British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message!British expatriates are both 'insiders' for British culture but also 'outsiders'. Living outside of the British Isles for a decade or more naturally changes our perceptions of our home country and home culture. As Caine (in Fuzhou, China) says; "being an expat... has broadened my horizons about British culture, it's made me question things that I assumed, things that I thought to be true based on my own experience it's made me learn a lot more about British history, about how things are done differently in the UK, in different places, and so on... I don't think this could ever possibly have happened if I wasn't an expat". We also find, especially living in cultures far removed from our own, that events such as Christmas or Bonfire Night don't 'just happen'. So, how can we re-create these, and can we re-create these, living far from home?You can find Caine on Youtube:https://youtube.com/videosbycaineMessage Thomas anytime on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/or e-mail:AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com Also, if you'd like to buy Thomas a coffee to help fuel these episodes:patreon.com/britishcultureSupport the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!A huge thank you to 'Novice_Artisan' on Instagram for suggesting the headline topic of this episode; a good half of this episode is me explaining the debt we owe to Edward the First, the English Civil War and the Victorians for giving us the parliamentary democracy we have today (plus a little mention of the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans).Other topics include Dickens, David Beckham, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Dorchester, and 101 Dalmatians (which I know very little about). This is the fourth episode of 'The Alphabet of Britishness'. Thank you everyone who messaged me on Instagram or Facebook to hep me with ideas. These episodes are released every two weeks, with bonus episodes in between. Message me anytime on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/or e-mail:AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com Also, if you'd like to buy me a coffee to help fuel these episodes:patreon.com/britishcultureSupport the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!Caine joins me from China for the third time, having been on "British Culture as seen from Fuzhou, China" and "A Deep Dive into Tea", one of my most popular episodes. In this episode, he gives his unique insight into British tattoo culture, educating me on why the British Isles have such a unique 'inking' culture. This is a special bonus episode with the fortnightly alphabet series continuing next week. Caine is an expert both on British culture and traditional Chinese culture, something we don't go into very much here (unlike previous interviews), but you can find his great Youtube series here:Videos by Caine:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUwAeVhzoKXrc6KpGVLHjgMessage me anytime on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/or e-mail:AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com  Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!Thank you to the 25 people who answered the question, “What does ‘C’ stand for in the alphabet of Britishness?”This episode starts with ‘crumpets’ but breezes happily by a whole range of ‘C’s with much reference to perhaps going deep into some of these subsequent topics in later ‘deep dive’ episodes. You can contact me on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ You can help with the next episode by telling what ‘D’ stands for in the alphabet of Britishness. All answers get read out, and those I really like I look up and talk about in (some) detail. ---P.S. I’m really curious to know if any listeners play croquet? Since recording, I’ve discovered there is a United States Croquet Association… are any listeners members of this?   Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!In the alphabet of Britishness, 'A' is for 'Bloody Hell'... according to my many, many of friends on Instagram!'B' can also stand for Barbour, Belstaff, Baracuta, Brownsea Island, blimey, Brexit, banter, bunting, Blackadder, Battle of Britain and Bradford!Thank you to everyone who messaged me. This episode is for all of you!If you'd like to get in touch, you can find me at:  www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/Support the show

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 is in the title to this podcast!You can contact me on: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/Support the show

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 answers will get read out in future Bond-related episodes. The 10 questions are:1. What does he wear?2. Does he always get the girl?3. Who are his friends?4. Who are the bad guys?5. Why do women like 007 / Why does anyone like him?6. Does the past trouble James Bond?7. Technology8. What does he drink?9. Is he a strong man? 10. Is he a good man? You can find British Bond Addict here: https://www.instagram.com/britishbondaddict/Support the show

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.  This is a recording of a university lecture which was broken down into three parts:The ProblemThe SolutionsThe ethical and legal implications  Youtube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHgdZfCvKiw&t=1576s Contact Thomas: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/  Support the show

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 Fleming4. 'Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation' by Lord Kinross5. 'The Dogs of War' by Frederick Forsyth Listen to find out why. You can contact Thomas at: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/ Support the show

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 anytime on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flemingneverdies/  The clip from Thomas the Tank Engine featuring Pierce Brosnan is from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQ1YBRDXvk The Kingsman clip from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_JZZsqboNo  I hope you enjoy this week’s episode as much as I enjoyed making it!Support the show