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

Here is the next bonus football rambling episode on LEP. The group stage of FIFA World Cup 2026 is over and teams are now being eliminated in the round of 32. In this episode, which is roughly the same length as the average game at WC2026, I am joined by Zdenek from The Footglish Podcast. Expect discussion of styles of play in modern football, the changes introduced this year and their effects on the game - including VAR updates, time wasting measures, plus an overview of England today (30 June) and Czechia, who is the true GOAT - Messi? Who will get to 1000 first? Luke or Christiano Ronaldo? Plus various meme-worthy moments of weirdness and hilarity.

The Footglish Podcast https://pod.link/1751816033

Contact Zdenek through his website https://teacherzdenek.com/

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/07/01/world-cup-ramble-2-fifa-2026-with-zdenek-bonus/

LEP Premium https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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There has been an awful heatwave in Europe recently, with really high temperatures and a humid, sticky atmosphere. In this episode I ramble about the conditions, explore vocabulary with the words "hot" and "heat" and show the typical things British people say when the weather is boiling. Expect various funny tangents, anecdotes and improvisations, including a David Attenborough BBC nature documentary about Luke trying to buy lunch on a red-hot Paris boulevard, and plenty more. PDF notes available.

Get the PDF with notes and full transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/How-to-talk-about-HEATWAVES-like-a-sweaty-British-man-995-PDF-Transcript.pdf

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/29/how-to-talk-about-heatwaves-like-a-sweaty-british-man-995/

LEP Premium (new episodes coming) https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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What are the different English accents you can hear if you visit London? In this episode I am talking to Patricio from the YouTube channel Patricio Languages, who makes videos about diverse English accents from around the world. We talk about 4 specific accents that are native to his home town of London, namely Received Pronunciation, Cockney, Estuary English and Multicultural London English. We also chat about Patricio's study routines for learning Spanish and Portuguese.

So, plenty of insights about British English pronunciation, how to understand native English speakers, and some tips for language learning. Perfect topics for another episode of LEP, right? Full transcript available, and listen all the way to the end to hear me turn into a proper cockney geezer.

Check out Patricio's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@PatricioLanguages

Get the episode transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/London-Accents-Study-Tips-with-Patricio-Languages-994TRANSCRIPT.pdf

Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/22/london-accents-study-tips-with-patricio-languages-994/

Sign up to LEP Premium for more episodes on vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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In this episode I am reconnecting with an old friend after over 25 years of not seeing each other. Jez Booker is from Solihull in the West Midlands and I first met him at 6th form college, where we became friends and later we got into a band together and had many adventures. Jez later went on to work in marketing and has recently started up his own YouTube channel all about getting out and enjoying the British countryside. Expect a chat full of natural English expressions and slang, and a journey into the past as Jez and I reminisce and also jog each other's memories of things that we did together years ago.

Check out Jez's channel "Get Out"  @getoutfilms 

Get the PDF transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Music-Marketing-Memories-with-Jez-Booker-993-Episode-Transcript.pdf

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/15/music-marketing-memories-with-jez-booker-993/

LEP Premium https://teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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In 2009 I did a solo travelling experience around Vietnam, and I wrote a diary while I was there. In this episode, over 16 years later, I read out the diary, follow my descriptions of each part of my trip, explore how I was feeling at that time of my life, go off on some comedy and English teaching tangents, and take a journey into the past, across a very different country.

Get the episode transcript PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Vietnam-Travelling-Diary-992-Transcript.pdf

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/08/vietnam-travelling-diary-992/

LEP Premium https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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A bonus mid-week episode previewing the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America. I'll be talking about all the teams, the favourites, the underdogs, the wild cards, the dark horse teams, England's chances, plus various issues and controversies both on and off the pitch. Comments are welcome! This is a bonus episode, and you will get another normal episode (no football) on Monday.

Get the episode PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BONUS-FIFA-WORLD-CUP-2026-PREVIEW-MEGARAMBLE.pdf

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/04/bonus-fifa-world-cup-2026-preview-megaramble/

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[991] A conversation with English teacher / comedian / cake maker Kate Billington, talking about her academic qualifications, cutting edge subtitling technology for theatres, questions of teaching English including teaching in Taiwan vs in France, Kate's tips for language learning, a cat-village in Taiwan, traffic madness, earthquakes, signage in train stations, using flashcard apps to learn English, testing Kate's Chinese by making her translate jokes, and drinking coffee in Taipei! Just that! Check out P81 a premium episode with vocabulary review for this conversation.

Get the PDF transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Coffee-Cats-Conversation_-900-Days-in-Taiwan-with-Kate-Billington-991.pdf

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/06/01/coffee-cats-conversation-kate-billingtons-900-day-streak-in-taiwan-991/

LEP Premium (with a vocabulary review for this episode) https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

Kate Billington on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cakey_comedy/

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An epic rambling episode packed with British humour, listener emails, anecdotes, English teaching, thoughts about AI, parenting, podcasting, language learning, YouTube comments, animals listening to LEP, British communication styles, and much more.

Get the episode PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/RAMBLEMAN_-Into-the-Ramble-zone-990_compressed.pdf

Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/05/25/rambleman-into-the-ramble-zone-990/

Sign up to LEP Premium https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

This is a long-form English listening experience designed to help you improve your English naturally through extensive listening. I explain vocabulary, break down expressions, tell stories & jokes, react to listener comments, and reflect on recent episodes featuring Amber, Paul, James, Charlie Baxter, my parents, my daughter, and more.

In this episode:

Why some people complain about Luke’s long intros

The truth about “rambling” and learning English through listening

British expressions like “shoot the breeze”, “chew the fat” and “talk the hind legs off a donkey”

Funny listener stories and emails

British indirectness and politeness

AI, YouTube algorithms and the future of content

Parenting, children asking “why?”, and a Louis CK routine

Wild boar in Fontainebleau

Funny dad jokes and Comedy Corner

Luke’s thoughts on recent episodes and the future of the podcast

Vocabulary explanations including “bothered” vs “disturbed”

Why long podcasts can help your English

This episode is ideal for:

Intermediate to advanced English learners

Fans of British English and British humour

Learners looking for long English listening practice

Anyone who enjoys relaxing podcasts, storytelling and rambling discussions

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In this episode of Luke’s English Podcast, I chat with my 8-year-old daughter as we answer a series of absurd questions, including funny Would You Rather...? questions, imaginative What if...?questions, food questions, science questions, superpowers, animals, fairy tales and more.

This is a natural, funny and heart-warming English conversation full of real spoken English, perfect for English learners who want to improve their listening skills, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency.

Get the PDF transcript for this episode

Use the transcript to check words, follow the conversation and study vocabulary from the episode.

https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Crazy-Questions-with-my-daughter-989-Questions-Episode-Transcript.pdf

Website page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/05/18/crazy-questions-with-my-daughter-989/

LEP Premium: https://teacherluke.co.uk/premium

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[988] In this episode of Luke’s English Podcast, Luke and James discuss artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, the AI bubble, generative AI, AGI, automation, job displacement, tech startups, Silicon Valley culture, deep fakes, AI hallucinations, cryptocurrency, Blade Runner, and the future of work. This is a long-form British English conversation designed to help learners improve listening comprehension, vocabulary and fluency while exploring the hype, risks and promises surrounding AI technology.

Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/05/11/is-the-ai-bubble-bursting-technology-discussion-with-james-988/

PDF transcript and vocabulary glossary https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Is-the-AI-Bubble-Bursting_-Technology-Discussion-with-James-988-Transcript.pdf

LEP Premium https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

Are the massive predictions about AI and the future real, or just hype? Why does the tech industry push frightening narratives about AI and its effects on society? Will tech companies ever make a profit from the huge $$$ investments they have made in AI? How are ordinary people reacting to AI at the moment? How useful is it for Luke in his job? Do people really like or want what is produced by AI? Will AI ever reach super-intelligence? Is Harrison Ford actually a robot in the film Blade Runner? What disgusting thing did James eat for breakfast today? All these questions answered and discussed in rambling style by The Low Tech Bros - James and Luke. PDF transcript available with vocabulary glossary.

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