Americans who moved to Britain. Britons who moved to America. And the small, daily, unglamorous business of living in a country that is almost — but not quite — the one you grew up in.
Eleven episodes on language, schools, Christmas, paperwork, and the friendships that take years longer than you expect.
The hard part of moving between Britain and America is not the big stuff. It is the small stuff, arriving relentlessly, in a language you thought you already spoke.
Toni Hargis, who wrote Rules, Britannia and then moved back, returned to the podcast to revisit her own advice with two decades of hindsight. Lynne Murphy, an American linguist who has spent twenty-five years decoding British English professionally, explained why the differences run far deeper than vocabulary. Naomi Kent described the reality of British boarding schools for an American family, which turns out to be some distance from Hogwarts.
We’ve heard from an American who has spent more than twenty years in Horsham and gone thoroughly native, a British voice actor building a career in South Carolina, and Amanda Graves, whose Spilling the Tea column chronicles forty years of festive culture shock in both directions. Ben Elman told us what transatlantic dating actually involves once the accent stops being a novelty.
Whether you are seriously planning a move, married to someone from the other side, or simply curious about what you’d be in for, this is the honest version.
Two decades in, a returning expat, and a linguist who does this for a living.
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, former Anglotopia Columnist Mike Harling shares his journey as an American expat living in Britain for over 20 years.…
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In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with writer Tony Hargis about her experiences returning to Britain after living in the US…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Lynne Murphy, a linguistics professor and author, about the fascinating differences between British and…
Listen to this episode →Every expat episode in broadcast order.
Jul 19, 2024 • 1:00:35
This week on the Anglotopia podcast, we take a break from the guests and answer listener questions. In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, Jonathan and Jackie answer questions about Britain from their listeners. They discuss topics such as when to...
Aug 2, 2024 • 45:08
What’s life like in a small English town with one of the most famous streets in the world? Shaftesbury, a town in Dorset, England, is famous for its iconic street called Gold Hill, which gained worldwide recognition through a TV commercial filmed...
Oct 11, 2024 • 44:53
In this special sponsored episode of the Anglotopia podcast, we interview Ben Elman, founder of (formerly Date British Guys). We discuss the history and evolution of Ben’s international dating platform, exploring the unique challenges and...
May 23, 2025 • 49:24
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with writer Tony Hargis about her experiences returning to Britain after living in the US for nearly three decades. They discuss her new column ‘Brit Buzz’, the changing climate in Britain, cultural differences between the UK and the US,…
Jun 13, 2025 • 55:18
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Ian Russell, a British voice actor who transitioned from a successful banking career in the UK to voice acting in the United States. Ian shares his journey of adapting to life in South Carolina, the cultural differences he…
Jul 25, 2025 • 49:02
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, former Anglotopia Columnist Mike Harling shares his journey as an American expat living in Britain for over 20 years. He discusses the challenges and joys of adapting to British life, from cultural quirks to the impact of Brexit and COVID. Mike reflects on…
Aug 1, 2025 • 53:38
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas interviews Naomi Kent, a British expat and CEO of the Boardroom Company, about her experiences growing up in British boarding schools. Was it like Hogwarts from Harry Potter? The reality is much more fascinating! Naomi shares her journey from living…
Aug 8, 2025 • 41:43
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Lynne Murphy, a linguistics professor and author, about the fascinating differences between British and American English. Lynne shares her journey from the US to the UK, her experiences documenting language differences, and the cultural implications of these variations.…
Sep 26, 2025 • 45:45
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas welcomes Amanda Graves, a British expat who shares her unique experiences of living in America since 1985. Amanda discusses her family’s distinguished background, her mother’s recent MBE award, and the cultural differences she has navigated as an expat. From the…
Dec 5, 2025 • 59:15
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast sponsored by Jolly Posh Foods, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Lucy Pask, a British expat in Chicago, about the significance of British food during Christmas. They discuss the offerings of Jolly Posh Foods, Lucy’s journey from the UK to the US, and the…
Dec 19, 2025 • 47:08
In this engaging Christmas episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas and guest and Anglotopia columnist Amanda Graves explore the fascinating differences between British and American Christmas traditions. Amanda shares her experiences of celebrating Christmas in both cultures, discussing everything from the timing of decorations and Christmas dinner to…
In the order we recorded them, oldest first.
This week on the Anglotopia podcast, we take a break from the guests and answer listener questions. In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, Jonathan and…
Listen to this episode →
What’s life like in a small English town with one of the most famous streets in the world? Shaftesbury, a town in Dorset, England, is famous…
Listen to this episode →
In this special sponsored episode of the Anglotopia podcast, we interview Ben Elman, founder of (formerly Date British Guys). We discuss the history and evolution of…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with writer Tony Hargis about her experiences returning to Britain after living in the US…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Ian Russell, a British voice actor who transitioned from a successful banking career in…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, former Anglotopia Columnist Mike Harling shares his journey as an American expat living in Britain for over 20 years.…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas interviews Naomi Kent, a British expat and CEO of the Boardroom Company, about her experiences growing…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Lynne Murphy, a linguistics professor and author, about the fascinating differences between British and…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas welcomes Amanda Graves, a British expat who shares her unique experiences of living in America since…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast sponsored by Jolly Posh Foods, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Lucy Pask, a British expat in Chicago, about the…
Listen to this episode →
In this engaging Christmas episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas and guest and Anglotopia columnist Amanda Graves explore the fascinating differences between British and…
Listen to this episode →We turn our favourite conversations into full feature articles — the same material, written up properly, for people who’d sooner read than listen.
Companion articles for this series are being written — check back soon.
Years of columns and guides on moving, settling and adjusting.
It’s been a quiet fortnight in the sleepy market town of Horsham, West Sussex. We have returned from our adventures in Slovenia, so life…
Read on Anglotopia →
If you’re an American tourist or expat living in London, you may be wondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving away from home. The good news…
Read on Londontopia →
It’s been a quiet fortnight in the sleepy market town of Horsham, West Sussex. At least I assume so. I’ve been locked in my…
Read on Anglotopia →
Being stationed in London for the past three months has been the most amazing experience of my life. I’ve gotten to do and be…
Read on Londontopia →
In the autumn of 1985, my first husband and I were newcomers to Massachusetts. We had just bought a condo and knew nobody except…
Read on Anglotopia →
Now that I’ve gotten a chance to settle in and get over jetlag (yes, it took awhile for me), I thought I’d discuss the…
Read on Londontopia →Six recurring themes across these conversations.
Same words, different meanings, and the ones that will quietly embarrass you at work.
How the British system actually works, and what boarding school is really like for an American child.
Crackers, pantomime, the Boxing Day walk, and forty years of festive culture shock in both directions.
What you’ll miss, what you’ll convert to, and where expats on both sides go to get a fix.
Why it takes longer than you expect, and what actually works once you stop being the novelty.
What it feels like to move back — and to discover you no longer quite fit there either.
New episodes every Friday, with an expat conversation most months.
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