British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Don't be shy, send me a message!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/rolandhulmeRoland Hulme on Amazon: Check out the "Knuckleheads Motorcycle Club" books.***Message me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.comCheck out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shopSubscribe to my newsletter for update e-mails, random postcards and presents, and at this time of year, Christmas cards: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Support the showSupport the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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

Don't be shy, send me a message!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.***Contact me anytime here:You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.comCheck out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/british-cultureSubscribe to my newsletter, there are monthly prizes: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 CastlesEdinburgh (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.comCheck out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/british-cultureSubscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!In this episode, I respond to questions from my Instagram friends over at @flemingneverdiesThe 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 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=FXu6vL7fVEXcy9cOContact me anytime here:You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.comCheck out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/british-cultureSubscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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.comCheck out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shopSeveral 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    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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-gasterMessage me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.comCheck out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shopSeveral 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    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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=ysqegf4toMQRemembrance:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUHwiE3IPKk Subscribe to my newsletter, and perhaps like Donnie, win a lucky podcast prize: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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-gasterDo check out Chris Morales, aka 'That One Bond Guy' here:https://www.instagram.com/thatonebondguyMessage me anytime on Instagram, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.comCheck out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shopSeveral 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    Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!The new Netflix movie 'Boudica: Queen of War' starring former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko (Camille, 'Quantum of Solace') premiers today. But, who was Boudica? Was she really the Warrior Queen she is said to be? What is her significance in history? Check out this podcast episode to find out. Fact is often stranger - and more interesting - than fiction.The main content here was originally released February 28th 2022, as part of the 55 minute episode 'Q' is for... 'Queen'. It has been re-presented here, to tie in with the new Netflix movie for ease of availability, as the original episode also covered Empress Matilda and Lady Jane Grey.  You can e-mail me: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.comYou can find me on Instagram: @FlemingNeverDies***Subscribe to my newsletter: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my online shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/British-culture/shopSupport the show