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

672. The Rick Thompson Report: COVID / BREXIT / BLM (July 2020)

672. The Rick Thompson Report: COVID / BREXIT / BLM (July 2020)

Talking to my dad about recent developments in the UK relating to coronavirus & Brexit with a cameo appearance by Gill Thompson talking about statues.

671. Aussie English with Pete Smissen

671. Aussie English with Pete Smissen

A conversation with genuine Aussie Pete Smissen, about differences and similarities between the UK and Australia, cultural and historical details, language similarities, and more. Check YouTube for the video version.

670. Language Learning with James Harris

670. Language Learning with James Harris

Talking to writer and comedian James Harris about life as a writer, going to Oxford Uni, being an international Brit and learning German, French and Chinese as an adult.

669. How to Learn English

669. How to Learn English

Giving you as advice about learning English across the four skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking. Full transcript available.

668. LEP LIVE! Ask Me Anything / Hang Out With Luke (AUDIO VERSION)

668. LEP LIVE! Ask Me Anything / Hang Out With Luke (AUDIO VERSION)

Listen to the audio version of the recent LEP Live Stream on YouTube including an audience Q&A, learning English tips, some crap 'Dad Jokes' and 3 songs on the guitar.

667. Four Way Call (with Alex, Moz & Paul)

667. Four Way Call (with Alex, Moz & Paul)

A lockdown Zoom call with my friends Alex, Paul and Moz which should be a fun but challenging listening exercise. Intro & ending transcripts available.

Jump to 00:22:00 to skip the intro (at your own risk) 

Announcement: I’m doing a YouTube Live Stream on Wednesday 10 June at 3PM CET

Announcement: I’m doing a YouTube Live Stream on Wednesday 10 June at 3PM CET.

Topic: Ask Me Anything / Hang Out with Luke

666. [Part 3] Favourite Scary Films (with James)

666. [Part 3] Favourite Scary Films (with James)

James and Luke talk about some of their favourite scary films, and more. This is the 3rd and final part of episode 666.

Bonus audio available in the LEP App and on the episode page.

666. [Part 2] Frightening Experiences (with James)

666. [Part 2] Frightening Experiences (with James)

James and I share some stories of genuinely scary and disturbing experiences which we've had in our lives.

666. [Part 1] The Number of the Beast / Scary Music / Black Sabbath (with James)

666. [Part 1] The Number of the Beast / Scary Music / Black Sabbath (with James)

Talking to my brother James about the significance of the number 666, and then some scary music including 'The Devil's Interval', Black Sabbath and more...

665. A Chinwag with Sebastian Marx / 18+ British slang phrases that Americans don’t understand

665. A Chinwag with Sebastian Marx / 18+ British slang phrases that Americans don’t understand

Chatting to Sebastian Marx from New York and testing his knowledge of British English slang phrases. Slang vocabulary list available on the episode page.

664. Lockdown Ramble with My Wife

664. Lockdown Ramble with My Wife

Chatting with my wife late one evening last week about what it's like to be with an English guy, raising our daughter to be bilingual and more...

663. The Lockdown Lying Game with Amber & Paul

663. The Lockdown Lying Game with Amber & Paul

Listen to three more stories told by Amber, Paul and Luke - can you guess if they are true or lies?

662. Catching Up with Amber & Paul #10 (Surviving Lockdown with Kids)

662. Catching Up with Amber & Paul #10 (Surviving Lockdown with Kids)

Chatting to Amber Minogue & Paul Taylor about dealing with confinement at home with children, the birth of Amber's baby, tongue twisters, weird children's TV series and more.

660. Using TV Series & Films to Improve Your English

660. Using TV Series & Films to Improve Your English

Lots of practical advice and comments about how you can use films and TV series to work on your English. This episode is a recap of some advice in episode 523 with Cara Leopold. Transcript available.

659. Lockdown Chat with Cara Leopold

659. Lockdown Chat with Cara Leopold

Chatting to Cara Leopold about living in self isolation, the global coronavirus lockdown and how you can work on your English at home using TV shows and films.

658. [2/2] Why do Brits sing with American accents?

658. [2/2] Why do Brits sing with American accents?

This is part 2 of a double episode exploring the question of why British people often change their accent when they sing. This episode contains more examples, including some (dodgy) singing from me in order to hear how it sounds when different songs are sung in different accents. Notes, lyrics and transcriptions available on the page below.

657. [1/2] Why do Brits sing with American accents?

657. [1/2] Why do Brits sing with American accents?

Have you ever wondered why British people sometimes change their accent when they sing? This episode explores the question of why this happens, with various examples and some (dodgy) singing by me. Notes, videos and transcripts available on the episode page.

656. British Comedy: Karl Pilkington’s Monkey News / The Ricky Gervais Show

656. British Comedy: Karl Pilkington’s Monkey News / The Ricky Gervais Show

Listen to a funny story told in a Manchester accent, and learn various bits of English in the process including vocabulary and pronunciation. Improve your understanding of regional British accents. Story transcript & vocabulary notes available.

655. Coping with Isolation / Describing Feelings and Emotions - Vocabulary & Experiences

655. Coping with Isolation / Describing Feelings and Emotions - Vocabulary & Experiences

A vocabulary episode with lots of phrases for describing the experience of living in self-isolation. It also includes a bit of a ramble about the situation in the UK, my personal experiences of living in Paris during the lockdown and a song at the end.

654. Computer-based IELTS / The First Time… (with Jessica Beck from IELTS Energy Podcast)

654. Computer-based IELTS / The First Time… (with Jessica Beck from IELTS Energy Podcast)

A chat with Jessica Beck from the IELTS Energy Podcast about the new computer-based IELTS test, plus some funny stories about doing things for the first time, motivation in language learning, dealing with the stress of public speaking and seeing "The Fonz" on a ski slope.

653. Gill’s Book Club “The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper” by Hallie Rubenhold / How to read books to improve your English

653. Gill’s Book Club “The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper” by Hallie Rubenhold / How to read books to improve your English

Talking to my mum about a good book she read recently; a social history about 5 women who were all murdered by Jack The Ripper in 1888. Also includes some advice and comments about reading books to learn English.

652. The Rick Thompson Report: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

652. The Rick Thompson Report: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Talking to my dad about what’s happening in the UK at the moment, how serious this pandemic is, what the consequences might be and how the UK’s government is responding to it.

651. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vocabulary

651. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vocabulary

Explaining key vocabulary about the coronavirus (COVID-19) to help you talk about this global pandemic in English.

650. British Music: Jungle (with James)

650. British Music: Jungle (with James)

An in-depth episode all about an innovative British form of dance music from the 90s: Jungle (aka Drum & Bass). Includes discussion with James about the origins of the music, how it sounds, its position in UK culture, some bits of music on vinyl and a few anecdotes too. Notes & music playlists available on the website.

649. An Unedited Ramble (March 2020) Never Explain, Never Apologise? / No Stress / Method To The Madness / 3 Songs on Guitar

649. An Unedited Ramble (March 2020) Never Explain, Never Apologise? / No Stress / Method To The Madness / 3 Songs on Guitar

Luke talks on his own without stopping, restarting or editing, including responses to comments about recent episodes, thoughts on the methodology behind this podcast, some vocabulary teaching, a few songs on the guitar and more. This is no-stress episode, and a chance for me to just check in on you and make sure you're all doing ok out there in the world! 😉

Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-aP1

648. Ian Moore Returns

648. Ian Moore Returns

Talking again to comedian Ian Moore about favourite films, a trip to New York, British & American audiences, how to iron a shirt, and funny stories about taking the language test to qualify for French citizenship.

647. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 6)

647. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 6)

The final part in this little series following Alan Partridge through a day in his life, and breaking it down for language. Alan is not for everyone, but I hope you've enjoyed this series and learned some English from it.

646. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 5)

646. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 5)

What did Alan do on Valentine's Day? Listen to find out, as we break down some more clips of this award-winning comedy and use them to learn English.

645. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 4)

645. British Comedy: Alan Partridge (Part 4)

Listening to some more classic British comedy and dissecting it for language. This time we're listening to some more clips of Alan Partridge, a comedy character played by Steve Coogan. This is part 4 of a series I started in 2018.