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

475. Holiday Diary (Part 2) Modern Art: Is it amazing, or is it rubbish?

03 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about some modern art which I saw while visiting several galleries in Los Angeles. Includes descriptions of different movements in modern art,...

474. Holiday Diary (Part 1) New Arrival, New Destinations

31 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hi everyone, I'm back from my holiday so here's a new episode of the podcast. In this one you'll hear me talking about some recent news (including qui...

473. Explaining the Rules of Cricket (with Dad)

22 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Everything you need to know about the world's 2nd most popular spectator sport, cricket. I'm joined by my Dad, Rick Thompson and we describe the rules...

Why does the UK have so many accents? (Recorded February 2017)

16 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally recorded in February 2017 and is being uploaded in August 2017. In this episode I’m going to answer several questions fr...

472. Andy's Story of Survival / Why Andy Runs Marathons (with Andy Johnson)

11 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Andy about why he runs marathons, including vocabulary relating to doing exercise, health, fitness, technique, injuries and medical care. i...

471. Stepping on Lego, Self-directed Learning, Accents (with Andy Johnson)

06 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Andy about stepping on Lego, Andy's job, self-directed language learning, accent, and British/American English. italki offer: http://www.te...

I'm going away on holiday - back in a few weeks!

02 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

I'm going on holiday until the end of the month, so I'm going to disappear for a while. Listen to this message because it has a few announcements abou...

470. Understanding the Liverpool Accent

31 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Helping you to understand and appreciate the Liverpool accent and Scouse English, featuring clips of comedy a short history of Liverpool and interview...

469. British Comedy: John Bishop

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Helping you to understand a comedian with a Liverpool accent - learn vocabulary, culture and accents in English. Episode page: https://wp.me/p4IuUx-...

468. Punk - Music & Culture (with James)

24 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A bit of pop culture history in this episode, talking about the musical movement of punk and the social situation in which it happened. With James Tho...

467. A Boiling-Hot Evening Ramble / Comments & Questions

20 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rambling (in my sweltering hot flat) about the benefits of playing football, giving encouragement to a shy new listener, some prepositions with transp...

466. Get this word into your life

15 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Highlighting and clarifying vocabulary that you heard in episodes 464 and 465, with a focus on phrases and uses of the word get. Episode page: https...

465. How I make episodes of the podcast (Part 2)

10 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about the technical side of making podcast episodes, including fascinating* insights about my recording equipment and an exciting** anecdote...

464. How I make episodes of the podcast (Part 1)

06 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about the creative side of making podcast episodes, including some thoughts on how to come up with ideas and how to speak in front of an audie...

463. News, Comments & Questions (A Rambling Episode)

03 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Giving some news, responding to comments & questions, rambling about new shoes and getting lost in the jungle. Episode page with links etc: http...

462. British Comedy: Bill Bailey

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I talk to you about one of my favourite stand up comedians from the UK. We’re going to hear some of his comedy and use it to learn E...

461. 25 Deceptively Difficult Questions (with Amber, Paul & Sarah)

24 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An episode about the tricky little questions that we use when socialising. What are the appropriate answers? What are the subtle differences? How do n...

460 Catching Up With Amber & Paul #6 (feat. Sarah Donnelly)

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Conversation and language analysis with the podpals and guest Sarah. Hear some conversation about being married to a foreign person, bringing up kids...

459. Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon (A Rambling Episode)

17 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rambling on about so-called "facts" I found on the internet, while sitting in direct sunshine wishing I had beer. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7...

458. The Rick Thompson Report: Post-Election 2017

14 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to my Dad about the results of the UK's general election on 8 June 2017. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7Ph  italki offer: http://www.tea...

457. Conclusions about Language Learning from the David Crystal Interview (Part 2)

09 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A follow-up to episode 455 consolidating the insights of Professor David Crystal including various pearls of wisdom about language learning. Episode p...

456. Conclusions about Language Learning from the David Crystal Interview (Part 1)

09 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing and clarifying what David Crystal said in episode 454. Conclusions about language learning and linguistics.   Episode page: http://wp.me...

455. David Crystal Interview (Part 2) Questions from Listeners

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to the world's top writer and lecturer on the English language, Professor David Crystal. In this episode, David answers questions from listene...

A Message from Amber about her Paris history podcast "Paname"

01 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hi everyone, this is just a quick 3min episode with a message from Amber about her podcast. Details below. Amber's podcast is now on iTunes and on her...

454. David Crystal Interview (Part 1) Professor of Linguistics

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about language with one of the world's top linguists, Professor David Crystal. italki offer: http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk Episode page: ...

453. The 36 Questions that Lead to Love (with Amber & Paul)

27 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Amber, Paul and me answering questions designed by psychologists to help couples or friends become closer and more intimate. Episode page: ...

452. A Conversation About Language (with Amber & Paul)

24 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing language with Amber & Paul, including issues such as errors made by native speakers, language change, whether language standards are de...

451. Film Club: Alien Franchise / Alien Covenant

22 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Another film club episode, this time about the Alien franchise and a review of the new film "Alien: Covenant". The film is in the cinemas now and you ...

450. Comments & Questions

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I’m going to go through some questions from the comment section and give a bit of news. There will be some grammar, some vocab, some...

449. Film Club: Touching the Void (Part 2) Learning a Language is Like Climbing a Mountain

13 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of this Film Club episode looking at the award-winning documentary "Touching the Void" which tells the story of a mountain climbing expedition ...

448. Film Club: Touching the Void (Part 1) Learning a Language is Like Climbing a Mountain

12 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A film club episode about the award-winning documentary film "Touching the Void" about a mountain climbing expedition which goes wrong. It's an amazin...

447. What is this, British Humour? (with Amber Minogue)

08 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What is British Humour? Is it funny? Does it even exist? How does it relate to our communication style and culture? In this episode I go through the m...

446. British TV: Top Gear

05 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about one of the UK's most popular television programmes, Top Gear. This episode features lots of vocabulary related to cars, but a lot more t...

445. British Podcast Award / Hello to New Listeners / 17 Vocabulary Expressions

01 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I’m going to talk a little bit about the results of the British Podcast Awards and also do a sort of introduction to the podcast for...

444. The Rick Thompson Report: Snap General Election 2017

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Politics is back on LEP as I talk to my Dad about recent developments in the UK, specifically the General Election which is due to take place on 8 Jun...

443. The Trip to Japan (Part 2)

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Describing my recent trip to Japan and exploring the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7C4  Spoken offer: http...

442. The Trip to Japan (Part 1)

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Describing my recent trip to Japan and exploring the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7BQ Spoken offer: http:/...

441. Andy Johnson at the IATEFL Conference

18 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation with Andy Johnson, talking about the IATEFL teaching conference, millennials, more tales of Andy's appearance and the possibility of a ...

440. This Pile of Books on my Desk

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I just want to talk to you about this pile of 16 books I have on my desk. These are (mostly) books I haven't read yet but which I pick...

439. Reading Books to Learn English

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is all about books. I’m going to recommend some self-study books for learning English, talk about the value of reading books in English...

438. Hi Luke, I have a question!

04 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s another episode done in a similar style to the last one, with some news, some rambling and some questions and comments from the website. Topi...

437. Ramble News - 31 March 2017

31 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A rambly episode with some news from the UK, some comments, some questions, some updates about LEPster meetups in Moscow, Tokyo and London and more. E...

436. The Return of The Lying Game (with Amber & Paul) [Video]

28 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Amber, Paul and I play another round of The Lying Game, in which we each tell a story and the others have to guess if it's true or a lie. Listen for s...

435. Catching Up With Amber & Paul #5 [Video]

24 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Amber & Paul are back on the podcast in this episode as we respond to some questions and comments from the website and social media. Video availab...

434. Interview with Paul Taylor - "WTF France?" [Video]

21 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Interviewing Paul Taylor about his comedy projects, including "What the F*ck France" on Canal+ / Youtube and his stand-up shows #Franglais and The Pau...

433. British TV: Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (Part 2) [Video]

16 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more authentic English directly from the mouths of these native speakers in an episode of the popular British TV show "Kitchen Nightmares" with ...

432. British TV: Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (Part 1) [Video]

14 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about restaurant culture in the UK, an introduction to one of the UK's most famous chefs and a chance to learn some authentic English from a p...

431. Restaurants & Hotels / Really Strange TripAdvisor Reviews (with Amber)

09 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Amber about our experiences in restaurants & hotels and some truly bizarre TripAdvisor reviews. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7yz S...

430. Discussing Language Learning & Life with Fred Eyangoh

05 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Fred about history, geography, comedy, learning English and cutlery. Episode page http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7wb italki offer http://www.teacherlu...

429. RAMBLENEWS!

01 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is an episode with some rambling about recent news, LEPster meetups, transcript project team, listener comments & questions, teaching phrasal...

428. British Comedy: Limmy's Show (Part 2) Dee Dee goes to Yoker

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Analysis of another sketch from Limmy's Show. Listen to informal English spoken in a Glasgow accent, and understand it. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4I...

427. British Comedy: Limmy's Show (Part 1) Mr Mulvaney

22 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An episode analysing more British comedy, this time focusing on a couple of sketches from Limmy's Show, an award-winning TV comedy produced by BBC Sco...

426. Thompson, Taylor & Minogue: Victorian Detectives (Part 2) with Amber & Paul

16 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to the conclusion of this mystery story in which Amber, Paul and I attempt to solve a series of kidnappings in Victorian London. Episode page: ...

425. Thompson, Taylor & Minogue: Victorian Detectives (Part 1) with Amber & Paul

13 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Join Amber, Paul and me as we attempt to solve a series of mysterious kidnappings in Victorian London. Full story text available. Episode page: http:/...

424. With Andy & Ben from The London School of English (Part 2)

08 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Andy Johnson and Ben Butler about teaching English to millennials, cross-cultural experiences we've had as English teachers and some funny ...

423. With Andy & Ben from The London School of English (Part 1)

06 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Andy Johnson and Ben Butler from The London School of English about many things including teaching English for specific purposes and some o...

422. Learning British Dialects with Korean Billy

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to Billy from Korea about his videos about regional British dialects and accents. Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7t5 italki offer: http://w...

421. Skateboarding - A New Olympic Sport (with James)

29 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A new episode with James about Skateboarding, which will be a new event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. James has been a skater for most of his life ...

420. Anyone fancy a brew? Let's have a nice cup of tea!

26 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Everything you need to know about the culture of tea-drinking in the UK, including a full guide to how to make a nice cup of tea, English style. Episo...

419. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Spoiler Review (with James)

23 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to my brother about the latest Star Wars film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. SPOILER ALERT! Episode page: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7ua Spoken offer...

418. The Rick Thompson Report: Technology and The Future (January 2017)

19 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to my Dad about developments in technology in the future. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7u4 italki offer: http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk  Sign up to...

417. New Year's Resolutions and Language Learning in 2017

15 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s look towards the coming year and talk about new years resolutions for language learning in 2017. I talk about the UK's most common new year's ...

416. What was the most popular episode of LEP in 2016? + more podcast statistics

13 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here is an overview of how 2016 was for Luke's English Podcast including some details about the top 5 episodes, the top 20 countries, and more statist...

415. With the Family (Part 3) More Encounters with Famous People

10 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here's the final part in this trilogy of episodes recorded at my parents' house on Boxing Day. In this one my mum, dad and brother tell us a few more ...

414. With the Family (Part 2) My Uncle Met a Rock Star

05 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to my uncle Nic telling some stories about British rock stars he has met over the years, including an encounter with one of the most famous mus...

413. With The Family (Part 1) Mum's Cooking + Vocabulary (with Uncle Nic)

03 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! This new episode features a conversation I recorded during the Christmas holiday with my mum and my uncle Nic about how to cook a grea...

412. British Festivals and Holidays (Part 2)

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here's part 2 of this episode all about special days and celebrations in the UK throughout the year. Transcript and videos here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7n...

411. British Festivals and Holidays (Part 1)

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here's an episode all about special days and celebrations in the British calendar. You'll hear cultural information about holidays and customs, and so...

Please consider donating to "Doctors Without Borders"

22 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This is a quick message not a full episode and I just wanted to say a few words about donations, essentially this: If you’re thinking of sending me ...

410. Teaching 12 Idioms in the Street / On the Set of Paul's TV Show (with Amber)

20 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Amber & I teach you 12 idiomatic English phrases while attending the filming of an episode of Paul's TV show on the street in Paris. Click the lin...

409. A CHRISTMAS MEGA-RAMBLE with AMBER MINOGUE

16 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A rambling conversation with Amber about Christmas and more! http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7ld  Sign up to LEP Premium on Acast+ and add the premium episodes t...

408. Catching Up With Amber & Paul #4

13 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Amber & Paul are back on the podcast and we do the usual catching-up session and go off on a few tangents about Amber's play, Paul's showbiz life,...

407. Reflections on Language Learning & Working as a Translator: Interview with Kristina from Russia, Winner of the LEP Anecdote Competition

07 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode you'll hear me talking to Kristina from Russia, the winner of the LEP anecdote competition this year. We talk about her work as a tran...

406. Grammar (Past Continuous Tense) / UK Media Bias / Brazil Football Tragedy

04 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

More responses to questions and comments from listeners, including a comparison of past continuous & past simple verb tenses, comments about bias ...

405. British Accents in The Lord of the Rings (Part 2)

30 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we continue to analyse the various British accents that you can hear in the film version of The Lord of the Rings. Let's consider the ...

404. British Accents in The Lord of the Rings (Part 1)

30 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Talking about the different British accents you can hear in the Lord of the Rings movies. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-7fu  Sign up to LEP Premium on Acast+ a...

403. Competition Results / War Story / Grammar & Punctuation / My Dad's Accent

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The final results of the LEP Anecdote Competition, some podcast admin and responses to some comments & emails from listeners including a war story...

402. The Rick Thompson Report: What’s Going On? Nov. 2016 (Post-Truth Politics, Cricket and Tetris)

23 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Talking to my Dad about recent news, and we talked about Brexit, post-truth politics, the US election, the right-wing press in the UK, the political l...

401. ‘Switch off your editor’ to improve your fluency in English

21 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back to the podcast. This is episode 401 and it’s about developing your fluency in English. I’m going to talk about creativity, open and c...

400. The Pink Gorilla Story 2

18 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

I've decided to celebrate the 400th episode of LEP by making up an improvised comedy story, just for fun. In fact, this is the long-awaited sequel to ...

399. The Return of Molly Martinez (with Dane Nightingale)

15 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Talking with two American friends about journalism, how the internet works, the US presidential election results, California's new marijuana laws and ...

398. US Election Ramble + Message + Song

09 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I want to talk about two things: My first impressions of the US Presidential election result, and then some things I said in the last ...

397. An 80-Minute Ramble

07 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Talking spontaneously about gloves, mittens, OO7, Bob Dylan, an LEP app, The Walking Dead, Oasis, Black Mirror, The Crown, a bit of politics and some...

396. The LEP Anecdote Competition - ROUND 2

28 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is round 2 of the LEP anecdote competition. You'll be able to hear the 10 anecdotes that got the most votes from round one and some langu...

395. "Have you ever...?" with Paul Taylor and Robert Hoehn

27 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I'm joined by Paul Taylor and Robert Hoehn and we do a speaking exercise that I often use in my classes to help my students to practis...

394. OPP: Other People's Podcasts (Part 4)

23 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some more of my favourite podcasts. You might like to listen to them too, even if they're difficult to understand because they're not specifi...

393. OPP: Other People's Podcasts (Part 3)

22 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I'm going to recommend some other people's podcasts that you might also enjoy. Last time, in episodes 236 and 237 I recommended some ...

392. What are the most essential skills of a good foreign language learner?

19 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is full of what I hope will be more useful insight and advice on how to learn English as an adult so that you don't end up sounding like ...

391. Discussing Language, Culture & Comedy with Alexander van Walsum

17 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here's a conversation with a friend of mine who originally comes from the Netherlands but he has lived all over the world. You're going to hear us tal...

390. The Rick Thompson Report: Hard Brexit / U.S. Election

14 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This is a conversation with my dad about recent news, including a Brexit update, the US presidential election, Obama's plans to send people to Mars an...

389. US Presidential Election 2016 - Trump vs Clinton (with Sarah & Sebastian) Part 2

11 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here is part two of my conversation with Sarah and Sebastian from the USA about the upcoming presidential election. In this episode we turn our attent...

388. US Presidential Election 2016 - Trump vs Clinton (with Sarah & Sebastian) Part 1

11 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The presidential election in the USA is about a month away and I've been meaning  to talk about this subject on the podcast for ages. So in this epi...

387. LEP Anecdote Competition Entries - Please Listen & Vote

07 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Voting is now open in the first round of the LEP Anecdote Competition. You can listen to all the anecdotes on the page for this episode and vote for y...

386. Breaking the Intermediate Plateau (Part 2)

05 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Here's part 2 of this episode about ways you can push your English to higher levels even if you feel that your progress is stuck or moving very slowly...

385. Breaking the Intermediate Plateau (Part 1)

05 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about ways you can push your English to higher levels even if you feel that your progress is stuck or moving very slowly. I'm talking ...

384. Teaching Grammar & Social English

30 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I'm talking about recent things I’ve been teaching in my classes including some grammar and some social English. There's an absolult...

383. More Ian Moore

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode you are going to hear part 2 of my conversation with Ian Moore and I've decided to call this one "More Ian Moore" - do you see what I'...

Please take my survey / Anecdote Competition / 'Russian Joke' Video

23 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This is just a 'quick' message from me to you about a podcast survey on the website, a reminder of the anecdote competition, a new video I've made abo...

382. Mod Culture with Ian Moore

21 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast I'm talking to Ian Moore, who is a professional stand up comedian, published author and mod from London. Ian is probably the best...

381. Discussing Cultural Differences (with Amber & Paul)

16 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I'm talking to my friends Amber and Paul about cultural differences, particularly in the ways we communicate with each other in differ...