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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The new James Bond video game releases at the end of this month, but how 'British' will this latest iteration of 007 really be?
This is a no spoilers look at everything we've seen so far, as I ask first 'What is Britishness?' (as always), ponder the relevance of medium (games in particular), before picking out a few things I noticed in the various playthroughs I've watched of the game itself. Nothing ...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about the issues that really matter, getting a (slightly) nicer coffee and a gluten-free muffin in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. He compares this to doing much the same in Bingley, West Yorkshire, UK. He also compares a range of more important stories, from therapy dogs and robots to a very familiar fake doctor at a hospital.
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Thomas Felix Creighton has worked in Turkish Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UK, and China. Here, he sets out three models for understanding the different working cultures in different countries, and illustrates them with some of his own experiences.
First, Derek Silvers’ 2 minute 38 second TED Talk, drawing particularly on his experience in Japan. A quick and very basic look at 'weird or ...
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Thomas Felix Creighton shares his experiences from a month in Chengdu (Sichuan Province, China). He previously lived in Shenzhen (Guangdong Province) 2015-2021 and Turkish Cyprus 2001-2008 – he draws on both these experiences as he discusses how experience, language ability, and the company we keep can shape our perceptions of culture. Naturally, he talks about some Chengdu highlights a little,...
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Thomas Felix Creighton draws upon six years in China and knowledge of Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 to give an insight into how the series has merged fact and fiction, for the most part without friction.
Books, websites, and movies mentioned:
- The World of Suzie Wong by Richard Mason
- Thrilling Cities by Ian Fleming
- Dr No by Ian Fleming
- Tong Wars: The Untold Story of Vice, Money, and Murder in New ...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about the 'cozy crime' genre, drawing on a range of suggestions from TV and film critics, academics, and his own friends.
Thomas even has a special guest contribution from Jon Auty, host of 'Behind the Stunts' and 'The Bond Buzz', do check those out.
Suggested reading:
- 'Identity and nostalgia in a globalised world: Investigating the international popula...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks to Alex Lamas ( Instagram @sifu_lamas / Youtube @ @yestoadventure007 ) about his love of movies set in the British Empire.
This includes Zulu (1964), Zulu Dawn (1979), Breaker Morant (1980), Four Feathers (1939), Gunga Din (1939), The Wind and the Lion (1975), and two we focus on particularly; The Man Who Would Be King (1979) with Sean Connery and Micheal Caine and Lawrenc...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about 'the Britishness' of one of the most famous murder mysteries in the world... with no spoilers! He talks about the themes, characters, places, and ideas that shape this remarkable story from Agatha Christie. He also gives a guide to the key adaptations in film, TV, and audio.
Baby Boomers: The Strangest GenerationA light look at growing up in the 60's and 70's, TV...
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Thomas Felix Creighton interview Garvan Rushe about Irish culture, gaining an insight into the British-Irish connection.
Garvan runs Dublin Tour Guide, a boutique tour company known for its personalised, privately guided walks through Dublin. With more than fifteen years of guiding experience, he specialises in creating made-to-measure tours for small groups, shaping each experience around what ...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks to David Zaritsky of 'The Bond Experience' about the Britishness of 1969's James Bond 007 adventure, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.
The movie has an Australian star, an American and a Canadian producer, and was certainly made for export... so why does this film feel so extremely 'British'?
Listen to find out!
You can find David at:
- Instagram: @thebondexperience
- Y...
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Thomas Felix Creighton interviews Calvin Dyson, one of the first people to set up a 007-themed Youtube channel, and asks 'Which is the 'most British' James Bond film?'. Don't worry, we *do* talk about the TV animated series 'James Bond Jr.'!
https://www.youtube.com/calvindyson
Thomas adds a fun fact about the ending For Your Eyes Only, which ultimately comes from the John Glen book 'For My Eyes O...
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Thomas Felix Creighton continues The Alphabet of Britishness, looking especially at Queen Victoria.
The first ten minutes covers:
Thomas’ top three cinematic and TV depictions of Queen Victoria
- Mrs. Brown (1997)
- The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
- Doctor Who “Tooth and Claw” (modern season 2, episode 2)
...and also in brief some other 'V' topics such as:
- Victoria & ...
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Thomas Felix Creighton interviews the CEO of Shogun Films, Jonathan Sothcott.
Jonathan Sothcott is one of the UK's most experienced and successful independent producers with a track record of success with high concept, low budget genre films. Described by GQ Magazine as "a film producer behind a whole new generation of on-screen hardmen", a 2021 Sothcott profile piece in Th...
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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about life in the UK, examining local news in a little town in West Yorkshire and a visit to London. Whilst the national media is very London-centric, most Brits only see the capital on occasional visits - Thomas has only visited London once in 2025. So, that 'internal tourist' view is given for 10 minutes, with the majority of remaining 20 minutes focussing on local news...
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Thomas Felix Creighton celebrates his 200th podcast episode by setting out his most controversial opinion on the James Bond franchise: that 2002's Pierce Brosnan adventure, 'Die Another Day', is a great film. Not one that starts decent and then goes off the rails, not one that is good in concept and but fails in execution - it is an out and out fun action romp of the early 2000s.
Thomas is fully aware...
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Thomas Felix Creighton examines the Britishness of Timothy Dalton's first outing as Ian Fleming's creation, James Bond, 007.
Part One: Brits in Afghanistan
Thomas touches on iconic imagery, such as the infamous painting, “The remnants of an army, Jellalabad [sic], January 13, 1842”, which is better known as just "Remnants of an Army". It was painted by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler in 187...
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Thomas Felix Creighton was asked by his friend, and listener to this podcast, David Webber, ‘If you could live in any fantasy universe, which one would it be?’ – this podcast first looks at the concept of 'escapism' and then answers that question in detail!
Thomas considers:
- The world of James Bond, 007
- A galaxy far, far away...
- The world of Harry Potter
- J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth ...
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Host Thomas Felix Creighton and British novelist Roland Hulme talk about James Bond in the USA, particularly the three movies set there directed by Guy Hamilton; Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Live and Let Die (1973). Their talk ranges from Ian Fleming's original 007 novels to contemporary perspectives on American culture.
Roland Hulme on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...
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Thomas Felix Creighton shares his parents’ letters, written from Kuwait in 1978, and reflects on their first experience as Brits in a non-Western country.
A huge part of this channel is drawing on Thomas' international experience, so he regularly gets messages asking, ‘why did you live abroad?’ – The usual reply is, ‘My parents started it!’. So, not unreasonably, so...
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Thomas Felix Creighton examines the Britishness of ‘Live and Let Die’, both the 1954 novel by Ian Fleming, and the 1973 movie starring Roger Moore. Contributors include British author in the USA, Roland Hulme, New York based Youtuber Alex Lamas (Always say YES to Adventure), and blogger and writer Matt Spaiser (Bondsuits.com). The main interview at the end is with Peter Brooker, co-author...
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