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

It's LEP's 10th Birthday!

10 years ago to this day I published the first episode of LEP.

10 years later I can now say that I'm making a living from doing what I love. 

Thank you for listening and making my podcast what it is today!

586. The Importance of Listening

586. The Importance of Listening

Recently I was reading a book about listening and learning English. This episode is a summary of what I read, including details of how listening fits in with learning English, some considerations of the importance of listening and also some tips for how to improve your English with audio.

585. Alternative British Citizenship Tests with Paul Taylor

585. Alternative British Citizenship Tests with Paul Taylor

Testing Paul again on his knowledge of Britishness with several alternative British citizenship tests and some very British problems.

584. Posh or not posh? (Part 3) with Amber & Paul

584. Posh or not posh? (Part 3) with Amber & Paul

Amber & Paul join me to talk again about poshness, posh accents and posh celebrities. This episode is full of different British accents - posh, RP and regional differences. It's also full of comedy and I found myself laughing out loud while editing this, especially the interview with the football player that Paul tells us about. I hope you enjoy it.

583. British Comedy: The Dirty Fork / Restaurant Sketch (Monty Python)

583. British Comedy: The Dirty Fork / Restaurant Sketch (Monty Python)

Analysing the English in a comedy sketch by Monty Python's Flying Circus, and considering British communication style relating to apologising, making complaints and minimising language.

582. Posh or not posh? (Part 2) Guess the Posh British Celebrities

582. Posh or not posh? (Part 2) Guess the Posh British Celebrities

Can you identify which UK celebrities are posh and which are not? Let's listen to some British celebrities speaking, check their Wikipedia pages and work out of these people are truly posh or not. You'll hear samples of lots of spoken English in this episode and we'll focus on accent and pronunciation.

581. Posh or not posh? (Part 1) Understanding Posh People and Posh Accents

581. Posh or not posh? (Part 1) Understanding Posh People and Posh Accents

Everything you always wanted to know about posh people, but were afraid to ask. This episode is all about poshness in people, posh accents and what it really means to be posh.

580. Ramble / Listener Comments / Robots / Vampires / Two Taps in the Bathroom

580. Ramble / Listener Comments / Robots / Vampires / Two Taps in the Bathroom

A rambling episode with responses to listener comments, LEPster meetups, English Robot 3000 & 5000, vampires leaving comments on my website and the continuing mystery of two taps in the bathroom.

579. [2/2] IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast

579. [2/2] IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast

More conversation with Ben Worthington from IELTSPodcast.com, talking about English skills and exam skills, considering the whole approach and mindset that you need to succeed in IELTS. Includes questions from listeners.

578. [1/2] IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast

578. [1/2] IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast

A conversation with IELTS teacher Ben Worthington about the IELTS test, with advice for getting your best score in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Includes questions from listeners. Part 1 of 2.

577. UK vs US Slang Game (with Jennifer from English Across the Pond)

577. UK vs US Slang Game (with Jennifer from English Across the Pond)

In this episode I'm joined by Jennifer - a podcaster from the USA, and we test each other on our knowledge of slang from our countries. Listen and learn some informal words from British and American English.

576. Talking about Comedy, Books, Films & Music with James

576. Talking about Comedy, Books, Films & Music with James

My brother James is back on the podcast for a 90min+ mega-ramble about things like: taking sick days from work, snowboarding, doing stand-up for the first time, the new film about Laurel & Hardy, Steve Coogan / Alan Partridge, The Beastie Boys and making mix tapes on cassette tapes in the 1990s. Intro transcript available.

575. British Comedy: Paul Chowdhry

575. British Comedy: Paul Chowdhry

Understand a stand-up comedy routine by Paul Chowdhry, a British comedian of Indian descent. We'll break down his comedy bit by bit, understand each line and learn some English in the process.

574. [2/2] The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Q&A (January 2019)

574. [2/2] The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Q&A (January 2019)

My dad answers some questions from listeners about Brexit. Includes conversation about Theresa May's deal, the prospect of a 'no-deal' Brexit, Parliamentary democracy, the possible reactions to revoking Article 50 or cancelling Brexit altogether, chances of a second referendum, Scottish independence, the sensitive Northern Ireland situation, consequences for EU nationals in the UK and the question of trading on WTO rules. Almost everything, basically!

573. [1/2] The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Update (January 2019)

573. [1/2] The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Update (January 2019)

Part 1 of a double episode of the Rick Thompson Report, talking to my dad about the latest developments in the shambolic Brexit story.

This time we're focusing on what happened in last week's Parliamentary vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal, what the situation is now, and what might happen in the future.

We talk about no-deal Brexit, the possibility of a 2nd referendum, postponing Article 50 and more.

Part 2 contains questions from listeners and will be available soon.

572. Worst Stand-up Gig Experiences (with Amber & Paul)

572. Worst Stand-up Gig Experiences (with Amber & Paul)

Amber, Paul and Luke tell some stories of their worst ever stand-up comedy gigs. Expect some anecdotes about embarrassing and humiliating experiences on stage, and "dying on your arse". Intro & outtro transcripts available + bonus audio in the LEP app. 

571. Bill Burr's Hilarious Plane Story - Enjoy Comedy/Storytelling in English

Understand a funny anecdote by comedian Bill Burr. In this episode we’re going to do some intensive listening practice using the true story of a bizarre encounter with a man on a plane.

Look out for language for travelling by plane, some American English and A LOT of swearing, particularly the F word.

570. Learning & Teaching English with Zdenek Lukas (Part 2)

570. Learning & Teaching English with Zdenek Lukas (Part 2)

Part 2 of my chat with Zdenek from the Czech Republic. In this one we talk about becoming an English teacher, taking the infamous DELTA teaching course, Zdenek's podcast and board game, and some long-lost (and embarrassing) comedy YouTube videos I made in the pre-podcast days.

569. Learning & Teaching English with Zdenek Lukas (Part 1)

569. Learning & Teaching English with Zdenek Lukas (Part 1)

Talking to English teacher & podcaster Zdenek Lukas from the Czech Republic about various things, including how he learned English by working on a building site in East London with a team of cockneys who couldn't pronounce his name properly.

Also includes tangents about football commentators, climate change denial, flat earth conspiracy theorists and more. [Part 1 of 2] Intro & outro transcripts available.

568. What is Luke's English Podcast, and how can it help you with your English?

568. What is Luke's English Podcast, and how can it help you with your English?

What are the aims & objectives for this podcast? How can you use it to improve your English? This episode is an introduction for new listeners and a reminder for long-term listeners: This is a podcast all about learning English through listening, while having some fun in the process. Transcript available.

567. Alternative Christmas Stories & Poems / Beatles / Happy New Year from LEP!

567. Alternative Christmas Stories & Poems / Beatles / Happy New Year from LEP!

This is the last episode of LEP before the end of 2018.

It's Christmas and New Years Eve is approaching, so it's time for the traditional Christmas episode of LEP! In this one I'm going to read some Christmas stories and a couple of poems which are a bit different to the normal stuff you get at this time of year. Also, keep listening for a funny appearance by The Beatles.

566. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 6) 2018 with Amber

566. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 6) 2018 with Amber Minogue

Here's the final part of this series about trending words and issues in 2018, this time with friend of the podcast Amber Minogue. Join us as we talk about jogging, picking up litter, bird watching, VAR & football, veganism, ethnic diversity in Hollywood and more. Notes available.

565. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 5) 2018 with Amber

565. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 5) 2018 with Amber Minogue

Talking to my friend Amber about some trending vocabulary and hot topics from 2018, like plastic pollution, dance crazes and the Brexit backstop. Includes discussion, language explanations, David Attenborough impressions and more. Notes available. 

564. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 4)

564. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 4)

More trending vocabulary and issues of the moment, this time focusing on topics like working conditions in the gig economy, the pros and cons of instagram and a true story about a unicorn riding a bike in London. Transcript available.

563. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 3)

563. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 3)

Continuing this episode series with vocabulary explanations and discussions of big issues from the last couple of years.

Includes talk of how social media affects the way we see the world, the pros and cons of fidget spinners, and current debates about gender identity, including my thoughts on the new female Doctor in the classic British TV series, Doctor Who. Transcript available.

562. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 2)

562. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 2)

Vocabulary explanations and discussions of hot topics from the last couple of years. Talking about some controversial political stuff like the rise of fascism and anti-fascism, the relative popularity of UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, and how the winter season changes people's feelings about romance and relationships. Transcript available.

561. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 1)

561. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 1)

The first part of an episode series about trending vocabulary - words which have been used a lot in the last couple of years. Listen to me talk about words chosen by Collins Dictionaries as their "Words of the Year". This first episode focuses on how publishers use big data and then lots of discussion about the 2017 word of the year, which was fake news.

560. Sarah Donnelly Returns - Writing jokes, public speaking, doing comedy in another language

Talking to comedian Sarah Donnelly about how she writes her jokes, advice on public speaking and how to avoid nerves and negative feelings, performing stand-up comedy in another language, and more. Sarah is a comedian and language teacher from the US,  now living in France.

559. The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Chaos (November 2018)

559. The Rick Thompson Report: Brexit Chaos (November 2018)

Talking to my dad, Rick Thompson, about recent developments in the story of Brexit - Britain's exit from the European Union. Recorded on 18 November 2018.

558. Rambling in the new Sky-Pod

558. Rambling in the new Sky-Pod

Another solo episode recorded in the new sky-pod. Talking about moving to the new flat, some podcast news, meeting Louis CK, WW1 remembrance, rock climbing and more... Some vocab is explained during the episode.