Category Archives: Personal

Room 101 with Charlie Baxter [980] Funny British English Listening Practice

[980] Practise listening to British English conversation and enjoy some complaining, ranting and funny anecdotes in this episode based on the concept of a popular BBC TV chat show. My guest is Charlie Baxter from The British English Podcast. Charlie has chosen 3 things which he wants to be locked inside the mythical “Room 101” 🚪 an imaginary place where all the things you hate in the world are stored forever. What would Charlie like to remove from the world to be kept inside this room? And what is the shocking revelation about a certain popular British English YouTuber 👩‍🏫that could break the internet? 🤔

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Get the PDF transcript 👇

Luke’s Room 101 choices on The British English Podcast this week 👇

Listen to The British English Podcast wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://pod.link/1533216336

🙇 Sign up to LEP Premium to listen to an episode with a vocabulary quiz and full review of 30+ vocabulary items from today’s episode. (Episode P77) 👇


My Dad talks about his life [978]

Following my chat with my mum last week, now it’s my dad’s turn! In this episode my plan was to ask my dad lots of questions about his life, and to listen to him talking about the various choices, moments and experiences he has had. The result is another deep chat about family history, and my dad’s life story. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it. Full transcript available.

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Get the full episode transcript 👇


My Mum talks about her life [977]

[977] Recently I visited my parents at their home, and while I was there I took the time to record conversations with them both. This first one is with my mum. I asked her questions about her life story, our family history, her memories of growing up and so many other things that I was curious about. The result is this recording. I hope you will find that it is not only good for your English listening practice, but also fascinating and absorbing as a piece of personal history. Full transcript available.

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Get the PDF transcript here 👇


Haiku in English [974]

[974] In this episode I read out lots of haiku poems, explain their meaning, discuss what they make me think and feel, and use them to teach you some vocabulary. The haikus I read include some traditional Japanese ones translated into English, plus more modern ones written in English by writers from around the world. Some of these haikus are meditative, some are sad, some are funny and some find a way to capture feelings that are otherwise difficult to put into words.

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Get the PDF here 👇


Robbing the Louvre / Escaping to Nigeria (with Amber & Paul) [967] Catching Up #16

[967] Time for another tangential conversation in the podcastle with my pals Amber & Paul. In this one we chat about Paul’s ambitious international marathon plans (what is he running from exactly?), what Amber knows about the famous robbery of the Louvre this year, and Paul’s dramatic “Jason Bourne” style situation which he faced in West Africa recently. Listen to some spontaneous English conversation between friends. Full transcript available.

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https://youtu.be/N0GGZZ-d4tg?si=X9lb7zoG20YrffQw

Get the PDF transcript 👇

See Paul Taylor’s show “F*ck Me I’m French!” on stage in France in 2026 👇

👉 https://paultaylorcomedy.com/tickets


The Ramble Before Christmas [966] Listen & Learn English with Luke

Here is a super-long seasonal rambling episode to listen to while wrapping presents, finishing some last-minute gift shopping, or (if you don’t celebrate Christmas) just doing whatever you normally do in December. It’s long, but the more you listen, the more it will help your English 💪🎅.

I chat to you about LEPster listening habits in 2025 (Spotify Wrapped) 🎧, funny messages and emails from listeners📧, bits of grammar & vocab teaching ✍️, ChatGPT’s questionable teaching skills 🤖🤔, AI hallucinations, dreaming in English, responses to recent episodes, twelve jokes in the Comedy Corner, more funny comments from my daughter 👧, and another dramatic Hollywood-style action movie screenplay 🎥 Plus it all finishes with a vocabulary quiz covering the whole episode. Think of this as a Christmas stocking full of English practice, complete with cosy log-fire sounds 🔥 in the background.

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https://youtu.be/cZITWG6fgaU

Get the PDF with all my notes, the vocabualry quiz and vocabulary list 👇

LEP Premium – 20% off this December and January 👇


Luke on Other People’s Podcasts recently 👇

A Cosy Rambling Episode at Home [964] / Walk & Talk: Mission in Montmartre

[964] You get double content this week as the audio and video episodes are different. In the audio episode you can join me at home, as I stay cosy, lie on the floor in a shaft of warm sunlight, and ramble about robberies, the Louvre and plenty more. In the video episode, it is time for another walk and talk. This time I am on a mission in one of Paris’s loveliest neighbourhoods, with a range of mission objectives to keep things exciting. Get both audio and video episodes here.

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Transcript for the audio episode 👇

Luke on some other people’s podcasts recently 👇

LEP PREMIUM HOLIDAY DEAL 🎅 Ho! Ho! Ho!

  • 20% off LEP Premium for 12 months 🎉
  • Give LEP Premium as a gift an get 20% off 🎉


The Door in the Wall (Learn English with a Short Story) [962]

[962] Time for another short story on LEP. This one is about a man who has a wondrous experience as a child, which then haunts him for the rest of his adult life. Listen as I read the story to you, and then ramble about its meaning, interpretations and how it evoked some strong memories and strange feelings in me. Then there is a vocabulary review which will continue in an upcoming premium series.

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Get the PDF with story script, notes and vocabulary list 👇


A Free Sample of LEP Premium Series 71 / Vocabulary & Pronunciation [958]

If you have ever wondered what happens in premium episodes, this episode will show you. I’ll play you some clips from the latest series (P71) including some vocabulary explanations, memory quiz questions, pronunciation practice and discussion questions for speaking practice. For the rest of the series, and all the other episodes of LEP Premium (now over 250, each with PDF worksheets and video versions) sign up and become a Premium LEPster today 🏆 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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https://youtu.be/gSgXzFH-olQ

Get the episode PDF 👇


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

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=ujUAzFThR4ZU9OU3

Get the PDF transcript 👇

Get OOZ004 – James’ new vinyl EP 👇

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

Listen to the tracks on YouTube 👇