Category Archives: Conversation

Thompson Originals (A Chat with My Brother) [956]

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My brother James joins me again on the podcast for a rambling chat about diverse topics such as: trousers 👖 sandwiches 🥪 gangster films 🍿 the work of Edgar Allan Poe 📖 vinyl and cassettes 🎵 memories of living together 🎮 annoying behaviour 😤 and English words and grammar that irritate people 😠 plus James has a new vinyl EP out now on Ooz records. Transcript available 📄.

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Video (no beautiful faces, but subtitles available) 👇

https://youtu.be/bwgL_KukjYQ?si=cpgo3UZFGcpZfCE8

Get the PDF transcript 👇

Thompson Originals (A Chat with My Brother) [956] TRANSCRIPTDownload

Get OOZ004 – James’ new vinyl EP 👇

https://oozrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ooz004

Listen to the tracks on YouTube 👇


Holiday Hell, Serious Sandcastles & AI Inbreeding (with Amber & Paul) [954]

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The Pod-Pals are back on the podcast for another catching up session! Recorded just after the summer holidays, there is talk of Paul’s hatred of the beach 🏖️, the English tradition of building epic sandcastles 🏰, other famous people with our names (including an “evil” teacherluke 👿) and what AI gets completely wrong about us 🤦. PDF transcript available. (a.k.a Catching Up with Amber & Paul #15)

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Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Transcript – Holiday Hell, Serious Sandcastles & AI Inbreeding (with Amber & Paul) [954] (2)Download


The Flatmate from Japan Returns – Travelling Tales & More [950]

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Peter, my old flatmate from Japan, is back on the podcast after his previous appearance 11 years ago! We chat about travelling experiences, teaching English in Malaysia and Japan, dealing with jet lag and culture shock, doing stand-up comedy abroad, and some of the funny, strange, and even weird experiences we’ve had while travelling. A relaxed, wide-ranging conversation full of stories, laughs, and cultural insights.

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This is an audio-only episode.

Get the full PDF transcript here 👇

The Flatmate from Japan Returns – Travelling Tales & More [950] TRANSCRIPTDownload

Listen to my first episode with Peter here 👇

203. A Cup of Tea with Peter Sidell (The Flatmate from Japan)

938. Film Club: Monty Python’s Life of Brian (with Antony Rotunno)

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A return to Luke’s Film Club with a conversation about one of the funniest and most controversial films of all time, also voted one of the UK’s favourite films. Antony and I discuss the film’s writing, production, story, famous scenes, deeper meanings and acting by the various members of the Monty Python team. Transcript available.

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Get the full episode transcript here 👇

938. Film Club_ Monty Python’s Life of Brian (with Antony Rotunno)Download

Links for Antony’s Podcasts 👇

Previous episodes about Monty Python’s Flying Circus 👇

195. British Comedy: Monty Python’s Flying Circus
202. British Comedy: Monty Python & The Holy Grail
583. British Comedy: The Dirty Fork / Restaurant Sketch (Monty Python)
781. Film Club: Monty Python & The Holy Grail (revisited ) with Antony Rotunno [LEP / Film Gold SwapCast]

937. A Birthday Ramble / The Spinning Wheel of Random Questions

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It’s my birthday 🥳 so join me for a relaxed and light-hearted ramble, first with some comments about recent episodes and other podcast housekeeping, and then a series of talking points with the Spinning Wheel of Random Questions ☸️ including bits about how being an English teacher affects my social interactions 💬, the infamous ice-cream wars of Ice-Cream Island 🏝️, leading an army of English learners into battle on the back of an Elephant 🐘, the title of my (hypothetical) autobiography 📖, and my age revealed at the end of the episode. Full transcript available 📄.

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Get the PDF with speaking questions, and full transcript 👇

937. A Birthday Ramble _ The Spinning Wheel of Random Questions PDFDownload

934. Sign Language is Fascinating (with Siobhan Dodd)

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Have you ever wondered about sign language, how it works and if it is similar to other languages like English? In this conversation I speak to Siobhan Dodd who is a sign language interpreter between English and BSL (British Sign Language). Siobhan is an enthusiastic and entertaining guest and we have a great chat about the nature of sign language, the challenges & opportunities faced by the deaf community today, and some of Siobhan’s memorable interpreting experiences, such as working at the Glastonbury music festival.

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Get the episode transcript here 👇

934. Sign Language is Fascinating (with Siobhan Dodd)Download

Siobhan’s Links

932. What is so great about Shakespeare? (with Mum & Dad)

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In this episode I talk to my parents about the topic of William Shakespeare. Enjoy a conversation about this important figure in English language and culture, with two other important figures – my mum and dad!

We discuss the enduring appeal and significance of William Shakespeare’s work, biographical details of his life, the key themes in Shakespeare’s plays, and the impact of his language on modern English. We try to explain the qualities that make Shakespeare great, using examples from plays like Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth.

PDF available with transcript, vocabulary list and vocabulary quiz. Premium listeners – watch out for a language review of this episode coming soon, in P68 “Learn English with Shakespeare” parts 1 & 2.

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Get the PDF with full transcript, vocabulary list & vocabulary quiz 👇

932. What is so great about Shakespeare? (with Mum & Dad)Download

Coming soon to LEP Premium 👇

A new series of episodes – “Learn English with Shakespeare”, including:

  • A vocabulary review for LEP 932 with my parents
  • The best idioms and expressions from Shakespeare’s work
  • Learn English with Sonnets & Verses + pronunciation practice

Sign up to LEP Premium here and access 200+ episodes about vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, and all new premium episodes which arrive every month.

931. Overcoming Fears (with Zdenek)

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This episode features a conversation with Zdenek about fears and anxieties experienced in everyday life. We explore common fears such as driving, flying, culture shock, language learning and public speaking. Listen for stories of Luke’s fear of Paris cafes ☕️, airport anxiety ✈️, Luke’s dramatic scooter ride in Nha Trang 🛵, Zdenek’s fears of Vietnamese roads and driving 🛣️, Luke’s recent cycling accident in Paris 💥, Zdenek’s encounter with a London police officer 👮‍♂️, nerves about teaching 😳, and more.

The PDF worksheet offers a vocabulary list from the conversation, with definitions, examples, and quizzes and a full transcript to help you boost your English with the episode.

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📄 Get the PDF here (lucky you – it’s very expensive but you can have it completely free) 👇

  • Detailed vocabulary list
  • Vocabulary quiz
  • Full episode transcript
931. Overcoming Fears with ZdenekDownload

Other links 👇

⚽️ The Footglish Podcast (Learn English with Football)

💬 Zdenek’s Discord server “The Achiever’s Chamber”

🏆 LEP Premium 👉 www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

925. Walaa’s Experience in Syria / Walaa Mouma Returns (Part 2)

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When Walaa was first on this podcast in episode 703 she talked about living in Syria as a student during the civil war (or people’s revolution) but at that time she felt she could not talk in detail about the situation. Now that the Assad regime is no longer in control of Syria, Walaa feels she can talk more candidly about what it was like to live near Damascus during those days. Walaa’s descriptions are both shocking and moving. This is the topic of this episode, which is part 2 of a two-part series.

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Links for English with Walaa

Listen to Part 1 👇 (Walaa talks about her academic studies in Wales)

Walaa’s previous appearance on LEP (episode 703) 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ythdvbKKM&t=1s&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

Episode Transcript

925. Walaa’s Experience in Syria Walaa Mouma Returns (Part 2)Download

921. From Comedy to Cosy Crime (with Ian Moore)

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Ian Moore returns to the podcast to talk about his career shift from stand-up comedy to writing “cosy” crime novels. After several decades as a professional stand-up comedian, Ian has transitioned to writing murder mysteries. Now he is a bestselling author and his books are being adapted for television. In this episode Ian talks about ending his stand-up comedy career, why he was not suited for life as the host of a guesthouse in the French countryside, writing books on trains, and why his COVID lockdown was actually great. Includes comprehension questions and a PDF transcript.

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Get the PDF transcript here 👇

921. From Comedy to Cosy Crime (with Ian Moore)Download