Season 2, Episode 21 We recorded this episode on Shakespeare’s birthday which is also St George’s day. We discuss aspects of Shakespeare’s life and plays. Idioms from Shakespeare. Download Transcript Transcript All [...]

Season 2, Episode 18 History of film. Festivals and award ceremonies, the Oscars. How films get selected and the impact of streaming. Film genres. Film vocabulary. Download Transcript The British Film Industry makes a very important contribution [...]

Season 2, Episode 16 The 4 seasons in the U.K. what happens and what the weather is like in each season. Weather vocabulary and phrases. Download Transcript Transcript Mark Hello, and welcome to the podcast [...]

Season 2, Episode 15 British history during the reign of Queen Victoria. The workshop of the world, the British Empire, the extension of the vote, the Great Hunger in Ireland. Queen Victoria and her family. Download Transcript [...]

Season 2, Episode 12 We discuss a range of things which people can do to look after themselves and keep busy and healthy during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus. Download Transcript Listen to the radio [...]

Season 2, Episode 13 The St Augustine’s Centre is based in the town of Halifax and the borough of Calderdale. We explain the geography, history, famous places and people of the area. Plus superlative adjectives. Download Transcript [...]

Season 2, Episode 11 An update on the COVID-19 virus, what is happening across the world and in the U.K. Ideas for looking after yourself and information about the vaccine in the U.K. Download Transcript So [...]

Season 2, Episode 10 The causes of the Civil War in England. The war itself, events in Scotland and Ireland, Oliver Cromwell. The restoration of the monarchy and the glorious revolution. Download Transcript The Stuart Family [...]

Season 2, Episode 9 A brief overview of the life of two of England’s most famous monarchs, King Henry VIII (8th) and Elizabeth I. In a bonus section we cover in more detail the second part of the [...]

Season 2, Episode 7 History of English as a language. English in use today in the U.K. and around the world. The differences between British English and American English Download Transcript Transcript Mark Hello and [...]

Season 2, Episode 5 The early history of Britain including Stonehenge and the Bronze and Iron ages. Roman Britain including Hadrian’s Wall and Boudicca. Download Transcript Stonehenge. Photo by Brooke Bell on Unsplash Cheddar Man skeleton. Photo [...]

Season 2, Episode 4 An overview of the 4 countries that make up the United Kingdom. More information about each of the smaller countries Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Download Transcript Union Jack Flag. Photo by [...]

Why the US Presidential election is important to the U.K. How the US election system works. What has happened in this year’s election and the possible implications for the U.K. Download Transcript Transcript Season 2, Episode [...]

What we mean by fashion and design. Some famous British designers, including fashion designers. Nouns and adjectives for materials. Download Transcript Mary Quant. Source: wikimedia Alexander McQueen design. Source: wikimedia Vivienne Westwood. Source: Wikimedia Stella [...]

Famous British poets. Personal choice of poetry by Robert Burns, Wilfred Owen and Lemn Sissay. Similes and metaphors. Download Transcript Transcript Episode 32: Literature in the UK, Part 2, Poets and Poetry (Mark) Welcome to the [...]

Famous British authors and novels past and present. Favourite books of the presenters. The use of 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narratives in literature. Download Transcript Transcript Transcript Episode 31: Literature in the UK, part 1 Mark [...]

Famous British landscape gardeners and gardens. Gardening as a pastime in the U.K. including allotments. How to start and continue a conversation. Download Transcript Transcript Transcript Episode 30: Gardens and Gardening in the UK (Mark) Welcome [...]

Some of the famous architects and the buildings they designed. Our own favourite buildings. Adjectives in English and in particular the word order we use. Download Transcript St Paul’s Cathedral.  Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 [...]

Season 1, Episode 18 Including greetings, neighbours, queuing and shopping, eating and meal times, and family life. Download Transcript Transcript All Podcast Episodes

Season 1, Episode 16 We talk about newspapers, television and radio in the UK Download Transcript Transcript Welcome to Episode 16 of the podcast English for Life in the UK. This podcast is for intermediate [...]

Season 1, Episode 15 This episode includes how laws are made, the role of the courts and the role of the police. We also do a quiz about what age people are allowed to do different things. Download [...]

Season 1, Episode 14 The structure of local government in England, the services provided by one local Council, in this case Calderdale, and how that Council is run. Download Transcript Transcript Welcome to Episode 14 [...]

Season 1, Episode 13 A look at the British economy. This includes the public sector and the money the government spends in different areas. Then we look at the different parts of the private sector of the economy [...]

Season 1, Episode 12 Systems of government. Democracy and constitution. The U.K. constitution and monarchy. Download Transcript Transcript All Podcast Episodes

Season 1, Episode 11 In this episode we discuss different types of leisure activity and we focus in particular on cycling, including the Tour De Yorkshire, and walking and hiking. Download Transcript Transcript [...]

Season 1, Episode 10 This episode includes some information about the roles and organisation of the Church of England, the patron saints, religious festivals and other traditions. Download Transcript Transcript All Podcast [...]

Season 1, Episode 9 In this episode we discuss a number of famous works of art and pieces if music. Download Transcript Transcript All Podcast Episodes

A short episode about some of the sports which originated in Britain with a particular focus on football, including women’s football. Download Transcript Transcript Sport in the UK All Podcast Episodes  [...]

Looking back at the last year and forward to the next. This episode uses a variety of past and future tenses. Download Transcript Transcript Review of 2019 and preview of 2020 All [...]

We look at the recent history of the relationship between Britain and Europe and in particular our membership of the European Union and the recent decision to leave the EU, known as BREXIT. We also discuss what is a [...]

Recorded on the day of the general Election, we cover part of the development of democracy and particularly the right to vote. Download Transcript Transcript Episode 4: History of Democracy Hello, welcome to episode 4 of [...]

A brief history of the British Empire from the age of exploration through to the end of empire and the legacy of the empire today. Download Transcript Transcript Episode Three: The British Empire (Music) Welcome to Episode [...]

In the episode we cover some key events from this period including the Magna Carta, the Black Death and the Peasants Revolt. We also look at how the English language has developed from other languages including Norman French. Download Transcript [...]

An introduction to this podcast and a summary of our first session on the history of migration into the U.K. Download Transcript Transcript Edgar (c. 943 – 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was [...]