The Fourth of July - The British Perspective

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 identity? What inspired the US constitution? Would slavery have ended sooner for the USA if the colonies had stayed with Britain?All these questions are answered, with the following books and films recommended (listen in order of mention in the episode):Books:Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens, by David MitchellA Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc MorrisCromwell, by Antonia FraiserOrigins of the American Revolution (2nd ed.) by John Chester MillerMovies: 1973’s Robin Hood (Disney)1968’s The Lion in Winter (with Timothy Dalton as Phillip II of France)2010’s Robin Hood (the Russell Crowe one)1970’s Cromwell Released on the first of July, to give you time to listen in advance of the celebratory day, when many will be busy with family, or in case you have a really long drive to get to that barbeque!   Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: [email protected] out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shop (...and thank you to the listener in Germany who ordered an 'A is for Albion' mug recently!)Subscribe to my newsletter for update e-mails, random postcards, and stickers: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616  Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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. We even talk about the rise of zero alcohol drinks in Britain.So, raise a glass to the Great British tradition of booze, and the twelve drinks that made it what it is today… Cheers!The history of Britain, perhaps more so than any other country, is defined by its drinking culture. Built on a foundation of pubs, clubs and watering holes, the UK has remained in the global top five for alcoholic intake per capita since 1700. It doesn’t matter how it comes – nip, schooner, pint or yard – we will always gladly have another.But of such a vast and varied drinks menu, which are Britain’s favourites? Which have stood the test of time? And what do they say about our wider culture?Steven Parissien’s 'Another Round?' uncorks contemporary Britain’s relationship with booze in twelve very different drinks. From the 1950’s classic Babysham, to the house party favourite WKD, these flagship brands reflected and redefined British culture and politics.This book publishes in the UK on 11th September, 2025. You can pre-order on Amazon (and all good sellers), and it will be available in Hardcover (£14.99), Paperback (£9.99), and eFormats (£9.99) on the day of release. Thomas has read an advance copy of this book, and strongly recommends it.Dr Steven Parissien is Director of Compton Verney museum and gallery in Warwickshire, England, and Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, and the University of Warwick. Born in London and raised in Buckinghamshire, Steven obtained both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Oxford. Steven has written extensively on architectural and cultural history. His nine books to date include Adam Style (Phaidon, 1992; Apollo magazine's Book of the Year for 1992 and The American Institute of Architects' Book of the Year Choice for 1993), George IV: The Grand Entertainment (John Murray, 2001); Interiors: The Home Since 1700 (Laurence King, 2008); and, most recently, The Life of the Automobile (Atlantic, 2013). He lives in Oxford, England, and has a daughter, Julia. Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: AlbionNevSupport the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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/thatonebondguyhttps://www.youtube.com/thatonebondguyThis final Roger Moore 007 film takes place in San Francisco, for the final hour, close to where Chris lives. Both he and Thomas have enjoyed exploring the locations, so here they happily share their love of the film. Some light spoilers for the film, but if you're listening to them enthuse over a 40 year old film, hopefully you've seen it already! This film was discussed in Episode 189, an interview with the film's director, John Glen.Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: [email protected] out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shop (...and thank you to the listener in Germany who ordered an 'A is for Albion' mug recently!)Subscribe to my newsletter for update e-mails, random postcards, and stickers: https://youtube.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3afdae99897eebbf8ca022c8&id=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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:Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, by Tony Judt, which was previously reviewed on the Youtube channel @BritishCulture (007's Retirement Reading, Part 4)Austerity Britain, 1945-1951, by David Kynaston, and Family Britain, 1951-1957 by the same authorLooking for Trouble: SAS to Gulf Command - The Autobiography, by General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC.Thomas also talks about the following Youtube videos, which give some imagery to what is here described: A Colonial Childhood │ 3 Generations of Brits in CyprusCyprus Under British Rule｜With Cinéfilm from the 1950s & video from todayA Frontline Soldier's Last Letter Home - Italy, 1943WWII: A Letter From a Frontline Soldier in Italy, September 1943A Teacher in the Raj: My Great-Grandfather, F.E. CreightonIf you have memories or family stories to share, please do get in touch:Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: [email protected] 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=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 (1957), and was responsible for the iconic parachute jump at the start of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). We talk about all of the above films, as well as discussing what makes James Bond so British, what is the formula for a great 007 film, John Glen's rise through the film industry, and his experiences as a Brit abroad. We also talk about two of the iconic women of the films, Maud Adams and Grace Jones, as well as which actor was author Ian Fleming's first choice to play the character of Bond, James Bond. Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: [email protected] 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=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 well-known book series on James Bond locations.Matt Spaiser, co-author of "From Tailors With Love: An Evolution of Menswear through the Bond films”, and sole author of the Bondsuits.com blog site, I check in every Monday for new articles.The inimitable Pete Brooker, co-author of "From Tailors With Love", and "Boy Wanted on Savile Row", and host of the "There Will be Bond" podcast". He finishes up this podcast as only he can.There are also a couple of bonus contributions by… well… you’ll see!There. Will. Also. Be. A. *Very* Special Announcement! About a forthcoming episode, right near the end. Don't miss it.The recommended rabbit hole is 'Being James Bond' by Joe Darlington, the book, the podcast, the Youtube channel... and the man himself of course. Message Thomas anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDiesE-mail: [email protected] out my Red Bubble shopSubscribe to my newsletter for update e-mails, random postcards, and stickers: Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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, @FlemingNeverDiesE-mail: [email protected] 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=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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:"For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond" by Ben Macintyre, for some great 007 novel and film connections, I recommend the hardback glossy page edition."The Life of Ian Fleming" by John Pearson, for a good straightforward biography of Tue great man. "Ian Fleming: The Complete Man" by Nicholas Shakespeare, for a forensic look at Fleming's life.Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDiesE-mail: [email protected] 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=5165536616Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 China, the visa process and settling in at work, as well as a day trip to Hong Kong. This is the first 30 minutes. I then read a fourth e-mail detailing my first trip to Macao. I do actually have a series of reflective pieces I wrote for Chinese social media in 2021 as I was leaving. I read these prior to recording, but didn't read them out, as the podcast is long enough as it is. If you enjoy this episode, perhaps I will use them later more fully.In the second half of this podcast, I talk about Chinese cultural topics as requested by my Chinese friends. These include:Different foods and citiesChinese tech citiesThe Monkey KingHou YiThe movie 'Hero' with Jet LiFood culture (more detail)Language Chinese New Year I would usually do a great deal of reading, online and from my own book collection, before talking on such specialised topics. But on this occasion, I draw 100% from my experiences, as I currently remember them. Again, I am drawing on old writing, and another source I used was a leather-bound notebook I filled with entries detailing my day-to-day life in my first few years in China. I created this for my parents, who are well-travelled but had not been to China. The notebook passed back to me after my mother passed away. I was gratified to learn that she had often read it, and it was always close to hand for her. For further reading and viewing, I recommend the Youtube channels, @VideosByCaine and @DaNiuLaoShi both by a friend of mine who also lived in China. His experiences are naturally different from mine, his personal perspective is unique, but there is much in common also. I highly recommend all his content. Between the both of us, you would get a very full and rounded idea of life in China. No two people experience the same (or similar) events in the same way. There is much to gain from seeing both our experiences. I really like this video my friend created, called "China, I miss you": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R28JoQszHqI...and also the video below, which looks at why he first went to China. Don't worry about the Chinese title of the video, he speaks in English throughout! Actually, the thoughts in his video very much relate to the first half of this podcast. We do often compare and contrast our experiences, and our differing reflections, so again, I really recommend checking out both our content. 回忆之旅 — 安庆漫跑记 | 大牛跑步第六集: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1cuC2_M1IM If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me using any of the methods below! Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: [email protected] out my https://www.youtube.com/britishcultureCheck out my Red Bubble shopSubscribe to my newsletter for update e-mails, random postcards, and stickers: Support the show

Don't be shy, send me a message!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 Instagram, @FlemingNeverDiesE-mail: [email protected] 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=5165536616Support the showSupport the show