After an unexpected six-month break from podcasting, seasoned Anglophiles Jonathan and Jackie Thomas return with updates on their business developments, upcoming travel plans, and an extensive roundup of British television programming that has captured their attention during the extended hiatus.
Life Changes and Business Evolution
The podcast break stemmed from multiple factors typical of small business owners juggling family responsibilities with professional demands. “The kids were always here. And she was always working. And I’m always working. There’s just never been enough… The conditions have never been perfect to record the podcast,” Jonathan explains, highlighting the practical challenges of maintaining consistent content creation while managing household schedules.
Beyond scheduling difficulties, both hosts faced significant health challenges. Jackie underwent major surgery that “put her out of commission for almost two months,” while Jonathan dealt with his own health issues the following month. These personal setbacks, combined with childcare responsibilities during summer vacation, created the extended break from regular podcasting.
Professional Developments
Jonathan’s announcement of freelance work with an Ireland-based company represents a significant business development for the Thomas household. “I have been working part-time for another company based in Ireland… that’s kind of been taking up half of my work time. And so I’ve kind of been fitting Anglotopia in when I can.”
This professional relationship has generated an unexpected travel opportunity. The company is bringing Jonathan to their Carlow office in December for meetings, with Jackie joining using airline miles. “We were able to get you a ticket for $100 using our miles,” Jonathan notes, demonstrating how strategic travel planning can create opportunities from business obligations.
For Jackie, the Ireland trip offers personal significance beyond mere travel. Through genealogy research, she discovered “the Catholic parish where my great-grandparents were married” and plans to visit “the village of Eglish” where her family originated. This connection between professional necessity and personal discovery illustrates how travel can serve multiple purposes simultaneously.
Product Development and Commercial Realities
The conversation reveals the practical challenges of running a small import business alongside content creation. Their experience with Cornish Smuggler’s Tea demonstrates both the opportunities and difficulties of product sourcing.
“We discovered this tea last year on our drive from Land’s End to John o’Groats when we were in Cornwall and fell in love with it,” Jonathan explains. After research revealed no U.S. distributors, they contacted the manufacturer directly and began importing the product. “It’s been a great seller for us. It’s been really popular.”
However, their Christmas card inventory illustrates the challenges of demand forecasting. “We overbought those… we overestimated their popularity. So we have a lot of them,” Jonathan admits candidly. The solution—discounting the cards by 50%—reflects practical business management while acknowledging planning mistakes.
Newsletter Infrastructure Changes
Cost management drives their decision to abandon MailChimp for email distribution. “MailChimp is very expensive… I think we spend five grand a year on email sending,” Jonathan reveals. The search for more affordable alternatives led to platform migration and newsletter redesign, though the transition created delivery issues for some subscribers.
This operational detail highlights the hidden costs of digital marketing that many small businesses face. The $5,000 annual email expense represents a significant budget line item that required reduction during financially challenging periods.
Literary Achievements and Aspirations
Jonathan’s completion of his travel memoir “Adventures in Angletopia” represents a major personal accomplishment, though the publishing process reveals industry realities. “The book is done it’s been professionally edited by a developmental editor, and I’ve been i’m in the query process. I’m trying to find an agent to represent it.”
The book’s 90,000-word length addresses the fundamental question Jonathan receives: “why do I love Britain so much.” Jackie’s description emphasizes the memoir’s scope: “You not only do you talk about like being like your love of England… you also really you chronicle the birth of Anglotopia… There’s a lot of travel anecdotes in there that we haven’t necessarily shared with readers.”
Recent British Reading
Jonathan’s book recommendations reflect his continued engagement with British literature and culture. “Confessions of a Bookseller” by Shaun Bythell offers insights into running Scotland’s largest secondhand bookstore, while “The Sea Room” by Adam Nicolson provides intimate portraits of Scottish island life.
His enthusiasm for “The Salt Path” by Raynor Winn demonstrates appreciation for authentic travel writing. The book chronicles a couple’s 630-mile walk along the Southwest Coast Path while dealing with homelessness and terminal illness diagnosis. “It’s been on the bestseller list for weeks and weeks and weeks,” Jonathan notes, recognizing quality travel literature’s commercial appeal.
Television Programming Renaissance
The hosts’ television consumption during their hiatus reveals the current strength of British programming across multiple genres and platforms.
Comedy Discoveries
Their enthusiasm for Northern Irish comedy “Derry Girls” demonstrates how regional programming can achieve broader appeal. “It’s on netflix and it’s about a group of girls in dairy londonderry in northern ireland in the 90s at the sort of the end of the troubles,” Jonathan explains. Jackie’s reaction to the first season finale—”I turned to John and I’m like, wait, did what happen? Did that actually just happen?”—illustrates the show’s dramatic effectiveness.
“Father Ted,” recommended by Jonathan’s Irish colleagues, provides cultural preparation for their upcoming trip. The show’s religious and cultural humor offers insights into Irish sensibilities that prove professionally useful: “I’ve gotten a lot of the jokes in the company slack that I didn’t get before.”
Their discovery of “Zomboat!” represents British creativity in familiar genres. The zombie comedy’s premise—survivors escaping on a canal boat moving “at four miles an hour”—epitomizes distinctly British approaches to international formats. “It’s the most british concept for a zombie show that takes place on a canal boat,” Jonathan observes.
Dramatic Programming
“The Crown” season three’s arrival generates significant anticipation. The show’s decision to recast older actors for later time periods demonstrates sophisticated long-term planning. Olivia Colman’s casting as Queen Elizabeth II particularly excites Jackie, who recalls Colman’s early work: “Every time i see her even in the most amazing roles… all i could think to myself when i saw her it’s sophie it’s sophie” (referencing Colman’s “Peep Show” character).
“His Dark Materials” on HBO represents major fantasy television investment. Jonathan’s enthusiasm emphasizes production values and casting choices: “Very high production values looks great acting is superb they cast it perfectly everybody who’s been cast in their roles was perfectly cast so far.”
Documentary and Travel Programming
Martin Clunes’ “Islands of America” and Billy Connolly’s American travel show demonstrate British perspectives on American culture. Jackie appreciates this cultural exchange: “When you have a somebody british that comes and tours america they tend to point out the lovely or the absurd here and it’s kind of great to kind of see our culture mirrored back to us.”
The ongoing “Doc Martin” series provides familiar comfort viewing despite narrative limitations. While Jackie notes the show’s increasing absurdity—”There must be something in the water of this… made up town where everybody is so incredibly accident prone”—Jonathan values its relaxing qualities and Cornish setting.
Commercial Partnerships and Authenticity
The Royal Oak Foundation sponsorship demonstrates how content creators can align with organizations sharing their interests. The partnership provides genuine value to audiences while supporting heritage preservation efforts. “The funds go directly towards or to the National Trust to keep great British properties open to tourists,” Jackie explains.
Their membership experience validates the organization’s benefits. “We’ve saved a ton of money just by joining,” Jackie confirms, while Jonathan adds practical details: “You just show them the card” for National Trust property access.
The 10% discount offer for Anglotopia followers represents standard influencer marketing practice, though the hosts frame it in terms of mutual benefit rather than pure promotion.
Future Planning and Uncertainty
The Ireland business trip opens possibilities for future British travel. “Ireland is a 30 to 40 minute flight from Great Britain so if i go back there again to the head office then we’ll have more opportunities to visit to visit Britain,” Jonathan explains.
However, financial constraints continue limiting travel plans. “We’re not traveling at all this year,” Jonathan states directly. “Angletopia needs to support us as a family more than us gallivanting around the British Isles.”
Jackie’s correction of the term “gallivanting” reveals sensitivity about their travel’s professional nature: “There has never been a time where we have went to England and we’ve not either been taking pictures, doing interviews, taking meetings… we never go over and just relax.”
This tension between personal desire and business necessity reflects the challenges faced by many content creators whose personal interests have become professional obligations.
Industry Context and Adaptation
The podcast’s extended hiatus and gradual return reflect broader challenges in content creation industries. The need to balance family responsibilities, health issues, and multiple income streams while maintaining audience engagement represents common struggles for independent creators.
Their cost-cutting measures—from email service changes to inventory management—demonstrate practical business adaptation during challenging periods. The Ireland opportunity illustrates how diversification can create unexpected benefits, potentially opening new travel and content possibilities.
The extensive television consumption during their break reveals how digital platforms have transformed British content accessibility for American audiences. Their ability to discover and discuss multiple shows across various streaming services demonstrates the current golden age of British television availability in international markets.
Conclusion: Persistence and Adaptation
The return podcast demonstrates how content creators navigate changing circumstances while maintaining core missions. Despite health challenges, business pressures, and operational difficulties, the hosts maintain their fundamental commitment to exploring and sharing British culture.
Their honest discussion of challenges—from inventory mistakes to health issues—provides authentic insights into small business realities often hidden behind polished content presentations. The balance between commercial necessities and cultural enthusiasm continues driving their work, even as circumstances force adaptations in approach and frequency.
The upcoming Ireland trip represents both personal fulfillment and potential professional expansion, illustrating how opportunities can emerge from unexpected directions when creators remain open to new possibilities while maintaining their core expertise and audience relationships.
