Author Archives: Luke Thompson

About Luke Thompson

I've been teaching English for over 20 years in London, Japan and France. I also do an award-winning podcast for learners of English called "Luke's English Podcast". In my free time I'm a stand-up comedian who regularly performs shows in English in Paris and sometimes London.

9 True Ghost Stories & Unexplained Mysteries from Listeners 👀🕯️ LEPster Writing Competition [1006]

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Listen to a selection of 9 fascinating stories written by listeners, one of which will win the competition which I launched earlier this year. Finally, the wait is over and the creepy story competition episode is here. I had to work very hard to narrow down the entries from 74 to only 9. Anna Brooke and I chose our favourite, as you will hear.

These are extremely mysterious and extraordinary stories sent in by my listeners. They describe very bizarre and spooky experiences, often involving the sad loss of a family member, spirits from the past searching for peace, or just disturbing coincidences that are hard to reconcile.

All 74 stories are available to read on the episode PDF, and there are plenty of very interesting entries there too. Thank you to everyone who sent a story, and congratulations to the winner, who will win a copy of Anna Brooke’s “Death by Chocolate”.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/SEfFJqt7QXM?si=BMSoATcnwuEG-3h0

Get the episode PDF 👇

True Ghost Stories & Unexplained Mysteries from Listeners – LEPster Writing Competition [1006]Download

Death by Chocolate – Available Now from Chicken House Books 👇

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Sir David Attenborough 🌍 Britain’s #1 National Treasure [1005]

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This episode is a celebration of a living-legend of British life & culture – Sir David Attenborough, who is best known for making documentaries on the BBC about the natural world. Listen as I give an overview of his life and career, explain why he is so loved by people, share anecdotes from people who have met him, describe memorable animal moments from his documentaries, and do a few impressions of his distinctive voice.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF of my episode notes 👇

Sir David Attenborough – Britain’s #1 National Treasure [1005]_compressedDownload

Full episode transcript PDF 👇

Sir David Attenborough – Britain’s #1 National Treasure [1005] Episode TranscriptDownload

Clips of David and his work

Watch the full video here 👉 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004j5sw

Poor seals!

I forgot to mention this amazing moment a young iguana attempts to escape snakes

Luke’s Improvised Storytelling: Jurassic Park 🦖 [1004] Listen & Learn English

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Retelling the story of your favourite film, or book, can be a great way to practise your speaking skills in English. It can help you focus on narrative tenses, vocabulary recall and spoken fluency, while having fun reliving some great moments from cinema or literature. In this episode I demonstrate this, while giving you an entertaining re-telling of Steven Spielberg’s classic dinosaur adventure, Jurassic Park (the original and best in the franchise).

Listen as I tell the story from the point of view of one of the main characters. Notice the phrases and descriptive words I use, and check the PDF transcript later to reinforce your learning through reading. In the second half of the episode to hear my own self-corrections and feedback, focusing on better vocabulary and scientific terms I could have used in the episode.

Improvising this version of the story was both a challenge, and a lot of fun for me! You can try it too. No need to use the original plot – feel free to get creative and just have fun telling your own version of a story you know well.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/qaRdGHXLmHI?si=V3dZ7e46XZ-1z6Wc

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Luke’s Improvised Storytelling_ Jurassic Park [1004] Listen & Learn English – Full Episode TranscriptDownload

For my premium series based on this episode (coming soon) with vocabulary review and pronunciation practice (chunking) sign up to LEP Premium here 👇

Luke’s English Podcast Premium


Other episodes with improvised stories like this one

125. The Pink Gorilla Story
153. The Talking Dog Story
166. The Prawn Story
173. The Curse of The Lambton Worm (Short Story)
175. The Phrasal Verb Chronicles #1
239. Prepositions: Verb Collocations + Improvised Story
275. The Phrasal Verb Chronicles #2
400. The Pink Gorilla Story 2

Testing My Friends on English Grammar / Irregular Verbs with Amber & Paul 🎯 [1003]

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Following a challenge from the comment section, I decided to see if it was possible to make an entire episode with my friends Amber and Paul based on the table of irregular verbs. This is the result. I decided to test the POD-PALS on their grammatical knowledge, and to see what anecdotes and funny comments I could get from them. The result is both a classic Amber & Paul episode, and quite a revealing demonstration of how English native speakers process grammar in their first language.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/3Y5KpLXsMSQ


Neuroscience & Learning English 🧠 11 Surprising Facts [1002]

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This episode is full of fascinating science-backed insights into how the brain processes language. I read an article, and then explain various conclusions about the best way to learn English, with a lot of practical tips for speaking, listening, grammar and vocabulary. What does neuroscience tell us about the best way to learn a language?

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/5skWbChJy-8?si=tJNMrbJc8LusFp7C

Get all my PDF notes here 👇

Neuroscience & Learning English – 11 Surprising Facts [1002]Download


Real English Learning Stories from Around the World 🌏 Listener Comments & Questions [1001]

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LEP is back after a summer break, and in this episode you can hear messages and questions from listeners, including stories of English learning, and testimonials from LEPsters who have made a significant improvement to their English after listening to this podcast long-term. Also included are some philosophical musings about life & death, an update on the plants in my pod-room, and some research-backed insights into the language learning benefits of listening to my rambling episodes.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/a5lYa-U2fX4?si=vQRQrwl2zSPYm9Rx

Get the PDF here with all my notes 👇

Real English Learning Stories from Around the World Listener Comments & Questions [1001]Download

Episode 1000! 🎉

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Here it is, finally! The long-awaited episode 1000. It has taken me weeks to finish this. If you listen, you will understand why it has taken so long! This is a celebration of this podcast after 17 years and 1000 episodes. It includes a lot of rambling, an interview with my brother, questions from friends and family, and the voices of various guests who have been on this podcast over the last few years. Also, regular interruptions from my daughter and all sorts of other random moments such as the sounds of dogs, woodpeckers, neighbours, and more! Thank you to all the LEPsters around the world and my guests for helping to make this achievement possible! ❤️

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/7PH5cAxtF3A

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Episode 1000 (Transcript) (2)Download


Sherlock Holmes & The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip 🕵 [999]

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Back by popular demand, here is another Sherlock Holmes mystery for episode 999. How will Watson deal with his mini-mission to an opium den, before joining Holmes on one of his most singular cases so far, attempting to solve the disappearance of a gentleman and the suspicious involvement of the man with the twisted lip? Listen to the story and then keep listening as I break it down paragraph by paragraph.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/NeaeHcwl1rQ

Get the story text in PDF form 👇

Sherlock Holmes & The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip [999]Download


Rambling in the Countryside 🏡 (feat. my daughter) [998]

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Some podcast housekeeping is necessary in this episode, as I talk about current LEP news, moving into a house in the countryside, sketchy plans for episode 1000, an update on the scary story competition, final thoughts on the World Cup, and more. My daughter joins me with various comments throughout, and at one point a bird even flies into the room. What fun we had. PDF transcript available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/bD0E_8XhGPU

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Rambling in the Countryside (feat. my daughter) [998]Download


WORLD CUP RAMBLE #4 ⚽️ FIFA 2026 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs Argentina 🇦🇷 and more… (with Zdenek) [BONUS]

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Recorded the day after Argentina beat England in the semi-final 😭 here is World Cup Ramble #4. Zdenek joins me again as we discuss as many talking points as possible, including what on earth happened yesterday, the intense rivalry between Argentina & England, the historical background to that rivalry, Spain eliminating France, predictions for the final and so many other things, including a passionate conversation about cultural differences and communication style, plus the real heroes and villains of this epic World Cup competition. Normal podcasting will continue next week.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/sJukDNGDjX8

Want more? Listen to Luke & Zdenek on The Footglish Podcast, recorded earlier the same day.

Subscribe to The Footglish Podcast wherever you get your podcasts ⚽️ 👉 https://pod.link/1751816033