British Culture: Albion Never Dies
What is 'British-ness'? This podcast explores all aspects of British culture from the perspective of an Englishman previously based in China and Turkey. Perhaps you know Thomas Felix Creighton already from Instagram's @FlemingNeverDies centered on Ian Fleming's classic creation, James Bond, 007. Here, we can see a wider background of where our British hero sits. You can also check out the video channel: www.youtube.com/britishculture
Episodes
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks to Alex (Sifu) Lamas about the trailer for the forthcoming James Bond video game, First Light.
Currently a martial arts instructor, Alex Lamas was in the film business for 25 years, working as storyboard artist, assistant art director, and weapons specialist. He’s not a gamer, he played Goldeneye N64 only *twice* in the 1990s. He gives Thomas (a strictly casu...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about the British perspective on 4th July – American Independence Day. This episode is perfect to listen to as you drive to a family barbeque on the day, giving you fun facts, and a unique perspective you can share!
- Why is there a triumphal arch close to where this episode was recorded in England, celebrating the American victory?
- Was 1776 the start of a new identi...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks to Oxford historian Dr. Steven Parissien about his forthcoming book, ‘Another Round – A Post-War History of Britain in 12 Strong Drinks’ from publisher August Books.
We talk about class, age, gender, as factors in British ‘drinking culture’, as well as the UK’s ever changing international outlook, and the effect of marketing, in shaping our trends in drinking...
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Thomas Felix Creighton interviews Christopher Morales, also known as @ThatOneBondGuy on Instagram and Youtube, to get a Californian's perspective on 1985's James Bond film A View to a Kill.
https://www.instagram.com/thatonebondguy
https://www.youtube.com/thatonebondguy
This final Roger Moore 007 film takes place in San Francisco, for the final hour, close to where Chris lives. Both he and...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about Britishness in the 1950s, drawing on both academic sources, and family diaries, letters, and recollections. This episode covers family experiences of the Second World War, births in the baby boom, and life in Britain and the Empire in the new Elizabethan Age.
Books recommended include:
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Thomas Felix Creighton interviews John Glen, who directed five James Bond 007 films, three with Sir Roger Moore KBE in the lead and two with Timothy Dalton:
- For Your Eyes Only (1981)
- Octopussy (1983)
- A View to a Kill (1985)
- The Living Daylights (1987)
- License to Kill (1989)
He also directed Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), and worked on The Italian Job (1969), The Admirable Crichton...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about the 1981 James Bond movie Octopussy starring Roger Moore as British secret agent 007. His special guests for this episode include:
- Daniel Gaster, Instagrammer, blogger, and Youtuber, 'The Field Office'.
- Marc Henandez, author of “On the Train Tracks: Filming Octopussy & GoldenEye at Nene Valley Railway” – presented by ‘On the Tracks of 007’, a wel...
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I am delighted to be joined by Canon Ned Lunn at Bradford Cathedral for this special Easter episode! I ask him:
- What is a Canon?
- What is a Cathedral?
- What is Easter, for Anglicans?
Anglicans are, of course, members of the the Church of England or members of any Church in communion with it.
You can find Bradford Cathedral on Youtube: @bfdCathedral
Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNever...
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April 13th! It's James Bond's birthday today... (oh, and mine!)
Check out my SmörgåsBond playlist on Youtube:
www.youtube.com/britishculture
...or indeed any of my previous Bond-themed podcast episodes. I always talk about the importance of Ian Fleming, and today marks the publication of his very first James Bond novel, 'Casino Royale'.
I recommend three Ian Fleming biographies:
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A real change for the podcast: After 5 years of talking about British culture, it's time to move on and talk about 'The Middle Kingdom', China.
I lived in China from 2015-2021, and regularly wrote e-mails to my parents detailing my time there. The first half of the podcast is me reading from these and adding in my reflections almost a decade on. I talk about my first arrival in Chi...
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The UK is famously polite, but is the reputation well-deserved? I check out the Hugh Dennis book, ‘Britty Britty Bang Bang’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Micheal Portillo’s Great British Railway Journeys, and a range of other sources. I also draw on my own experience in the US, China, Turkish Cyprus, and elsewhere. Most of all, I ask you for your experience, so do get in touch!
Message me anytime on...
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Your questions answered, whether sent via Instagram, Chinese social media, or in a comment on Youtube! The questions were:
- How do you feel being in the UK after 2 years?
- Instagram: @BondUpNorth (Sam) - How is your Bond fitness challenge going?
- Instagram: Licensetolift - What is your favourite British sitcom from the 1980s?
– [an old friend who will remain anonymous] - Why are Vikin...
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"Amazon MGM Studios, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today announced that they have formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. Under the terms of the new venture, Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise following closing of the transaction.” - 20/02/2025
Thi...
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I’ve just read all 7 Harry Potter books, plus the three supplementary books, for the first time.
I’ve also visited some of the movie locations in the UK (including Durham Cathedral and King’s Cross Station), tried Butterbeer and Fizzing Wizzbees (plus Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs), worn my house colours (having been sorted by the official Sorting Hat), and played the vide...
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5 very special guests join me for this episode from 4 continents:
- David Zaritsky @TheBondExperience
- Donnie Waldron @Quantum of History
- Pete Brooker @LondonBondMap
- Gabriel Rabenales @TheStyleisNotEnough
- Lincoln McConnell-Brown @DressingLikeMcQueen
We talk about places, themes, and values shown in this film from our vantage points in London, the USA, Chile, and Australia. Is this film truly Brit...
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Raymond Benson is the author of over forty published titles. He is most well-known as being the first American to write continuation James Bond novels (six original titles and three film novelizations, between 1996-2002), and for the best-selling and acclaimed five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO (2011-2014). I also mention in the episode that he wrote, JETHRO TULL (POCKET ESSENTIAL SERIES) There...
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Introduced by Joe Darlington (Being James Bond), I investigate the uniquely British aspects of this 007 film, with 6 special interviews from China thanks to my previous guest Max James Joy (A Brit Abroad... in China - Celebrating a 'British Day' in Guangzhou).
We talk about:
- What makes this film so special?
- British submarines
- British-Greek Relations
- The King's Medal
- Anci...
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What makes the 007 films so uniquely British? In this episode, I take a deep (1-hour) dive into 2012's 'Skyfall' starring Daniel Craig. If you haven’t seen the film ‘Skyfall’ since it came out in 2012, don’t worry, there is plenty for you. In fact, if you’ve never seen this film, I hope you’ll still enjoy this podcast, and indeed can still enjoy watching the film afterwards without...
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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...
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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 cu...
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