British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Thank you to Instagram's @Izi_Ready_GoesBond for suggesting this topic! In this episode, I cover:

• H.G. Wells
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Aldous Huxley 
• Arthur C Clarke 
• Gerry Anderson 
• Dr Who
• Star Wars
• The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy 
• Dirk Gently
• The Quatermass Experiment 
• The Tomorrow People 
• Blake's 7

I also read from 'The Fixed Period' by Anthony Trollope, a sci-fi novel I learned about only this week!

Host: Thomas Felix Creighton 

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Chris Morales, @thatonebondguy on Instagram and Youtube gives me his unique take on the James Bond continuation novel, ‘On HIS Majesty’s Secret Service’ by Charlie Higson - who previously wrote the ‘Young Bond’ book series which are a prequel to the original Ian Fleming series.

We also talk about Chris’ Anglophilia: The Stormbreaker Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, the Kingsman series, coming to James Bond, the books, films, biographies of Ian Fleming, and now the continuation 007 novels. There are some spoilers for the book ahead, natural for a review.

Do check out his podcast, ‘That One Bond Cast’!

Also, I forgot to mention it, but do check out my short video review of the book which includes my own footage of the coronation of King Charles!

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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Happy Year of the Dragon, which in Mandarin is 'long' so it's going to be a looong year as a Chinese friend pointed out to me this week.

In this episode, I (briefly) talk about my grandfather's time in Hong Kong as child, and the First Chinese Man in Britain (longer ago than I thought). I talk about the Opium Wars, drawing on two books I recommended previously and that I have reviewed on my Youtube channel, 'The Rise and Fall of the British Empire' by Lawrence James and 'Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World' by Niall Furgusson. I also recommend the Youtube channel 'Electric Shadows Cinema'. I also, also talk about the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, and how those events eventually made it into a 007 film. Talking of James Bond, I also talk about three British-Chinese alumni of the long-running film franchise, plus our first Chinese members of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

If you're wondering about the music at the top and tail of the episode, I recorded the street sounds on my way to work in Shenzhen one day.

If you have an idea for the Alphabet of Britishness, please do not hesitate to message me. What could 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y' or 'Z' stand for? Not much time left now, so message me about any of these.

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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Thank you very much to Kyle Barbeau (Instagram's Easy Smiles and Expensive Watches) and David Nix (via e-mail) for suggesting these three topics! I spend 10 minutes on each one, roughly.

1-10: Underground
London has the oldest underground train system in the world, but how does it compare to modern Chinese cities such as Shenzhen? I share my experiences.

10-20: Umbrella
What is the most famous umbrella in movie history? Not the one I thought of, apparently. In fact, it doesn't even get into most online lists of famous umbrellas!

20-30: Upper-Class
Lots of nonsense is talked about the British class system, hopefully my own nonsense is at the very least entertaining.

If you have an idea for the Alphabet of Britishness, please do not hesitate to message me. What could 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y' or 'Z' stand for? Not much time left now, so message me about any of these.

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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The British Empire is scarcely taught in schools in modern Britain, yet many of us Brits have personal connections to it. Learning about our individual heritage can connect us to a wider national and global story. Here, I talk about my own interest, my travels to places once ruled by the UK, and the five books that helped inform me on the reality of Empire. I give the recommendations from around the ten-minute mark, with readings and reviews. Each have their own strengths, and weaknesses. If you read any one them, I hope you find it informative and enjoyable.

'The Rise and Fall of the British Empire' by Lawrence James
'Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World' by Niall Ferguson
'Pax Britannica' by Jan Morris
'The Great Game' by Peter Hopkirk
'Empire of the Seas: How the Navy forged the modern world' by Brian Lavery

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What is Britishness? Well, there's no doubt Shakespeare is a British institution, and much of the UK's theater industry seems to rest heavily on these 500 year old plays. Never mind the tourist industry in Stratford-upon-Avon! Actors from Timothy Dalton (007) to Patrick Stuart (Jean-Luc Picard), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Diana Rigg (Mrs. James Bond) and Judi Dench (M) have passed through the Royal Shakespeare Company. But, in this one, I give my own personal view on the topic. Many find the language inaccessible, so what's the best way to access it? Listen to this episode to find out!

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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'?

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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 Instagram stories, post, and private chats. This episode is for all of you. I do requests!

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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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 Jones). I hope you all enjoy the highways and byways this took me down.

I read from a 1908 translation of 'De Bello Gallico' (original by Julius Caeser aka The Roman Geezer), and also 'Anglo-Saxon England' by Sir Frank Stenton, part of the 'Oxford History of England' series. I hope you enjoy the former with my comments interluded, and the later without.

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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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 jokes to the pro.

Check out his Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@talkingistanbullocks

...and of course his podcast, available on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual places!

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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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. 

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). No disrespect to the lead actor of Red Dwarf by the way, he simply embodies the role so well that he and the character are synonymous; think Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker or Christopher Reeve as Superman (although I didn't have to Google either of them). Anyway, here we talk about these shows, and what it might reveal about British culture as a whole. Enjoy!

Roland Hulme on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rolandhulme/

Roland Hulme on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rolandhulme

Roland Hulme on Amazon: Check out the "Knuckleheads Motorcycle Club" books.

***

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Support the show

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. 

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, about attending special events, concerts, and screenings, and the other film franchises we love. Do check out Kyle's Instagram, it's easily one of my favourite accounts!

***

Vesper Lynd: All right... by the cut of your suit, you went to Oxford or wherever. Naturally you think human beings dress like that. But you wear it with such disdain, my guess is you didn't come from money, and your school friends never let you forget it. Which means you were at that school by the grace of someone else's charity - hence that chip on your shoulder. And since your first thought about me ran to "orphan," that's what I'd say you are.

[007 smiles but says nothing]

Vesper Lynd: Oh, you are? I like this poker thing. And that makes perfect sense! Since MI6 looks for maladjusted young men, who give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect Queen and country. You know... former SAS types with easy smiles and expensive watches.

[Glances at his wrist]

Vesper Lynd: Rolex?

James Bond: Omega.

Vesper Lynd: Beautiful.

***

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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. (except on Saturdays). Episodes are about 12 or 13 minutes, and you can listen for free on the app BBC Sounds. Having aired over 20,000 episodes, it is the world's longest-running present-day drama by number of episodes.

I read out sections from four books: Firstly, ‘The Archers: The Ambridge Chronicles’ by Joanna Toye and Karen Farrington, published by BBC books. Then I read from three books from my employer Emerald Publishing by the editors Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam, ‘Custard, Culverts, and Cake’, ‘Gender, Sex and Gossip in Ambridge: Women in the Archers’, and ‘Fandom Culture and the Archers: An Everyday Story of Academic Folk’. You can check out the blog for the three Academic Archers books: https://www.academicarchers.net/

The name of the village in Worcester said to have inspired the fictitious Ambridge is Cutnall Green.

I end with 5 minutes on a few other real-world places in the UK that might make the countryside a little more accessible:

• Whitby (check out my video)
• Howarth (check out my video)
• Northallerton (Bettys)
• Wales, much of it, thanks to BnBs and Castles
• Edinburgh (lots around it, and more rural than you might think)

Thank you to Chris Morales who suggested the topic of the British countryside, you can find him on Instagram: www.instagram.com/thatonebondguy

Contact me anytime here:
You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.com
Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishculture
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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
• Fleming’s London (Book Locations)
• Clive of India
• The Boer War
• MI6
• What is a stiff upper lip?
• Best ever double-act?
• And... Politics?

Thank you to everyone who asked these questions, and those who helped me answer the double act question!

For anyone unsure, I talk about the 1996 TV series 'Rhodes' (not 'roads')!

The Deep Dive into Christmas with my friend Caine is available on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/TchybGBE0Wg?si=FXu6vL7fVEXcy9cO

Contact me anytime here:
You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.com
Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishculture
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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 memory lane as we talk about James Bond Jr., the cartoon, comic book, and toy range, from the 1990s.

Please do check out his website: http://www.markedlitz.com/

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

Check out my https://www.youtube.com/britishculture
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Several subscribers have their postcards and other little 'thank you's in the post, randomly drawn from the list, and one has received his free mug this month! Nicely, so far the winners have been one in Korea, one in India, and one in the USA. Of course, every subscriber is a winner, since you all get my monthly news roundup.

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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 Creighton and Daniel Gaster can't help asking, is James Bond a Time Lord? Does that explain the different faces, different styles, yet same essential personality? We discuss this, and the most important resulting question, if 007 is a Time Lord, then which Doctor incarnation is the most equivalent to Roger Moore? We also find time to chat about the issues the BBC sci-fi franchise has faced in recent years, and where a new Whovian could best star in terms of 'Modern Who'.

Listen anywhere you like, in time and space, just so long as you enjoy it.

You can find Daniel Gaster here:
https://www.instagram.com/danielgaster/

...and his articles for Pete Brooker's 'From Tailors With Love' blog, here:
https://fromtailorswithlove.co.uk/category/daniel-gaster

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

Check out my https://www.youtube.com/britishculture
Check out my Red Bubble shop

Several subscribers have their postcards and other little 'thank you's in the post, randomly drawn from the list, and one has received his free mug this month! Nicely, so far the winners have been one in Korea, one in India, and one in the USA. Of course, every subscriber is a winner, since you all get my monthly news roundup.

Subscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616    

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 at: https://www.youtube.com/@BfdCathedral and their Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/bfdcathedral/
 
I also have sounds from the Eldwick Grand Bonfire and Fireworks Spectacular, which took place on 4th November, 2023. Their display was greatly enjoyed by all who attended. I said 100-200, but it could have been 500 for all I know. I shared a 59 second video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1Pr_Qu9K13A

I have also shared on Youtube separate episodes on the two events that fell this weekend:

Bonfire Night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqegf4toMQ

Remembrance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUHwiE3IPKk

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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 'classic' and 'new' Who episodes? This episode reveals all. Well, much. Let's not get carried away. We end, as some of the most memorable episodes do, on a regeneration cliffhanger,

You can find Daniel Gaster here:
https://www.instagram.com/danielgaster/

...and his articles for Pete Brooker's 'From Tailors With Love' blog, here:
https://fromtailorswithlove.co.uk/category/daniel-gaster

Do check out Chris Morales, aka 'That One Bond Guy' here:
https://www.instagram.com/thatonebondguy

Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

Check out my https://www.youtube.com/britishculture
Check out my Red Bubble shop

Several subscribers have their postcards and other little 'thank you's in the post, randomly drawn from the list, and one has a free mug on the way!

Subscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616