Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast

Is 28 DAYS LATER the best British horror film? Sam and Natalia sit down and watch Danny Boyle’s 2002 horror masterpiece.

28 DAYS LATER (2002) follows Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover that the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the collapse of the UK. Joining forces with Selena (Naomie Harris), Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and Hannah (Megan Burns), Jim seeks refuge in war-torn Manchester, hoping to find protection under the guard of Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston).

A specific request from a long-time listener of the podcast prompts Sam and Natalia to sit down and watch this early 2000s British classic.

Topics of conversastion include Susan Boyle, guerrilla filmmaking, empty London, the song from that famous Cadbury advert, SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND, Catholicism, priests, fast zombies, the immortal Reddit snail, IT FOLLOWS, Jordan Peele's films, the Loch Ness Monster, COVID-19, St Thomas' Hospital, pithecophobia, Brexit, PETA ruining the world, Letterboxd reviews, and 28 WEEKS LATER's viral opening scene.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia begin the 2026 season of the LEARNING BRITISH podcast by watching and reviewing series four of THE TRAITORS.

THE TRAITORS is a British reality TV show hosted by Claudia Winkleman. The show features a group of contestants participating in a social deduction game in which a small group of contestants become Traitors, who must work together to eliminate the Faithfuls. Series Four features twenty-two players, with Stephen, Rachel, Hugo, and Fiona donning the famous Traitor cloaks.

Topics of conversation include the Year of the Fire Horse, elaborate podcast studios, Russian psychological games, the American TRAITORS, viewing figures, generational divides, Secret Traitors, Hugo and Linda, the Fiona outburst, interrupting people at the Round Table, feminism, queen behaviour, influencers, James Corden with Justin Bieber, banishment, setting cats among the pigeons, THE HUNGER GAMES, Harry from Series Two, yelling, “Who is keeping me in this game?”, Alan Carr on THE CELEBRITY TRAITORS, family trees, who won THE TRAITORS series four, and 28 DAYS LATER.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia finish their HARRY POTTER series by playing and reviewing HOGWARTS LEGACY.

HOGWARTS LEGACY is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Portkey Games. Set in the 1890s at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the player takes on the role of a fifth-year wizarding student (voiced by Sebastian Croft or Amelia Gething) who must use ancient magic to bring down Ranrok, the leader of a goblin rebellion, and Victor Rookwood, the leader of a group of Dark Wizards.

Sam and Natalia cap off the 2025 season of the LEARNING BRITISH podcast with HOGWARTS LEGACY.

Topics of conversation include millionaires, the new HBO TV show, following traffic rules in GRAND THEFT AUTO, Arthur Conan Doyle, fanfiction, TWILIGHT, Vines, separating art from the artist, privately owned Scottish castles, brain mould, POKÉMON BRILLIANT DIAMOND, transgender barmaids, Pottermore, J. K. Rowling’s descent into madness, British awkwardness, Piccadilly Circus, THE SUN and THE DAILY MAIL, and what Sam and Natalia are going to review next year.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

If you liked this episode, you may also like...

In "Harry Potter is bad, actually", Sam and Natalia watch and review every HARRY POTTER film and book (On Spotify / On Apple).

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia go to the 2025 London Film Festival in this bonus episode of the LEARNING BRITISH podcast.

The 69th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) took place from 8th to the 19th of October, 2025. Sam and Natalia saw eight films total across the festival. Jump ahead to the timestamps below to hear our reviews of each:

(03:15) H IS FOR HAWK
(05:50) ENZO
(09:22) DIE, MY LOVE
(11:14) & SONS
(15:48) ROSE OF NEVADA
(20:38) LADY
(27:36) AFTER THE HUNT
(38:28) WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

Topics of conversation include kino, movie ticket prices, ornithophobia, Claire Foy, Ukraine, Mark Jenkin, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, living in France, Lynne Ramsay, Jennifer Lawrence winning her next Oscar for Best Actress, Bill Nighy, dialogue sinking, Noah Jupe, Cornish science-fiction, ENYS MEN, Russell Tovey, those rubbish FANTASTIC BEASTS films, Luca Guadagnino, "It's French", Sian Clifford in FLEABAG, the British class system, mockumentaries, Julia Roberts and #MeToo, Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, Josh O'Connor becoming the new Pedro Pascal, Agatha Christie, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, and, of course, our Gumball water bottle.

Follow Sam's Letterboxd account here (@SkyWasTheRobot).

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

SPOILER EXPLANATION BELOW:

H IS FOR HAWK (includes a brief description of the premise, but no other spoilers)
ENZO (includes spoilers, in addition to a brief discussion on the last scene)
DIE, MY LOVE (includes a brief description of the premise, but no other spoilers)
& SONS (includes mild-spoilers, in addition to discussing a reveal which takes place approximately thirty minutes into the film)
ROSE OF NEVADA (includes a brief description of the premise, but no other spoilers)
LADY (includes a brief description of the premise, but no other spoilers)
AFTER THE HUNT (includes spoilers, in addition to the ending)
WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (includes a brief description of the premise, but no other spoilers)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia watch and review the new Cartoon Network animated show, THE WONDERFULLY WEIRD WORLD OF GUMBALL.

THE WONDERFULLY WEIRD WORLD OF GUMBALL is an animated children's show which follows Gumball Watterson (voiced by Alkaio Thiele), a blue 12-year-old cat, and his 10-year-old adopted brother, Darwin (voiced by Hero Hunter), a goldfish. Co-produced across the United States, Europe, and the UK, it is technically just British enough to talk about. Probably.

Sam and Natalia voyage to the BFI Southbank to watch two episodes of THE WONDERFULLY WEIRD WORLD OF GUMBALL, “The Burger” (episode one) and “The Gourmet” (episode sixteen), alongside a Q&A from the producers and actors.

Topics of conversation include Hulu, MACBETH, American PSYOPs, good SPONGEBOB, adult jokes in children’s TV shows, BREAKING BAD, /r/AITA Reddit stories, inflatable castles, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, different animation styles, THE SIMPSONS, Terence Davies, PARASITE, kino, ASMR, goodie bags, DAS KAPITAL, Gumball’s ears, ham sandwiches, AMERICAN IDOL, and British rain.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

If you liked this episode, you may also like...

In "Harry Potter is bad, actually", Sam and Natalia watch and review all the HARRY POTTER films, from THE SORCERER'S STONE to THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (On Spotify / On Apple).
In "Doctor Who: Series Fifteen", Sam and Natalia watch and review the most recent series of DOCTOR WHO with Ncuti Gatwa (On Spotify / On Apple)

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.