When Thomas Aikenhead was hanged in 1697 for questioning the Bible, it was the last time someone was executed for blasphemy in Britain. But it didn't mean that debates around blasphemy went away.

 

In this episode, we'll trace the history of blasphemy in Britain, and discover how debates about insulting religion still shape British law and public life today.

 

• Thomas Aikenhead: last execution for blasphemy in Britain, 1697.
• Blasphemy’s Greek roots: harmful speech, not originally religious.
• Church and Crown fused; blasphemy protected political order.
• Percy Shelley expelled for publishing The Necessity of Atheism.
• Richard Carlile imprisoned for publishing Paine’s The Age of Reason.
• 1977 Gay News case: editor convicted for blasphemous poem.
• Life of Brian controversy showed debate still alive.
• Blasphemy law protected Christianity only; Muslims unprotected during Rushdie.
• 2008 abolition followed debate: protect people, not ideas.
• Tahir Ali proposed new blasphemy law; government rejected.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/blasphemy-britain

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From The Vault 🔐 — normally a member-only episode, unlocked this month for everyone.

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In 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed high in the Andes. Stranded in freezing mountains, the young survivors faced hunger, avalanches, and a terrible moral choice. 

It would become one of history’s greatest survival stories.

• 1972 Andes plane crash of Uruguayan rugby team
• Navigation error; early descent; crash into mountain
• Survivors shelter in plane body; bitter cold at night
• Student doctors treat injuries with improvised tools
• Melting snow for water; radio says search is cancelled
• Starvation leads to agreement to eat the dead
• Deadly avalanche buries shelter; more survivors die
• Tail of plane found; batteries fail; sleeping bag created
• Parrado and Canessa walk west; find help by note
• Helicopter rescue; 16 survive; public debate and aftermath

 Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/flight-571

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🔓 And if you’d like to unlock our entire catalogue (550+ episodes), along with interactive transcripts, instant translations, and study packs, check out membership at https://bit.ly/FromTheVault2025

 

JD Vance grew up in a struggling Ohio town, escaped poverty, and wrote a memoir that made him famous across the world.

 

Then, having spent years attacking Donald Trump, he became his most loyal ally — and, in January 2025, Vice President of the United States.

 

In this episode, we look at the life, the book, and the unlikely journey of one of the most controversial figures in American politics.

 

• Hillbilly Elegy explains Rust Belt; 2016 spotlight, bestseller, film
• Chosen as Trump’s running mate for Vice President
• Tough childhood in Ohio; addiction, instability, grandparents’ support
• Military gave structure; Ohio State, Yale Law, mentors, memoir
• Backed by Peter Thiel; critics question working-class image
• From Trump critic to ally; won Ohio Senate seat
• America First ideas: sceptical on Ukraine aid, protect manufacturing
• Very conservative socially; anti-abortion, pro-family, strict immigration
• Seen as 2028 favourite; young potential future president
• Debate: does he truly understand and represent working-class America?

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/jd-vance

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In 2016, a 21-year-old American student was arrested in North Korea after allegedly stealing a political poster.

 

Weeks later, he appeared in a strange public confession and was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labour.

 

Seventeen months on, he returned home in a coma, raising disturbing questions about what really happened behind closed doors.

 

• Otto Warmbier detained at Pyongyang airport after tour.
• Background on North Korea’s strict control and harsh punishments.
• Claimed theft of political banner; confession likely forced.
• Evidence doubts: grainy CCTV, timing issues, unlikely church plot.
• One-hour trial; sentenced to fifteen years’ hard labour.
• Seventeen months with little information; Sweden helped with messages.
• Released in coma; food poisoning doubted; died six days later.
• Public reaction: parents, Fox interviews, Trump’s changing position.
• Theories: accident, suicide attempt, lack of oxygen; truth unknown.
• Travel bans followed; lesson on North Korea’s cruelty.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/otto-warmbier

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Ever since ChatGPT was released, people have declared the "death of language learning". It still hasn't happened. 

Today, we'll look at how AI can help with reading, writing, listening, and speaking in 2026, and where it still falls short. 

Can AI really make you fluent at English in 2026? 

• AI and English learning: what changed since 2022.
• Input versus output: a simpler skills framework.
• Reading help: summaries, explanations, but avoid passive learning.
• Guess first, then ask AI to check.
• Listening: better AI voices, but prefer real human audio.
• Use AI to scaffold podcasts into active learning.
• Writing: get feedback, not AI-written text.
• Self-correct first, then see fixes with explanations.
• Speaking: use AI for rehearsal, not as replacement.
• Consistency beats tools; do real English daily.

 Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/ai-learning-english

Try FixMyEnglish: www.fixmyenglish.ai

ChatGPT + Podcasts = English Fluency? Try These 12 Prompts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0zLtfXVOU

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Why do dogs understand us so well, and how did the "wild" wolf become man's closest companion? This episode tells the remarkable story of how a partnership thousands of years ago changed both species forever.

 

From ancient myths to modern living rooms, it shows how dogs helped build human civilisation and captured our hearts.

 

• The story of Argos, Odysseus' loyal hunting dog
• Friendlier Ice Age wolves scavenged leftovers and formed a partnership.
• Dogs read human signals; puppy dog eyes win care.
• Tameness changed bodies and diet, including starch digestion.
• Fox experiment proved tameness reshapes bodies within generations.
• Working dogs helped herding, travel, and growing settlements.
• Dogs used in war and as status symbols.
• Ancient grave shows care for a sick dog.
• Victorians made dogs pets; Kennel Club set breeds.
• After war, pet dogs spread; today ownership and spending soar.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/dogs

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House prices have soared across the world, rising far faster than wages and locking many people out of home ownership.

 

This episode looks at why cheap credit, global investors, short-term rentals, and slow building have pushed prices ever higher.

 

It also asks whether governments can really fix the problem, or if expensive housing is the new normal.

 

• How house prices have outpaced wages since late 1990s.
• Cheap credit and low interest rates drove prices higher.
• 2008 crisis; policies kept prices from falling much.
• Homes treated as a global safe asset for investors.
• Demand outstrips supply: planning, NIMBY, limited land.
• Rising costs, labour shortages, and developers holding land constrained building.
• Population changes, migration, and smaller households increased demand.
• Higher interest rates raised mortgages; prices stayed high from lock-in.
• Local factors: Airbnb and visa schemes pushed prices up.
• Housing wealth passed down; family help now often essential.
• Are there any solutions?

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/global-housing-crisis

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For decades, Saudi Arabia was ruled by ageing princes, until one young royal began changing the system from within.

 

This episode tells the story of Mohammed bin Salman, and how he rose rapidly to become Saudi Arabia’s most powerful figure.

 

• Saudi royal family is huge; succession once moved between brothers.
• Pressure grew to pass power to a younger generation.
• Mohammed bin Salman’s early life, connections, and growing ambition.
• His father becomes king; MBS controls money and army.
• MBS replaces Mohammed bin Nayef as Crown Prince, 2017.
• Ritz-Carlton purge targets princes, businessmen; power and assets seized.
• Vision 2030: modernise society, move economy beyond oil.
• Global investments and NEOM aim to change Saudi image.
• Opponents targeted; Khashoggi murder shocks the world.
• Women driving, cinemas reopen; activists jailed, Yemen war continues.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/mohammed-bin-salman

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British politics can feel confusing, with a king, a Prime Minister, and noisy debates in an old building.

 

This episode explains how the system works, from Parliament and voting to why two parties have ruled for so long.

 

• Magna Carta and early Parliament shaped British politics.
• Westminster: Parliament's home with Commons and Lords.
• Parliament: Commons of elected MPs, Lords of appointed members.
• Monarch's role: ceremonial, appoints PM, opens Parliament.
• Voting system: constituencies and First Past the Post.
• Two-party dominance challenged by rising Reform party.
• Forming governments, general elections, choosing the Prime Minister.
• MPs' duties, constituency work, and Prime Minister’s Questions.
• Leadership contests and votes of no confidence.
• Devolution: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland; West Lothian Question.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/guide-british-politics

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He was a mathematical genius who vanished into the wilderness... and became one of America’s most notorious terrorists.

 

In this episode, we'll explore the life of the Unabomber, the manifesto that finally exposed him, and the manhunt that lasted 17 years.

 

• 1995 newspapers publish manifesto; FBI hopes someone recognises author.
• Manifesto argues technology enslaves and crushes freedom.
• David Kaczynski recognises his brother’s writing style.
• Ted’s childhood genius, social isolation, and a Harvard study.
• Leaves academia; Montana cabin life fuels anti-technology radicalisation.
• Bombings kill three, injure twenty-three; targets linked to technology.
• Long, expensive manhunt; few clues for years.
• Language analysis helps arrest; cabin raid finds crucial evidence.
• Trial, plea deal, life sentences, death in 2023.
• Anti-technology message spreads online, despite his original intentions.

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/unabomber

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What do “truthiness”, “selfie”, and “goblin mode” have in common?

 

In this episode, we'll see how Words of the Year are chosen, look at some of the most pertinent from history, and explore the winners of this year's prize.

 

• What "Word of the Year" means
• How dictionaries choose: data and expert judgement
• Sometimes a public vote decides the winner
• Common themes: politics, culture, technology, internet language
• 2005 "truthiness": feels true, not actually true
• 2013 "selfie": rise of phone photos of yourself
• 2016 "post-truth": emotions beat facts in politics
• 2022 "goblin mode": lazy, messy, not sorry attitude
• 2025 "6 7": young people's meme with unclear meaning
• Collins winner "vibe coding": using AI to write code

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/2025-words-of-the-year

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Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية