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

[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

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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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[987] British English listening practice at a natural speed with surprising facts and lots of humour. Pod-pals Amber & Paul join me for an outlandish and outrageous "true or false" quiz 📝. Can Amber and Paul decide if these facts are true, or just total bulls#*t (or maybe that should be b*llocks?) The episode is long, the English is fast, but the jokes come regularly and I promise that you will learn something new.

⚠️Warning: some topics are a bit disgusting, graphic or explicit and not for the kids👧🙅.

Includes talk of satanic cats 🐈‍⬛, animal accents 🐐, unsexy corn flakes 🥣, wolverine toads 🐸, blood-shooting lizards🦎🩸, suicide sex-bees 🐝, British tank tea 🫖, astro pee 🛰️, urine mouthwash 😬, ancient dogs 🐕, 23-hour dinosaurs 🦕 and a lot more. Listen all the way to the end as things get incredible in the 2nd half. Transcript available. 

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/05/04/insane-facts-true-or-false-with-amber-paul-987/

Get the episode PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Insane-Facts_-True-or-False_-with-Amber-Paul-987-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

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Another short story on LEP to entertain you and help you learn some more English words and expressions. This one is a creepy tale about a room in a house with a strange, fatal attraction. People can't stop themselves going through the door, but then what happens to them? Follow along with me and try to understand the final, crucial line at the end. I will explain everything, analyse the vocabulary line by line and teach you plenty of useful English phrases. PDF available as usual!

Get the episode PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/The-Bad-Room-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-986.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/04/27/the-bad-room-learn-english-with-a-short-story-986/

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A funny British English conversation about food, cooking & eating habits, with my friend Martin. Why is British food a bit of a joke? Do French people have the right to criticise British cuisine? What is marmite, and why don't Brits just throw it away? What did Luke eat for lunch every single day during secondary school? And, who would be Luke's dream dinner party guests? All that and more, in a conversation full of tangents, recipes, rants and apologies, and a nice range of vocabulary expressions to spot. Enjoy! PDF Transcript available.

Sign up to LEP Premium to hear the vocabulary review for this episode with my wife 👉 www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium

Get the episode PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/10-Questions-about-Food-with-Martin-985-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/04/20/10-questions-about-food-with-martin-985/

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[984] English listening practice in the form of an authentic conversation about ghosts and the paranormal. Returning guest Anna Brooke returns to talk about her latest book "Death by Chocolate" which is inspired by various spooky and unexplained experiences she has had recently, including a suspected haunting of her apartment, poltergeist activity, cold and creepy atmospheres, sightings of spirits and more strange encounters. Anna describes these experiences and we have a discussion about the paranormal. A premium episode with vocabulary review is available for premium subscribers. PDF transcript also available.

Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Paranormal-Experiences-with-Anna-Brooke-984-Episode-Transcript.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/04/13/paranormal-experiences-with-anna-brooke-984/

Learn 19 vocabulary items from this episode with Premium series 78 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premiuim

"Death by Chocolate" available now 👉 https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/books/death-by-chocolate/

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Practise your listening in English with a fascinating conversation with a writer of haiku poetry in English. John Stevenson is one of the world's leading English language haiku poets, and in this episode I had the pleasure of talking to him for an hour. John taught me more about haiku and senryu poetry, revealed how he first became interested in haiku, and then was willing to discuss various haiku poems he has written over the years, giving details of what real events inspired them, what they mean and more about his process of writing haiku in English. I hope this episode is fascinating and inspiring. Keep listening because it becomes more and more revealing as it continues. John was a pleasure to talk to and I think this is the perfect conclusion to the trilogy of episodes I have done on this subject on the podcast recently.

Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/English-Language-Haiku-Master-John-Stevenson-Interview-983-Episode-Transcript.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/04/06/english-language-haiku-master-john-stevenson-interview-983/

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"My Red" by John Stevenson available from Brooks Books 👉 https://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/Stevenson-MyRed.html

The Heron's Nest haiku website 👉 https://www.theheronsnest.com/March2026/index.html

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Haiku poems communicate a lot of ideas, thoughts and feelings into just a few simple words. They can be moving, humourous or meditative, and reading haiku in English allows you to learn vocabulary in a very interesting way. In part 1 I talked about the form and history of haiku, and read out various short poems in English from both Japanese writers and modern English ones. In part 2 here I finish reading my haiku selection, including many written by English-language haiku master John Stevenson. Listen to each one, consider the different meanings and interpretations and also learn specific words and phrases to expand your English vocabulary.

Get the episode PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Haiku-in-English-2-982-1.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/03/30/haiku-in-english-2/

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In this episode I discuss optimism and pessimism, what forms our outlook on life, which is healthier, how we talk about optimism and pessimism in English and which perspective helps you learn English more effectively. Expect some discussion, science, vocabulary, advice for learning English and a few jokes thrown in for good measure. PDF available.

Get the episode PDF (free) 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Is-the-glass-half-empty-or-half-full_-Vocabulary-Discussion-891.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/03/23/is-the-glass-half-empty-or-half-full-vocabulary-discussion-891/

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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 info about a certain popular British English YouTuber 👩‍🏫 that could break the internet? 🤔

Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Room-101-with-Charlie-Baxter-980-Episode-Transcript.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/03/16/room-101-with-charlie-baxter-980-funny-british-english-listening-practice/

Listen to Luke's Room 101 choices on The British English Podcast this week 👉 https://pod.link/1533216336

Watch Luke on BEP (YouTube version) 👉 https://youtu.be/56jqC8Q88oc?si=Gy2w7udJsRR8yaVh

Sign up to LEP Premium for a vocab review for this episode 👉 https://lep.supercast.com

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Time to learn English with another short story on Luke's English Podcast. Listen to the story and my comments, then learn vocabulary as I break down the text line by line and teach you English in context. This time it is a funny little tale written by Saki - the English author and master of the short story. A mischievous lad is punished by his strict aunt, but who ends up having the last laugh?

Get the episode PDF with story text 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Lumber-Room-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-979.pdf

Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2026/03/09/the-lumber-room-learn-english-with-a-short-story-979/

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