Don't be shy, send me a message! By listener request, I am covering the UK's influence on the Indiana Jones franchise, and I am joined by an Indy super-fan; Mr. Matt Wacker! I have been following this outstanding cosplayer's social media accounts for several years, and was truly delighted to have this opportunity to have him on the podcast. Of course, the original - and the latest - Dr. Jones films were filmed in Great Britain, and Sean Connery played the Scottish father, but here ...
Jun 12, 2023•30 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! David Zaritsky ( The Bond Experience ) and I talk about the 007 franchise, and why so many official events are exclusive to the UK, especially London. So, why not have a few more US-based events for this British character? We also discuss the differences between US 007 fans and UK 007 fans. In some ways, this reflects both the national character, and the cultural reach of the Bond franchise. We also talk about the future of the series, and what we can do to f...
Jun 05, 2023•31 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! I've been taking a break from the news lately, but, even I could not escape the media furor surrounding Philip Schofield's sex life revelations. It is simply dominating all British media outlets. If you're not based in the UK, as so perhaps not familiar with this long-time TV presenter, his Wikipedia page is being rapidly updated by an army of authors right here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Schofield Pete Brooker (From Tailors With Lo...
Jun 02, 2023•28 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! The rollercoaster of life in the UK continues! The fuel bill saga takes a few twists and turns, my boiler had sparks coming from it, and I’ve been told the flat I’m renting is now up for sale, so I’ll be having people coming to view (goodness knows what that will ultimately mean). Meanwhile, I enjoy the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and ponder how Brits spend their free time. Work/life balance is a popular topic, and I’ve been impressed at how active civic life...
May 29, 2023•22 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Why cover one topic, when I can cover three!? I talk about the energy crisis, always on trend for fans of 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun , and how I'm being charged £700 for one month's worth of electricity. Even taking into account accumulation payments, that's more than a family of four or five in a five-bedroom house. Something is clearly wrong. Happily, my local member of Parliament is taking an interest. The second topic is a pere...
May 22, 2023•22 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! It is the 4th of May, 2023, two days before the coronation of King Charles III and the world's favourite spy has his work cut out for him… Bond is sent at the last minute to thwart an attempt to disrupt the Coronation by the wealthy, eccentric and self-styled Athelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the UK a lesson. Can Bond dismantle his shady plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries? So begins the latest offic...
May 15, 2023•40 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! A second quick update from the special Bank Holiday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. I travelled from Yorkshire down to London to join in the festivities. After that, I spent some time with family outside London, including my Nana who is part of the 1% of the UK population who have adult memories of the previous coronation. I am just back in Yorkshire, so this is a quick update. More content is coming up later in the week (all being well) on: ...
May 08, 2023•13 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! I'm in Hyde Park, where I watched the coronation of King Charles III! Support the show
May 06, 2023•7 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Homer wrote in the Odyssey (VIII) that Cyprus was the birthplace of Aphrodite (Goddess of Love), and that she came to Paphos ' where she has a shrine with an alter fragrant with incense' . That's how far back British colonial official Captain C.W.J. Orr choses to go in the second chapter of his book "Cyprus Under British Rule" (published 1918). I go through this chapter, titled ' History to the British Occupation ' partially...
May 01, 2023•50 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Have you ever been to an Anglican church service? I have had requests to set out what it's actually like to attend a Sunday service from listeners in the USA, Spain, Bulgaria, East Asia, and more. Thank you to Bradford Cathedral , who allowed me to use their recordings as part of this podcast. Please do check out their media accounts: Website: https://bradfordcathedral.org.uk/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BfdCathedral Instagram: https://www.instagra...
Apr 24, 2023•32 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! REISSUE: I talked to Caine (normally in Fuzhou) about St. George's Day, which is April 23rd. It is often taken as a celebration of English culture and identity. But, who was St. George, where was he from, why is he important to the English, and how can you celebrate this special day? We ask "Does it matter that St. George wasn't English?" and I feel we get a definitive answer. Check out Caine's Youtube channel, called 'Videos by ...
Apr 20, 2023•34 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Many people have requested me to do an episode on The British Empire, which is such a vast topic, it can be hard to know where to start. For myself, the most obvious place is to start with the familiar; the island of Cyprus, where I lived for seven years. I have quite a collection of books on the topic. However, as an introduction, I as Chat GPT about the topic, to see what it predicts a 'normal' person would say. I then look at an authoritative but...
Apr 17, 2023•39 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 is 70 years old, Casino Royale having been published on April 13th, 1953. But for the films, he may well have been forgotten, so here, I finally give my (not so definitive) rankings of the films. This order changes regularly, but my favourite for each Bond, that stays the same. I orignaly wrote this for Country and Town House magazine, but here I expand on it greatly. You can check out the original article here: https://www.c...
Apr 10, 2023•33 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! If you are unsure what a 'Canon' is, or the difference between a church and a cathedral, or curious about the relationship between England's state church and the state executive, then this is the podcast that answers all those questions. I am joined by Canon Ned Lunn, at Bradford Cathedral, in an interview recorded in their Peace Chapel (there will be echoes). Thanks to the media officer at the Cathedral, we can also hear some of the music from...
Apr 03, 2023•27 min
Don't be shy, send me a message! Since this podcast started in December, 2020, three topics have been often requested, but never truly covered. In Spring 2023, I will be covering all three: What is 'The Church of England'? What was The British Empire really like? What is my personal ranking of the 007 films? For the first, I am delighted to be joined by Canon Ned Lunn from Bradford Cathedral, who lends his very great insights. For the second, I draw on my own extensive library of c...
Mar 30, 2023•7 min
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 of the film; Kristina Wayborn (Magda), Stephan Berkoff (General Orlov), and the director John Glen. W...
Mar 27, 2023•29 min
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, it cannot be constrained to a single podcast episode. In this first of two parts, Del explains how h...
Mar 21, 2023•33 min
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. So, this is the story of how and why I returned, what other influences colour my perception of the wor...
Mar 14, 2023•30 min
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 by John of Gaunt in Shakespeare’s Richard II: " This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,...
Mar 07, 2023•28 min
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 Kill' which we use to illustrate our discussion at the start, and then at around 15 minutes into t...
Feb 28, 2023•40 min
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 and a couple of documentaries on the life of Tolkien, a People’s Profile one on Youtube and a televi...
Feb 20, 2023•33 min
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, and royal charm, And all the history that kept Britain warm, His words were met with doubt and with f...
Feb 14, 2023•35 min
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 Bond, James Bond" Episode #41: "'L' is for... 'London' with 'Briti...
Feb 07, 2023•33 min
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 day-to-day routine and what ultimately led her to move on and work in East Asia. Personally, I am very ...
Jan 31, 2023•30 min
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 I work for): "Satire is a genre with the purpose to critique and entertain. In other words, whe...
Jan 24, 2023•33 min
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 Wikipedia, I drew inspiration and information from 10 books: ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien &ap...
Jan 17, 2023•36 min
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 USA. You can find him on Instagram and Youtube. I last had him on the podcast last to talk about Lad...
Jan 10, 2023•26 min
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.G. Grace, and 363 day Premiership of former cricketer Alec Douglas-Home. I spend the longest time l...
Jan 03, 2023•31 min
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 the original 1977 Star Wars movie (A New Hope). The rubric is as follows: Section A – cultural cont...
Dec 27, 2022•26 min
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
Dec 25, 2022•3 min
