Great Stuff
A teaching resource designed to energise your English lessons.
About the series
Ever wondered what makes Britain British? Jump into Great Stuff, a funny two-voice audio series all about the United Kingdom: the four nations, their symbols and their capital, plus everyday life from food and sport to traditions, inventions and the Britons who changed the world.
Episodes (25)
1What is the United Kingdom? It is one country with four members: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Learn the difference between these countries and why they are one country. It is simple!
3:31
2Come with us on a trip to England! It is the biggest country in the United Kingdom. You will learn about London, big cities like Liverpool, and the beautiful Lake District. We look at the north, the midlands, and the south. Let’s go!
4:23
3This time, we visit Scotland and Wales! Scotland is in the north and has beautiful lochs and mountains. Wales is the smallest country and has many castles. Learn about kilts and the Welsh language. It's a great trip!
4:44
4This episode is about the Island of Ireland. The island has two countries: Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (an independent country). We look at Belfast, Dublin, and beautiful cliffs.
4:52
5In this episode, we look at flags and symbols of the UK countries. You will see how the Union Jack flag is a mix of three countries’ flags. We also talk about national animals (like a dragon) and flowers (like a rose and a spiky thistle).
3:52
6This episode is all about London, the biggest city in the UK. We talk about famous places like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, where the King lives. Learn about the River Thames, the Tube, and the big London Eye wheel.
4:27
7Two friends debate Britain's food reputation and then tour its most iconic dishes and their stories: the full English breakfast, the sandwich's disputed origin (the Earl of Sandwich), Sunday roast, classic desserts (apple crumble and trifle), afternoon tea, bangers and mash, chicken tikka masala as an adopted national dish, and fish and chips as Britain's most popular food.
4:42
8Is Big Ben the famous clock tower in London? Not quite! Two friends find out what Big Ben really is, and how many steps it takes to climb to the top.
1:18
See the other 14 episodes
9Why are London's buses red? Two friends find out how one big bus company painted the whole city's buses red.
1:30
10A giant circle of stones in the south of England, about 5,000 years old. Two friends find out how big the stones are, where some of them came from, and why nobody knows what Stonehenge was for.
1:49
11Who are the guards in the huge furry hats outside Buckingham Palace? Two friends find out about the bearskin hats, the marching band and the real soldiers underneath.
1:10
12Pounds, pence and pictures of the King: two friends look closely at one British coin, from its twelve sides to the bees and puffins on the newest coins.
3:43
13Uniforms, assembly and school houses: two friends explore what makes a British school day different from the rest of Europe.
2:33
14Rabbits in the garden, a hamster in the bedroom, goldfish in the living room: two friends take a tour of Britain's pets and meet a cat with a real job.
2:39
15Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, but does the King really live there? Two friends find out about the palace, its flag and its famous balcony.
1:41
16What does a king do in Britain today? Two friends find out how a constitutional monarchy works, and who's who in the royal family.
3:21
17Rows of brick houses joined together, a letterbox in the front door and two taps that never meet: two friends walk down a British street.
3:27
18Charity shops, corner shops and a red post box: two friends walk down a British high street and ask what every shop sells.
2:47
19A train under the street, a map with colourful lines, and one famous warning: two friends take a ride on London's Tube and learn its unwritten rules.
2:45
20A big fire, a guy made of old clothes and a sky full of fireworks: two friends wrap up warm for Bonfire Night and find out why Britain remembers the fifth of November.
3:30
21A scarf, a crowd that sings and a hot pie at half-time: two friends spend a Saturday afternoon at a British football match and find out where the game's first rules come from.
3:25
22A giant whale, dinosaurs, mummies from Egypt and famous paintings, and no ticket to buy: a family spends a rainy day in Britain's free museums.
3:27
1Two friends debate England's favourite sport and then tour the surprising origin stories behind five British sports: football's official rules written at a London pub in 1863 and the world's first international match (England v Scotland, 1872), the disputed Rugby School Webb Ellis myth historians don't actually believe, Wimbledon as the world's oldest tennis tournament, golf's 1457 royal ban in Scotland (soldiers were meant to be practising archery), and the true newspaper joke behind cricket's England-Australia rivalry, 'the Ashes'.
4:11
2National Holidays and Traditions
Two friends debunk the idea that Halloween is American — it's really an old Scottish and Irish tradition (Samhain), carried to America by Irish emigrants who found pumpkins didn't grow back home and carved turnips instead.
3:29
3A whistle-stop tour of the people who make Britain — from Shakespeare's roughly 37 plays, the Globe Theatre and the 1,700+ words he invented ('gossip', 'champion'), to J.
3:55
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