British Culture: Albion Never Dies

Thomas Felix Creighton

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

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Episodes

NEW BOOK: Boy Wanted on Savile Row - An Interview with Pete Brooker (From Tailors With Love) [Episode 172]
Mar 19 2024
NEW BOOK: Boy Wanted on Savile Row - An Interview with Pete Brooker (From Tailors With Love) [Episode 172]
Don't be shy, send me a message!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 his own in the ‘90s, Everest initially styled bands and pop stars, such as George Michael, before he became the spearhead of the ‘Cool Britannia’ generation and the face of the New Bespoke Movement. His many bespoke clients included Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Mick Jagger and Jay-Z, to name a few. Eventually he would turn his hand to tailoring for films, such as the James Bond and Mission Impossible franchises, and would create some truly iconic suits.Featuring a wealth of celebrity anecdotes, both hilarious and tragic, Boy Wanted on Savile Row leads the reader through a landscape of bespoke British tailoring that would change the way we view and buy our clothes forever.The book is available for pre-order on Amazon, now.You can find Pete on Instagram and Youtube: @FromTailorsWithLoveMessage me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, 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 stickers: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Travel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.
The British-Chinese Connection [Episode 167]
Feb 13 2024
The British-Chinese Connection [Episode 167]
Don't be shy, send me a message!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 Made the Modern World' by Niall Furgusson. I also recommend the Youtube channel 'Electric Shadows Cinema'. I also, also talk about the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, and how those events eventually made it into a 007 film. Talking of James Bond, I also talk about three British-Chinese alumni of the long-running film franchise, plus our first Chinese members of the House of Lords and House of Commons.If you're wondering about the music at the top and tail of the episode, I recorded the street sounds on my way to work in Shenzhen one day.If you have an idea for the Alphabet of Britishness, please do not hesitate to message me. What could 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y' or 'Z' stand for? Not much time left now, so message me about any of these.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 stickers: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Travel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.
The BEST THREE British TV Comedies According to UK Writer Roland Hulme: Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, and Red Dwarf [Episode 159]
Dec 19 2023
The BEST THREE British TV Comedies According to UK Writer Roland Hulme: Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, and Red Dwarf [Episode 159]
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 showTravel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.
Casino Royale: Interview with Superfan Kyle Barbeau (Instagram's @EasySmilesAndExpensiveWatches) [Episode 158]
Dec 12 2023
Casino Royale: Interview with Superfan Kyle Barbeau (Instagram's @EasySmilesAndExpensiveWatches) [Episode 158]
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    Travel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.
Listener Request: The British Countryside | With a Special Look at 'The Archers' [Episode 157]
Dec 5 2023
Listener Request: The British Countryside | With a Special Look at 'The Archers' [Episode 157]
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    Travel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.
60 Years of Dr. Who | 3/3 | The Modern Whoniverse... and is James Bond a Time Lord? | With Instagram's @DanielGaster [Episode 154]
Nov 14 2023
60 Years of Dr. Who | 3/3 | The Modern Whoniverse... and is James Bond a Time Lord? | With Instagram's @DanielGaster [Episode 154]
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    Travel Plans with Fernando Pinho Join pilot and adventurer Fernando Pinho as he takes you on journeys to discover...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the Show.