Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson

702. Emergency Questions (with James) Funny Conversation Starters

702. Emergency Questions (with James)

Listen to Luke and James talking about various topics as we answer questions from the book "Emergency Questions" by comedian Richard Herring. Text video and full transcript available.

701. Legal English with Louise Kulbicki

701. Legal English with Louise Kulbicki

Discussing some of the most important terms and concepts in legal English, while also learning about key cases through some amusing stories, with legal English trainer Louise Kulbicki.

700. Marooned With My Music: Luke Thompson

700. Marooned With My Music: Luke Thompson

Marking episode 700 with a special episode. Guest host Oli Thompson interviews Luke using a classic format from BBC Radio. Luke is going to be marooned on a desert island but he is allowed to bring 8 pieces of music, one book and a luxury item. For episode 700 this is a chance to get to know Luke and his musical choices a little better. (Transcript and text video versions available)

699. Welcome (back) to Luke's English Podcast / FAQ (January 2021)

699. Welcome (back) to Luke's English Podcast / FAQ (January 2021)

Wishing everyone a happy new year and taking stock of the main aims and methods of this podcast, plus some frequently asked questions. Video version available on YouTube.

698. Paul is on the Podcast / Random Questions with Paul Taylor

698. Paul is on the Podcast / Random Questions with Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor joins me for some random questions and challenges, including various little discussion points, accents, citizenship test questions, idioms, jokes and more.

697. 11 Christmas Cracker Jokes for 2020, Explained

697. 11 Christmas Cracker Jokes for 2020, Explained\

Going through 11 topical Christmas jokes for 2020, then a ramble about podcast statistics for 2020 and more... Merry Christmas everyone!

696. WISBOLEP Competition Results + RAMBLE

696. WISBOLEP Competition Results + RAMBLE

Join me as I potter around my flat and give the results of the WISBOLEP competition then make a cup of tea and have a ramble about things like listening to non-native English speakers, reducing clutter in your home, renting vs owning a property, what it must be like to have only one hand, Zatoichi the blind swordsman, The Mandalorian TV series, Christmas plans and more. Includes a song on the guitar at the end.

695. Pronunciation, Pragmatics & Procrastination with Emma

695. Pronunciation, Pragmatics & Procrastination with Emma

Talking to Emma from YouTube channel Pronunciation with Emma about accents, improving your pronunciation, understanding pragmatics in English, and learning English through video games.

694. The Crown / The Royal Family (A Royal Ramble with My Wife)

694. The Crown / The Royal Family (A Royal Ramble with My Wife)

Talking to my wife about the latest season of the Netflix TV drama The Crown, which follows the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II and her family. We talk about Charles & Diana, Margaret Thatcher, The Queen's accent, Prince Andrew's BBC interview and more.

693. English With Lucy / A Conversation with Lucy Earl

693. English With Lucy / A Conversation with Lucy Earl

Chatting to Lucy Earl from the English with Lucy channel on YouTube.

692. WISBOLEP Competition Entries - Listen & Vote!

692. WISBOLEP Competition Entries - Listen & Vote!

Listen to recordings sent in by listeners and vote for who you think should be on LEP.

691. Jerome Butler - Dialect Coach

691. Jerome Butler - Dialect Coach

How do professional actors change the way they speak for different acting roles? What can learners of English take from the way actors do this, in order to apply it to their language learning? In this conversation I speak to Jerome Butler who is a very experienced dialect coach working in the TV and film industry in the USA, and we discuss these questions.

690. Urban vs Rural / Living Abroad / Cultural Differences (with Cara Leopold)

690. Urban vs Rural / Living Abroad / Cultural Differences (with Cara Leopold)

A conversation with Cara Leopold about the differences between life in Paris and life in provincial France, plus how it feels to live abroad away from your home country.

689. Baking Cakes, Telling Jokes & Speaking Chinese with Kate Billington

689. Baking Cakes, Telling Jokes & Speaking Chinese with Kate Billington

A funny chat with Kate who speaks multiple languages, makes delicious cakes, teaches English and does stand-up comedy. Enjoy!

688. Sean Connery

689. Sean Connery

I recorded an episode about Sean Connery, who died yesterday. I didn’t expect to get emotional, but I did. Here it is. Hope you like it.

687. WISBOLEP Problem / Polite Requests / An Inspiring Email / Fly Me To the Moon

687. WISBOLEP Problem / Polite Requests / An Inspiring Email / Fly Me To the Moon

A rambling episode with some news about a problem I have with the WISBOLEP competition (ooh!), some tips on making polite requests, an inspiring email from a LEPster and a song on guitar at the end.

686. Christian from Canguro English

686. Christian from Canguro English

A conversation with YouTube English teacher Christian Saunders from Canguro English about the realities of learning and teaching English, motivation and goal-setting in language learning, Paul McCartney recording an album in his kitchen and plenty more. Video version also available on YouTube.

685. Raising Bilingual Children [1] Alex and his daughter Alice, in Moscow

685. Raising Bilingual Children [1] Alex and his daughter Alice, in Moscow

An episode exploring the subject of how to raise a child to speak English. I speak to Alex, an English teacher from Moscow about how he has been speaking exclusively in English to his 4-year-old daughter Alice since she was born. Let's find out how it's going.

684. Chasing the Tangent Train with Elspeth Graty

684. Chasing the Tangent Train with Elspeth Graty

A conversation with English-teaching stand-up comedian Elspeth Graty, which covers lots of different topics including Elspeth's background in England, teaching English, cultural differences, "French-bashing", old-fashioned telephones and The Tellytubbies. Enjoy!

683. Feelgood Stories of Flirting with Marie Connolly

683. Feelgood Stories of Flirting with Marie Connolly

Marie Connolly is an Australian stand-up comedian and TEFL teacher who has written a book of short stories about times when men (from various countries) have flirted with her. In this episode Marie shares some of those stories, tells us about English men vs French men vs Australian men and much more.

682. Key Features of English Accents, Explained

682. Key Features of English Accents, Explained

Exploring the main differences between standard English pronunciation (RP) and non-standard regional or colloquial accents. How do people really speak in different parts of England, and how does this accent differ from the accent you probably hear in English language course books and dictionaries? Notes & videos available on the episode page.

681. New Competition: Why I Should Be On LEP (WISBOLEP) / Story: The First Time I Said F*ck

681. New Competition: Why I Should Be On LEP (WISBOLEP) / Story: The First Time I Said F*ck

Announcing a new LEP competition which everyone is welcome to enter, plus an anecdote about the first time I said a rude word in front of my parents.

680. Park Life - A Year in The Wildlife Of An Urban Park (by Rick Thompson) / Animal Collective Nouns

680. Park Life - A Year in The Wildlife Of An Urban Park (by Rick Thompson) / Animal Collective Nouns

My dad has written a book and it's all about the wildlife you can find in an urban English park. He's on the podcast to tell us all about it, and there are some collective nouns for animals too, plus some bonus stand up comedy at the end.

679. Gill's Book Club: A Gentleman In Moscow

679. Gill's Book Club: A Gentleman In Moscow

Talking to my mum about her latest book recommendation. A Gentleman In Moscow is about a Russian Count who is put under house arrest in 1922 in the beautiful Metropol Hotel in Moscow. 

Check the episode page for some notes and transcripts.

678. The Vintage Furniture Trade in London (with Howard Roach)

678. The Vintage Furniture Trade in London (with Howard Roach)

Talking to my old teaching colleague Howard Roach about his furniture business in South London.

677. A Post-Holiday Ramble / Holiday Vocab / Stories

677. A Post-Holiday Ramble / Holiday Vocab / Stories

I've come back from my holiday so it's time to ramble on about some holiday stories, holiday vocabulary, podcast stats and other bits and pieces including an appearance by my daughter.

676. David Crystal: Let's Talk - How English Conversation Works

676. David Crystal: Let's Talk - How English Conversation Works

Professor David Crystal returns to talk about his latest books, and more. The first book is all about the art of conversation in English, and the second one is a spy thriller inspired by real events.

David Crystal is one of the world's leading linguists and an expert on the English language. He is also a national treasure and it's a treat to be able to talk to him in this episode. Video version also available on YouTube.

675. An Unplanned Pre-Holiday Ramble (July 2020)

675. An Unplanned Pre-Holiday Ramble (July 2020)

This episode is unedited and contains all my pauses, mistakes and thoughts while I attempt to talk about what’s coming up on LEP, my recent appearances on other people’s podcasts, comments and emails of the week and a couple of songs on the guitar.

674. 19 Amusing Insurance Claims / Car Crash Vocabulary

674. 19 Amusing Insurance Claims / Car Crash Vocab

Listen to some funny extracts from genuine insurance claims and learn some vocabulary to describe car crashes and driving (badly).

673. Conspiracies / UFOs / Life Hacks (with James)

673. Conspiracies / UFOs / Life Hacks (with James)

Talking to my brother about some click-bait topics, with stories, beliefs and a few celebrity impressions. Links, transcripts and videos available.