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Thomas Felix Creighton interviews John Glen, who directed five James Bond 007 films, three with Sir Roger Moore KBE in the lead and two with Timothy Dalton:

• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• Octopussy (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• License to Kill (1989)

He also directed Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), and worked on The Italian Job (1969), The Admirable Crichton (1957), and was responsible for the iconic parachute jump at the start of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

We talk about all of the above films, as well as discussing what makes James Bond so British, what is the formula for a great 007 film, John Glen's rise through the film industry, and his experiences as a Brit abroad.

We also talk about two of the iconic women of the films, Maud Adams and Grace Jones, as well as which actor was author Ian Fleming's first choice to play the character of Bond, James Bond.

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Thomas Felix Creighton talks about the 1981 James Bond movie Octopussy starring Roger Moore as British secret agent 007. His special guests for this episode include:

• Daniel Gaster, Instagrammer, blogger, and Youtuber, 'The Field Office'.
• Marc Henandez, author of “On the Train Tracks: Filming Octopussy & GoldenEye at Nene Valley Railway” – presented by ‘On the Tracks of 007’, a well-known book series on James Bond locations.
• Matt Spaiser, co-author of "From Tailors With Love: An Evolution of Menswear through the Bond films”, and sole author of the Bondsuits.com blog site, I check in every Monday for new articles.
• The inimitable Pete Brooker, co-author of "From Tailors With Love", and "Boy Wanted on Savile Row", and host of the "There Will be Bond" podcast". He finishes up this podcast as only he can.

There are also a couple of bonus contributions by… well… you’ll see!

There. Will. Also. Be. A. *Very* Special Announcement! About a forthcoming episode, right near the end. Don't miss it.

The recommended rabbit hole is 'Being James Bond' by Joe Darlington, the book, the podcast, the Youtube channel... and the man himself of course.

Message Thomas anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies

E-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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I am delighted to be joined by Canon Ned Lunn at Bradford Cathedral for this special Easter episode! I ask him:

• What is a Canon?
• What is a Cathedral?
• What is Easter, for Anglicans?

Anglicans are, of course, members of the the Church of England or members of any Church in communion with it.

You can find Bradford Cathedral on Youtube: @bfdCathedral

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E-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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April 13th! It's James Bond's birthday today... (oh, and mine!)

Check out my SmörgåsBond playlist on Youtube:

www.youtube.com/britishculture

...or indeed any of my previous Bond-themed podcast episodes. I always talk about the importance of Ian Fleming, and today marks the publication of his very first James Bond novel, 'Casino Royale'.

I recommend three Ian Fleming biographies:

• "For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond" by Ben Macintyre, for some great 007 novel and film connections, I recommend the hardback glossy page edition.
• "The Life of Ian Fleming" by John Pearson, for a good straightforward biography of Tue great man.
• "Ian Fleming: The Complete Man" by Nicholas Shakespeare, for a forensic look at Fleming's life.

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E-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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A real change for the podcast: After 5 years of talking about British culture, it's time to move on and talk about 'The Middle Kingdom', China.

I lived in China from 2015-2021, and regularly wrote e-mails to my parents detailing my time there. The first half of the podcast is me reading from these and adding in my reflections almost a decade on. I talk about my first arrival in China, the visa process and settling in at work, as well as a day trip to Hong Kong. This is the first 30 minutes. I then read a fourth e-mail detailing my first trip to Macao. I do actually have a series of reflective pieces I wrote for Chinese social media in 2021 as I was leaving. I read these prior to recording, but didn't read them out, as the podcast is long enough as it is. If you enjoy this episode, perhaps I will use them later more fully.

In the second half of this podcast, I talk about Chinese cultural topics as requested by my Chinese friends. These include:

• Different foods and cities
• Chinese tech cities
• The Monkey King
• Hou Yi
• The movie 'Hero' with Jet Li
• Food culture (more detail)
• Language
• Chinese New Year

I would usually do a great deal of reading, online and from my own book collection, before talking on such specialised topics. But on this occasion, I draw 100% from my experiences, as I currently remember them. Again, I am drawing on old writing, and another source I used was a leather-bound notebook I filled with entries detailing my day-to-day life in my first few years in China. I created this for my parents, who are well-travelled but had not been to China. The notebook passed back to me after my mother passed away. I was gratified to learn that she had often read it, and it was always close to hand for her.

For further reading and viewing, I recommend the Youtube channels, @VideosByCaine and @DaNiuLaoShi both by a friend of mine who also lived in China. His experiences are naturally different from mine, his personal perspective is unique, but there is much in common also. I highly recommend all his content. Between the both of us, you would get a very full and rounded idea of life in China. No two people experience the same (or similar) events in the same way. There is much to gain from seeing both our experiences.

I really like this video my friend created, called "China, I miss you": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R28JoQszHqI

...and also the video below, which looks at why he first went to China. Don't worry about the Chinese title of the video, he speaks in English throughout! Actually, the thoughts in his video very much relate to the first half of this podcast. We do often compare and contrast our experiences, and our differing reflections, so again, I really recommend checking out both our content.

回忆之旅 — 安庆漫跑记 | 大牛跑步第六集: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1cuC2_M1IM

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me using any of the methods below!

Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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The UK is famously polite, but is the reputation well-deserved? I check out the Hugh Dennis book, ‘Britty Britty Bang Bang’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Micheal Portillo’s Great British Railway Journeys, and a range of other sources. I also draw on my own experience in the US, China, Turkish Cyprus, and elsewhere. Most of all, I ask you for your experience, so do get in touch!

Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies

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Your questions answered, whether sent via Instagram, Chinese social media, or in a comment on Youtube! The questions were:

• How do you feel being in the UK after 2 years?
  - Instagram: @BondUpNorth (Sam)
• How is your Bond fitness challenge going?
  - Instagram: Licensetolift
• What is your favourite British sitcom from the 1980s?
  – [an old friend who will remain anonymous]
• Why are Vikings so popular?
  – Instagram: @BritishBondFan (a different Sam!)
• Could you talk about Narnia?
  - Instagram: @Francisco_Trevelyan
• Could you talk about British food?
  - Instagram: @BondUpNorth
• What is it you love about the Bond films the most?
  - Instagram: @MrHarris00794
• Which Bond outfit would you love to have made for you? Which one is your favourite?
  - Instagram: @BritishBondFan
• Predictions for Bond 26? 2028-2030?
  - Jason Kim

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me using any of the methods below!

Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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"Amazon MGM Studios, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today announced that they have formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. Under the terms of the new venture, Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise following closing of the transaction.” - 20/02/2025

This news has gained sufficient traction that even my wonderful vicar asked me about in on Sunday, before the service. Of course, the Broccoli family is American, although based in the UK. But, seeing creative control of a very British film icon passing from a family firm to a US corporation has raised many questions for many people. I give my take, which is that this is not the first turning point for 007, and that a third-generation business would be very unusual, both in movie making and in the UK generally.

Naturally, I can't resist looking at the counter examples! According to the Campden Family Business news website, the oldest twenty family firms in the UK have collectively traded for 7013 years, and traded on average for 350 years each. I take a quick look into these, along with a couple of famous UK artisans, who each came from a family of famous creators, but who did not leave a business to be handed down to grandchildren, either.

Message me anytime on Instagram, @FlemingNeverDies, or e-mail: AlbionNeverDies@gmail.com

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