Don't be shy, send me a message!Every year, on October 21st, the Royal Navy celebrates Admiral Nelson’s most famous victory, near Trafalgar in 1805 when 27 British Royal Naval ships defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet of 33 warships. 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 Pet...

Don't be shy, send me a message!What is it like to be a Brit in China, before, during, and after the pandemic? Today's special guest, Max James Joy, shed some light on how being a Brit in China has changed over the last few years (since I left). He also talks about the different cultures found *within* China, and even within the same city.Max is a UOI (Unit of Inquiry) teacher, helping students from a range of cultures develop an wholistic view of the world. His school will play a key role in...

Don't be shy, send me a message!Have you ever wondered what it's like to live overseas? In this episode, I share a selection of clips from my audio diary, recorded on cassette tape in 2006. At that time, I had been living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for 5 years, the first experience of 'expat living' that I remember. I had lived in West Berlin in the 1980s, but my memories of the West and visiting the East are hazy at best! In the audio diary, I documented my day-to-day life, n...

Don't be shy, send me a message!Today, I met the Prime Minister of the UK. I give my very quick impressions of the event, from out in a fieldSupport the Show.

In this episode, I am delighted to interview Pete Brooker (From Tailors With Love) about his work about the forthcoming memoir of Timothy Everest MBE. Boy Wanted on Savile Row is a revealing memoir that charts the evolution of British tailoring over the past four decades, starting in the 1980s, when Timothy Everest MBE studied under the rebel of Savile Row, Tommy Nutter, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Steve Strange and Boy George among the New Romantics club scene. Branching out on...

Thank you to Instagram's @Izi_Ready_GoesBond for suggesting this topic! In this episode, I cover: H.G. WellsThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeAldous Huxley Arthur C Clarke Gerry Anderson Dr WhoStar WarsThe Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Dirk GentlyThe Quatermass Experiment The Tomorrow People Blake's 7I also read from 'The Fixed Period' by Anthony Trollope, a sci-fi novel I learned about only this week! Host: Thomas Felix Creighton  Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail:...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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'? Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: [email protected] Check out my https://www.youtube.com/britishculture Check out my Red Bubble shop Subscribe to...

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...

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...

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...

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.  Support the show

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...

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.  Support the show

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...

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...

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 StoriesBritish Science FictionBritain 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 countrysideFleming’s London (Book Locations)Clive of IndiaThe Boer WarMI6What is a stiff upper lip?Best ever double-act?And... Politics?Thank you to...

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...

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...