Is the thrill of the crowd worth the ticket price, or does the TV offer the ultimate front-row seat? In this podcast, we dive into the pros and cons of watching live events versus enjoying the action on TV, in other words; Stadium Buzz vs. Sofa Comfort..

Is the thrill of the crowd worth the ticket price, or does the TV offer the ultimate front-row seat? In this podcast, we dive into the pros and cons of watching live events versus enjoying the action on TV, in other words; Stadium Buzz vs. Sofa Comfort..

Imagine the Olympics without drug testing — well, that’s the Enhanced Games planned to, take place in May 2026. The aim is to allow performance-enhancing technologies without restriction to see how human physical capacities can be pushed to the limit. What do you think? Which words come to mind ? Dangerous? Unethical? Progress? A glimpse into the future? Listen in to hear more.

Ever heard of a SWOT ? It’s often used to assess the feasibility and progress of projects, but how about applying it to your language learning ? It’s a great way to kick start your motivation and learning plan by assessing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunties and Threats. Listen in to find out more.

In this podcast we look into the origins of streets names, roads, lanes, and alleys. We explore historic figures, battles, trades and forgotten landmarks, revealing hidden histories, quirky tales, and cultural insights. This podcast will prove that street names exist for a reason…. but spoiler alert: a King didn’t live in every “King Street”!

Are you tempted by that doughnut with a generous helping of cream ? Well, you’re not alone! Do you consider sugar as a sweet friend or sneaky foe? What about natural sugars in fruit? How much sugar is hidden in savoury dishes ? Listen in to find out more about sugars and where they hide in our diet.

What’s your experience of working from home? Does it suit your line of work? Do you feel more efficient or less? This podcast was recorded during the Covid lockdown when working from home was new to us all. How has it changed over the years? It’s interesting to look back and see how attitudes have changed.

Listen as Sue tells Chris about her holiday in Fes, Morocco. Did she visit all the 9, 000 streets? What did she think of the Medina? How does Fes compare to other cities in Morocco? Did she buy a fes hat? What does she say about gold? What do you think surprised her? What wasn’t she keen on? How many times did she eat a Tagine? Have you been to Morocco ? Let us know, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

Drama, drama, drama, this word sums up the British soaps ! From the drama filled streets of Coronation Street to the iconic squares of EastEnders, British soap operas have been the cornerstone of British TV with their unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and stories that reflect real life. These shows keep us hooked and in this podcast we try to find out why.
What’s your favorite British soap moment? Let us know in the comments!

Quizzes aren’t just about answering questions; they challenge your knowledge, spark curiosity, and keep you on your toes. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of getting a question right or the hilarious debates with friends about what the capital of Uzbekistan is. In this podcast we delve into why we love quizzes so much.

Do you enjoy eating spicy foods? Well, Chris does and Sue doesn’t ! Nevertheless, we delve into the science behind hot spices, we discuss the hottest spices in the world, how hot spices are graded and why some countries have developed a spicy cuisine, while other countries have not. Enjoy and get a glass of milk ready…. you’ll see why when you listen in.

National Pet Day is April 11, although if you’re a pet owner, you know there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t celebrate your animal companion!
Which pets do you have ? Cats ? Dogs? Rabbits ? So many to choose from ! Which pets give you the most joy ?
Listen as Chris (a dog lover) and Sue (a cat lover) talk about the extraordinary pet facts…. they’re quite amazing !
Be sure to indulge your pets today !

As part of the series of Everyday Mysteries, we delve into the question of why socks get lost in the washing machine. Does that happen to you? You put a pair of socks into the machine, but only one comes out ! Is there a scientific reason for this… tune in to find out.

Listen in as we have fun with trivia questions about chocolate trivia as part of International Chocolate Day. Chocolate is one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world, and many foodstuffs involving chocolate exist, particularly desserts, including cakes, pudding, mousse, chocolate brownies, and chocolate chip cookies.

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Did 2024 pass in a blur for you or were there events which stood out for you? Maybe the Paris Olympics, maybe the US election, maybe cutlural events,  We have it all in our End of Year Quiz, which is not only a great way to jog your memory,  but it’s also a fantastic way to review vocabulary covering a wide range of topics.

Let us know if we missed anything you think is important.

We all have future plans, whether it’s organizing the week ahead, planning a holiday, or considering a career change. As a language learner, it can be challenging to know which structure fits best to express your ideas clearly. In this podcast, we break down the different future tenses and provide helpful examples to help you express yourself.

In this podcast we give some tips on how to start and round off your emails. Many people are unsure about the correct (and polite) form of saying “hello” and “goodbye” in their emails. This form of communication has become a cultural minefield as we wonder if we are too informal or overly polite. We also give effective tips on how to manage emails and to reduce the number of emails you receive on a daily basis.

In this podcast, Chris helps Sue book a holiday aboard in real time, you’ll hear clicks, and some mis-clicks, as they decide where to go. Sue has a budget, but not much of an idea, whereas Chris loves to surf the web to find lots of options. As a language learner, you can practice understanding flight times, dates, times, costs and destinations.

In this podcast, we hear from 4 people who describe some of their health issues; being stung by a bee, breaking both ankles at the same time, suffering with back pain and feeling the effects of a hangover… all the vocabulary you’ll ever need to describe health mishaps.

In this podcast, we are on holiday in New York! Listen as Sue chats to Laura about their holiday in The Big Apple. Not only will you hear about some of the top places to visit but also you’ll hear great grammar; the Present Perfect, the Present Continuous used to describe future plans as well as current situations…. in short everything you need to talk about your trips wherever you go.

In this podcast, Chris talks Sue through how to buy and sell on-line. There is a ton of useful vocabulary and even some great safety tips when using on-line sites.

In this podcast, we dive into the past tense for advanced learners. Get ready to test your knowledge of the Past Simple, the Past Continuous, the Past Perfect and the Past Perfect continuous….. not forgetting modals! This podcast is in the form of a video too, so you can read some of the key expressions, and you can find an answer sheet in the notes.

In this podcast, we take on a bet…. a travel bet! We test out which is the fastest, most reliable and cheapest way to get from Toulouse to Paris. Chris takes the car and Sue takes the plane. Which means of transport do you think comes out on top ? As a language learner you can check your comprehension with a quiz. Listen up carefully because there are lots of numbers in this podcast to test you!

In this podcast, Sue, as a European, listens in amazement to Cindy, an American from North Carolina, as she describes her everyday life living with guns in the USA.
Cindy recounts why she needs to own a gun, how she practices shooting and how the constitution allows American citizens to carry an arm (and shoot) for their own protection. Whatever your view of guns, this podcast will fascinate you.

In this podcast, we dive into superstitions. Do you believe in them or not? Why do we believe in something we rationally know not to be true? Are superstitions dangerous, or just a harmless cultural traditional? In this podcast you can hear Chris put the case for superstitions and Sue who debunks the whole idea of superstition, and you’ll learn lots of vocabulary along the way.

In this podcast, we proudly present our adopted city of Toulouse following the announcement that the reputed travel guide series Lonely Planet has nominated Toulouse as THE city to visit in 2025.
Listen in as we run through our 20 top “must do” in the Pink City.

In this podcast recorded during the Covid crisis of 2020, we take a look back at history and some of the medical outbreaks of the past. We compare how people dealt with the restrictions enforced in the 17th century with those that we experienced just a few years ago.

In this podcast, you can tune into stories from a novice cook, Victoria. She certainly had some mishaps. Listen in to these amusing stories, maybe you have similar experiences too. She also gives great tips about writing a blog, especially its a language learner.

In this podcast, we discuss in detail the best tips and advice for getting over the fear of speaking in public and by consequence making your presentations so much more effective. Listen in as we cover stress and breathing, effective slides, how to present data effectively, how to connect with your attendees and how to finish with a knock-out Take Home Message.

In this podcast, we take a look at our phones and discuss the apps we use and why. Could you live without your apps? Are they really that useful? Do you use the same ones as us? Can you describe why you use them and like them? Listen to us as we use everyday vocabulary which you’ll find pretty useful.

Now that really is a tricky question !! The conditionals may seem hard but in fact they are pretty simple and they will take your English to another level. As a language learner it’s time to expand your conversation from the past, present and future…. go further with the conditionals !

We all have future plans, whether it’s organizing the week ahead, planning a holiday, or considering a career change. As a language learner, it can be challenging to know which structure fits best to express your ideas clearly. In this podcast, we break down the different future tenses and provide helpful examples to help you express yourself.

In this podcast, we take a look at words we use in meetings and in particular phrasal verbs. How can you learn them? Why are they difficult to learn? Do you really need to learn them? Listen in to find out.

In this podcast we discuss an upcoming trip to the UK. What is the best thing to eat, to drink and where to go? Where’s the best place for a pub quiz? Listen up and you’ll find out. Lots of grammar in this podcast too. The video has pictures and questions to help you.

In this podcast we tackle grammar in an engaging detective story. Listen out for verbs in the past tense and the sentence structure.

In this podcast, we take a look at humour. What is you kind of humour, are you silly, surreal or witty? Does humour translate well? What are the different types of humour? What has been the biggest comedy show in terms of viewing numbers? All this will be revealed in this podcast…. just dive in !

What are the benefits of learning a new language ? Will it make you more intelligent, make you open minded and even help with job opportunities? Listen as Laura describes her experience growing up speaking French and English.

Short answers are longer than just saying “yes” or “no”. Native speakers tend to add the axuarily to the yes and the no. Listen in to find out what we mean. Practice with the exercises and see how quickly you can answer.

In this podcast Chris and Sue compare their favourite underground systems; London and Paris. Sue loves the London underground whereas Chris is a fan of the Paris metro. Why, Why, Why ???
Listen as they attempt to prove which one is the best with the most interesting facts Google could provide ! Be ready for the challenge of numbers as they try to show off their knowledge of the underground systems and try to catch each other out with tricky questions!

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Following the series of podcasts about Australia, this one is devoted to the best holiday things to do and to expect.
Is Australia on your bucket list ?
Over 5 million people visit Australia every year. It’s certainly a long way from everywhere, but is it worth making the effort to fly for hours to get there?
This podcast will outline the recommendations and some of the things to avoid.
Get into the mood with this quiz of general knowledge questions (questions 1-10), and then after listening check your comprehension with questions 11 to 20

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are fast approaching. Paris has hosted the Games on several occasions so now’s the time to find out more about it. This quiz of 25 amazing questions will help you learn vocabulary, check grammar and above all amaze you with fun facts.

So, get on your marks….. ready, steady, GO !!

In this podcast, we take a look at our phones and discuss the apps we use and why. Could you live without your apps? Are they really that useful? Do you use the same ones as us? Can you describe why you use them and like them? Listen to us as we use everyday vocabulary which you’ll find pretty useful.

On the 4th July 2024 the UK will hold a general election. It’s always an exciting night and we will certainly be watching all night. But whatever your political  views it’s always interesting to watch and you’ll probably hear the usual bunch of expressions that typically come out of the mouths of TV journalists and politicians. So, first listen to the podcast to understand what these expression mean, and then on election night have fun with this Lingo Bingo card and tick off the expressions when you hear them.

In this podcast, we take a look at our phones and discuss the apps we use and why. Could you live without your apps? Are they really that useful? Do you use the same ones as us? Can you describe why you use them and like them? Listen to us as we use everyday vocabulary which you’ll find pretty useful.

In this podcast, Chris who has never (ever) seen a Star Wars film, interviews movie goers as they leave the cinema after watching the film Star Wars – The Force Awakens, just to see what all the fuss is about. Listen in as people give their opinion of the film just as they are leaving the cinema, it’s hot off the press with authentic excitement and street noise too.

Tag questions are questions added to a short sentence, usually at the end, to engage the listener, check understanding or confirm that an action has heppened.
Tag questions are very common in natural English and they can also have distinct meaning according to the tone used with the tag, a rising tone and a descending tone can communicate very different meanings from the question asked as you will find out in this podcast.
Common tags include: Won’t you? Wasn’t it? Don’t you? Haven’t you? Wasn’t it? Wouldn’t you? Isn’t it? Isn’t there? etc.

Discover global cultures through this table etiquette quiz.

As a language learner you will come across really useful vocabulary which we sometimes overlook when learning a new language.

Also the quiz will get you thinking about different cultures and our relationship with food.

French citizenship quiz, questions to help you pass it.

Have you ever been to France and even spent a few days in Paris? It’s a beautiful country, with stunning countryside and intriguing cities. In this quiz we go beyond the traditional tourists visits to seek out some “off the wall” fun facts… and build vocabulary at the same time.

Have you ever heard of the term, “Vanlife?” , or ever seen the hashtag #Vanlife ?
It is a growing trend where people convert vans to a fully contained living area that enables them to travel and work virtually anywhere in the world whilst pursuing their dream of travel, discovery and adventure.
Listen to Chris telling Sue about a project that he has to buy and convert a van for a future tour that will include every European capital city,

In this podcast, Sue chats to 2 Canadians about life in Canada. We know it can get cold, but how cold ? We know there are many lakes, but how many? Listen in to the podcast to find out more about this country with amazing landscapes and very friendly people.

In this podcast, we catch up with Craig, an Irish guy living in Spain, who tells us all about he used to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and what he does now.
We talk about what the Irish drink, where they drink, what they wear and who Sant Patrick was.

Do you sometimes go on holiday and are surprised by what you find there? Find out what surprised Sue when she went to Cape Town on holiday.
What do you know about Cape Town ? Find out about the politics, the weather, the geography, the shopping and the wine in this podcast.

12 questions to help you decide from all the fantastic places in France where you should spend your holidays/vacation.

How colorful is your language ? Do you want to sound like a native speaker ? Well in that case, you better start using expressions and idioms to make your English come alive !
So tune in to this podcast and listen as we test each other with 15 expressions, you’ll hear that some we know well and some we don’t know at all