 1. ' The Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien 2. ' Kim' by Rudyard Kipling 3. ' From Russia With Love' by Ian Fleming 4. ' Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation' by Lord Kinross 5. ' The Dogs of War' by Frederick Forsyth  Listen to find o...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Today, Christopher Morales joins me, who you might know as Instagram’s “That One Bond Guy”. We talk about his passion for Kingsman, James Bond, Dr. Who, and all things British.  You can find him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thatone_bondguy/   …and on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ7xMlDhbc1ltEG7G-oWKQw   You can contact me anyt...

Don't be shy, send me a message! In this episode, I interview Chris Hunt, known on Instagram as ‘British Bond Addict’, you can find him here: https://www.instagram.com/britishbondaddict/   He and I work together to identify The Seven Pillars of Britishness: (1)   Humour (spelt with a ‘u’) (2)   A stiff upper lip (3)   Embracing a range of accents (4)   The class system  (5)   Gentlemenliness (...

Don't be shy, send me a message! 哈囉! Hello! Many of you know me from my Ian Fleming / James Bond themed Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ . In this episode, I explore some of the British heritage in Hong Kong, which has appeared in three 007 films; You Only Live Twice (1967), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), and Die Another Day (2002). Special thanks to Donnie...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thank you to everyone who contacted me after the last episode, in which Caine and I talked about tea and biscuits. We asked, 'What are biscuits in the USA?' Thank you to 'Ladies Who Bond' on Instagram for giving me a great answer. You can find her great account here: https://www.instagram.com/ladieswhobond/ Also, thank you to Jon Auty, who a...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Last week, I travelled 5 hours by high-speed train from just north of Hong Kong to Fuzhou, in Fujian, famous for its tea culture. I met with an old friend called Caine who is an expert both on British culture and Fijianese tea. This is the second part of our discussion. In this episode, we talk about the quality of tea in teabags (as opposed to loose tea). Cain...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This week, I travelled to Fuzhou (China) and met Caine, an expert on British culture and on the traditional tea culture of Fuzhou. We talked about the origins of tea culture, both Chinese and British, and about the real ‘lived culture’ of tea in both countries. We also talk about tea production in Fuzhou, and on the tea and coffee culture of the Middle East. En...

Don't be shy, send me a message! Just a quick update to say what to expect, what's coming up, and what's going on! You can find Thomas at: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Caine is an English teacher in Fuzhou, China, and has been for more than 8 years. He teaches, lectures, blogs, and appears on Chinese television talking about about British culture.   You can find Thomas at: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ You can find Caine on: the Chinese internets, or visit beautiful Fuzhou and just ask around! Support the show h...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This podcast asks the question, "What is Britishness?" Listen to find out what to expect from future episodes!  Support the show https://www.albionneverdies.com/

Don't be shy, send me a message! Thomas reviews the classic British novel "From Russia With Love" by Ian Fleming, first published in 1957 with a film adaptation starring Sean Conner following in 1963. This podcast was originally created by Thomas for an online book group he set up in March 2020 for British and American expats under lockdown in Wuhan, China. They were working for the...

Don't be shy, send me a message! This is my favourite chapter of Ian Fleming's penultimate 007 novel 'You Only Live Twice. It's quite different from the classic 1967 film with Sean Connery; we see a world weary Bond at the end of his career. Perhaps we shall see something like it with the 25th 007 film, No Time To Die. On the other hand, perhaps it will forever stand alone, tell...