The British English Podcast

Episode: S1/E1 – The Introduction
Host: Charlie Baxter
Guest: Harry Giles
Date: September 24, 2020

Episode Overview

This introductory episode welcomes listeners to The British English Podcast, a show designed to immerse English learners in authentic British language, culture, history, and current affairs. Host Charlie Baxter is joined by his long-time friend and co-host from YouTube, Harry Giles. Together, they trace their journey from university friends to online English educators and discuss their motivations, teaching experiences, and the creation of their learning resources. The episode is rich with natural conversational English, British humour, and explanations of everyday phrases and idioms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of the Podcast & Hosts' Friendship [00:05–04:48]

• Format and Purpose: Charlie explains the podcast will feature solo and guest episodes, focusing on real-life British English and culture.
• Meet Cute at University: Charlie and Harry reminisce about how they met at Nottingham Trent University, both attending a psychology course.
  • Memorable moment: Harry turned up late and asked Charlie for a pen (the “meet cue”) [02:38].
  • Bonded over a shared love of British humour, particularly "The Office," communicating mostly in quotes from the show.
• Language focus: Natural conversation around everyday objects ("bit of paper," spare pens) and university life transitions to a discussion about modern lectures (laptops vs. pen and paper).

2. Career Journeys After University [04:48–10:14]

• Non-traditional Pathways: Both drifted from psychology into unrelated jobs: Harry into TV programming hoping to be a comedy writer, Charlie into marketing and sales.
• Workplace Realities: Amusing anecdotes about being an “office runner” (delivering endless coffees) and "climbing the career ladder."
• Language lesson: They explain idioms like "climb the career ladder" and colloquialisms such as “pop off to the shop” [07:15].

“To climb the career ladder, meaning to progress in a company or in a particular career.” — Charlie [05:39]

“Pop off… a nice colloquial, natural way to say go somewhere, like normally, something quite quickly. Right, I'm going to pop off to the shop.” — Charlie [07:15]

3. Transition Into English Teaching Abroad [10:14–15:09]

• Travel and Teaching: Charlie recounts moving to Santiago de Chile for a teaching job, prompting Harry to travel and try teaching in Southeast Asia.
• Early Online Collaboration: Charlie started online teaching and invited Harry to join his efforts, which resulted in early (sometimes patronizing!) business schemes.
• Language explanations: Expressions like “before I knew it,” “packed in [a job],” and defining “metrosexual” with playful British banter.
• Cultural Nuance: Discussion of personal grooming (eyebrow threading) in British and multicultural contexts.

4. Teaching Experiences & The Realities of British Weather [15:09–21:22]

• First Teaching Jobs: Harry describes voluntary teaching in Cambodia, then moving to Spain's Basque Country to work in a language academy.
  • Commentary on both England’s and the Basque Country’s notoriously rainy weather.
  • Phrases like “on the move” and idioms such as “all walks of life” explained with real-life examples [21:22].
• Different Students: Contrast between teaching motivated online students and less eager corporate clients.

“You get to meet all walks of life in this job, meaning all different types of people, from financial brokers to volunteers… to unemployed students.” — Charlie [21:22]

5. The Birth of Their Collaborative Content [21:22–27:59]

• From Spain & Chile to England & America: Both end up teaching online; Charlie moves to the US, Harry returns to the UK.
• YouTube Channel & Podcasting: Their initial idea was a podcast, but they shifted to video, launching "Real English with Real Teachers."
  • Notable segment on “street interviews” and how their teaching and content creation gave rise to minor fame [24:16].
• Focus on ‘Real’ English: Their content arose from a desire to showcase true native usage, as opposed to outdated textbook idioms like “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

6. Language Explanations & Examples [27:59–34:42]

• Bias and Neutrality: Deep-dive into the words "biased" and "unbiased," illustrated with football analogies and British culture [26:12–27:59].
  • Example: “If I said… we have the best football league in the world, that would be a biased thing to say because I'm from England.” — Harry [26:52]
• Confidence-Building for Learners: Description of their residential course in Brighton designed to build students’ confidence and fluency.
  • “We would go to a busy area… and release the students into the wild… to interact with people.” — Harry [29:09]
• Colloquial Expressions: Explaining “bugger off” as a softer British swear, along with its usage and real-life examples [32:07].

7. On Swearing and First Impressions [32:33–34:42]

• Swearing in Language: The hosts debate whether to include swearing in the podcast, agreeing on a moderate, realistic approach for learners.
  • “I think we should. I think it's real English.” — Charlie [32:42]
• Idioms: “Get off on the right foot” and “come across (well/badly)” explained and contextualized in everyday British English.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Meeting Story:
  “That's our meet cue.” — Charlie, on how borrowing a pen started their friendship [02:45]

• On Comedy Quoting:
  “Our friendship was built upon quotes from the series [The Office]. And a quote is like a phrase or a line that was said in a show.” — Harry [04:30]

• Teaching Aspirations:
  “I remember Charlie saying to me, I'm going traveling. I'm done with this office rubbish. I'm going traveling and I'm going to work as an English teacher. And I was thinking, wow, you are gutsy.” — Harry [09:20]

• Language Lesson:
  “None of your business. ... Just ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies. I'm going to shag your mum.” — Harry [08:17]
  (Lead-in to a discussion about British proverbs and cheeky British banter.)

• On British Weather:
  “It's very grey, isn't it, in England? But in the Basque Country of Spain, it's so wet.” — Harry [19:02]

• On Building Confidence:
  “It was all about building confidence and fluency when speaking in English.” — Harry [29:09]

• Street Interview Fame:
  “...people recognize me and it was from these street interview videos, and if you haven't seen them guys, check them out. It’s a great way to learn naturally spoken English.” — Harry [25:00]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction to Podcast & Hosts: [00:05–01:48]
• How Charlie & Harry Met: [01:52–04:48]
• First Jobs After University: [04:48–10:14]
• Starting as English Teachers Abroad: [10:14–15:09]
• Early Online Classes & Business Attempts: [11:23–12:15]
• Teaching in Spain & Weather Chat: [15:09–19:50]
• Types of Students ("All walks of life"): [21:22]
• Becoming Online Creators: [21:59–24:40]
• Bias and Neutrality Explained: [26:12–27:59]
• Confidence-Building English Course: [29:09–31:45]
• “Bugger off” and British Swearing: [32:07–32:46]
• First Impressions and 'Come Across': [33:13–34:42]

Language, Tone, and Takeaways

Charlie and Harry are casual, humorous, and candid—sharing real-life stories, bantering, and laughing throughout the episode. Their rapport makes the episode approachable, especially for advanced learners seeking genuine, up-to-date British English.

The episode is packed with idioms, phrasal verbs, and colloquial expressions, which are highlighted and explained as they naturally emerge in conversation. The focus remains firmly on the realities of English teaching abroad, the process of becoming online educators, and their commitment to helping learners access “real” British English—not just outdated textbook phrases.

For more resources and details, visit: thebritishenglishpodcast.com