May 18, 2012

Big Ben turns 150 Today

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Big Ben - the bell in the iconic clocktower at the Houses of Parliament is celebrating 150 years today! To celebrate, here's a video the bells doing their job. To me, and I'm sure many other Anglophiles out there, the song of Big Ben is music to my ears. Nothing says London like Big Ben's … [Read more...]

Anglophile Alert: Into the Storm – Churchill Movie – on HBO Tonight

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I'm a huge admirer of Winston Churchill and I'm very excited about a new movie airing on HBO tonight called "Into the Storm" which will chronicle Churchill's war years. It's a direct sequel to the movie that came out a few years ago called "The Gathering Storm" which was about all of Churchill's … [Read more...]

Torchwood Children of Earth Trailer

A full trailer for the Upcoming Torchwood series yesterday. It's called Children of Earth and it's a five part series focusing on one topic, which is a different format then we're used to. I've always been kind of ho-hum about Torchwood - but it's always fun to watch. The real big news is that … [Read more...]

The Next Doctor Who Companion Revealed

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There were quite a few Doctor Who related announcements this past week from the BBC - this is by far the biggest - the announcement of the next companion who will accompany new Doctor Matt Smith in the TARDIS next year. The lovely choice is the stark redhead Karen Gillan - a Scot. If Karen looks … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the South: In My Own Backyard

Some years back, while perusing a “Scenic Views of the Britain” calendar, I found a picture of a stunning coastal cliff, stark white and undulating along the edge of the sea like a ruffle of lace. I proposed to myself then and there that I, one day, would see this spectacle in … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: Britain on a Student Budget

We received a message from one of our readers, Emily, this week. She had some questions about living in the North East: Hello fellow anglophiles! This email is mostly for Lisa, but I guess anybody could help me out! I am a student at a university in the Los Angeles area and starting in January of … [Read more...]

Cool British TV Show: Made in Britain

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British Comedian Dom Joly has a new TV show starting next week - Made in Britain is a funny looking show about a man who has his house emptied and must refill it with things only Made in Britain. This should be rather interesting since a lot of things aren't exactly made in Britain … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the East: Stranger in a Strange (Home)land

So I'm back from a ten day holiday (yes, I said holiday, not vacation) to glorious Orlando, Flordia, which was a little odd as it's the first time since my six years in England that I've been back in the States as a tourist.  Usually I get home to Lawrence a few times a year, but there's a big … [Read more...]

Thoughts on Britain’s Expenses Scandal

I haven't really posted anything about the ongoing Parliamentary Expenses Scandal in Britain. While I have a great interest in British Politics and have been watching the story with great interest as it has played out - I generally avoid talking about British Politics on Anglotopia. One reason … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week Wrap-up

Well, it was a very exciting week at Anglotopia as we hosted the authors of the fabulous book Britannia in Brief. In case you missed it, here's a rundown of the stories featured this week: Britannia in Brief Review - Our exclusive first look at Britannia in Brief results in a pretty positive … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week: Don’t Be a Pillock in the Pub – Do’s and Don’t's of British Pub Etiquette

The final post in our Britannia in Brief series is a fantastic article from co-author William Mullins about how to behave in a British pub. I'm glad he decided to write about this as I've experienced the confusion of being a pub for the first time. Be sure to check out the rest of the posts for … [Read more...]

The Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who Villians

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As most people know, I'm a pretty big Doctor Who fan. I'm mostly a fan of the new series, but I've been known to watch an old episode or two now and then. One of the great things about Doctor Who is the wide variety of creative villians they've had in the history of the show. It's particularly … [Read more...]

Anglophile in Exile: Inside the Pages of British Music Magazines

Not only do I love to listen to British music, I am a huge fan of their music magazines. Maybe my Anglophile view on life has clouded my vision, but I really believe their magazines are superior to ours, including Rolling Stone. (And for the record, I am a subscriber to RS.) There are three major … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: Battle

I watched a special on TV last Monday night about 1066. You know, the year England was conquered by the French. They're still here, by the way; no one has pushed them out yet. Don't tell the British, though; they're a bit touchy on that subject. Anyway, the special was an historical adaptation … [Read more...]

Video Thursday: Piccadilly (1929)

The internet is a treasure trove of wonderful old videos featuring London and Britain as a subject. So, this is in an ongoing weekly video series (Video Thursdays) highlighting my latest find of the week. I hope you enjoy them. To see the rest of the series, click here. This week's video is an … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week: Interview with Co-Author William Mullins

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To celebrate the forth day of Britannia in Brief week here at Anglotopia we have an exclusive interview with co-author Willaim Mullins. William is a displaced Brit living life in America with wife Leslie. You could say he's a Brit out of water and his interview provides an exciting insight into … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: Baby You Can Drive My Car

I don't actually drive in the UK yet, I have tried and I just can't get the hang of driving a manual transmission. I am embarassed that after 10 years of driving I am going to have to take driving lessons to learn how to drive all over again. The UK driving test is infamously difficult and it is … [Read more...]

Pictures of England – The London Underground

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This is part in an ongoing series where I will feature some of my Photography of London and England up until we leave for our trip in November. I'm an avid amateur photographer and love sharing my photos. If you'd like to see all the pictures in this series check out the gallery here. This … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week: Brilliant British Movies by Leslie Banker

As part of Britannia in Brief Week here at Anglotopia we're happy to be hosting one of the author's - Leslie Banker -  for a guest post. Here's her rundown of top 5 favorite British movies. Be sure to check out the rest of Britannia in Brief week! Check back later in the week for an interview and a … [Read more...]

Dreams of Britain: Top 12 Reasons Why British Airways is Always the Best Choice for Transatlantic Flights

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From my Second Trip to London I've only ever flown British Airways to Britain in my time as an Anglophile. They were there with me on my first journey to Blighty, they were there for my last trip and they'll be there for the next one. I will only consider flying BA - despite there being many other … [Read more...]

Britannia in Brief Week: Interview With Author Leslie Banker

 Our Second article in our week long Britannia in Brief Series is an interview with one of it's authors, Leslie Banker. Leslie is married to her co-author William Mullins (interview Thursday!) and they decided to write Britannia in Brief due to the the culture shock of what it's like being married … [Read more...]

Anglophile Alerts: Smitten by Britain Fortysomething Contest

There's a great contest going on over at Smitten By Britain for Anglophile Hugh Laurie fans. Before his brilliant turn as Dr. House - Laurie played Dr. Paul Slippery in the midst of a mid-life crisis. From her blog: Prior to Laurie making his American prime time debut as Dr. House, he developed … [Read more...]

Anglophile Reviews: Britannia in Brief Review

The first post in our weeklong series for Britannia in Brief week is my review of the book. In short, the book is awesome. My only complaint is that this is the book about Britain that I've always wanted to write and they've gotten to it first! Britannia in Brief is simply an encyclopedia of … [Read more...]

Read Anglotopia on the Kindle!

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Anglotopia is now available on the Kindle! We've been accepted into the Amazon.com Blog Kindle Beta Program. This means that you can read all your favorite Anglotopia columns on the go, wherever you take your Kindle. The latest posts on Anglotopia will now be delivered to your Kindle for easy … [Read more...]

This Week is Britannia in Brief Week!

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Exciting news for Anglotopia! There's a fab new book coming out this week for Anglophiles called Britannia in Brief. It's an A to Z guide of everything British - perfect for the knowledge hungry Anglophile. To celebrate the release of this fantastic book, Anglotopia is going to publish an … [Read more...]

Anglophile Alert: Crazy Good Summer Airfares to London from British Airways

This came across all my feeds yesterday and is definitely worth sharing with you all. British Airways is having a fantastic sale until the end of the month for travel to London this summer, during the normally pricey high season. From the TravelZoo E-mail I got: CHICAGO--MAY 12, 2009-- Nonstop … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the North: And Bingo was its Name-o

I have known for a couple of weeks now that I wanted to write a post about social clubs, but I am having a difficult time describing the atmosphere of a social club because there is just nothing like it in the US. A social club is like a marriage of an American Legion club and your local dive bar. … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the South: The Telly

Another one of the surprising differences British life has to offer is the Telly. First off, you can't watch one without a license. No, really, they'll come and arrest you if you do; they have ways of finding out. You can't listen to the radio either, so don't try. The reason is the disputed … [Read more...]

What Makes the Quintessential Englishman?

The Evening Standard (one of my favorite London papers) recently asked the question: What Makes the Quintessential Englishman? It pondered the question because, someone who many consider to be THE Quintessential Englishman - Stephen Fry - denied that he was such, to the horror of the … [Read more...]

American Builds His Own Castle from Scratch

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This story actually hails from my back yard, it was in my local newspaper today. A local man has dedicated the last few years of his life to building his own castle, complete with battlements and a most from scratch. I don't know if he's an Anglophile but building a folly like this is certainly a … [Read more...]

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