BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Famous People' English mega-class! 30 minutes of new vocabulary!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from 

BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

People in the UK are enjoying a four-day holiday as part of the celebrations

for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

A jubilee celebrates the anniversary of a special event, and the word is mostly

associated with the Royal Family. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her

Platinum Jubilee, commemorating 70 years since she became Queen in 1952.

People are doing all kinds of things to celebrate, from large events at

Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, to smaller street parties in towns

and cities up and down the country, and abroad. In this programme, we look at

the Platinum Jubilee in an unusual way, by hearing about a cake competition

to make the official jubilee cake - the Platinum Pudding. And, as usual,

we’ll be learning some related vocabulary as well.

This isn’t the first celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s reign

– the period of time when a monarch rules a country. In 1977, the Queen

celebrated her Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years as queen, followed by her Golden

Jubilee in 2002, and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

But what’s so special about this year’s Platinum Jubilee is that Queen Elizabeth II

is the first British monarch ever to spend 70 years on the throne.

And I have a question about it, Sam.

Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-ever reigning monarch,

but who was the previous longest-reigning before her?

Was it: a) Henry VIII?

b) Elizabeth I?

or c) Queen Victoria?

I know it’s c) Queen Victoria.

OK. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. As the first monarch  

ever to have a platinum jubilee, many celebrations are being planned for the Queen. 

These include an official birthday parade, Trooping 

the Colour, which ends with jet planes flying over Buckingham Palace,  

and the Platinum Pageant - a live concert in front of the palace,  

featuring music and dancing, puppets of the Queen’s  

favourite pets - her corgi dogs - and a performance by Ed Sheeran. 

And that’s just in London. All across the UK street parties 

are being held for people to eat and drink with friends 

and neighbours. There’s a tradition of inventing a new 

food dish to commemorate jubilees, going all the way 

back to the Victoria sponge, a cake named after Queen 

Victoria. This year a competition was held to find a new 

dish to become the official pudding of the jubilee. Here’s 

BBC reporter, Daniella Relph, to explain more.

First, there was a Victoria sponge, then coronation chicken, now we have a

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Pudding. The winning lemon Swiss roll

and amaretti trifle is a twist on a traditional trifle, with layers of Swiss roll, 

jelly, custard, mandarins, amaretti biscuits and cream. 

In 1953, a mix of chicken and curry cream sauce called, 

coronation chicken, was invented to celebrate Queen 

Elizabeth’s coronation – the ceremony at which she was made queen. 

This year, competition winner, Jemma Melvin, has invented a lemon and Swiss roll  

amaretti trifle as the official jubilee cake. Trifle is  

a sweet, cold pudding made of three layers – a  

layer of fruit and cake, a layer of custard, and a top layer of cream. 

Jemma’s jubilee trifle is a twist on a traditional trifle. 

When talking about food, people use the phrase a twist 

on something to describe a new variation of a traditional 

recipe, using different, exciting ingredients.

Jemma learned her winning recipe from her grandmothers. She wants her trifle to  

be “the people’s pudding”, something to be enjoyed by everyone. Here is  

Jemma Melvin describing how she felt to discover  

her trifle had been chosen as the official Platinum Pudding: 

I cannot believe it! Everything that I was up against 

was just the most beautiful desserts and pudding with beautiful stories.... this  

quite humble trifle has won is a bit surreal. 

Jemma describes her trifle as humble – modest, and not proud.  

Although the pudding contains ingredients like amaretti biscuits and cream,

which are good enough for a queen, she wanted to base it on a humble 

trifle, something everyone around the country can make. 

Enjoying a bowl of Jemma’s Platinum Pudding sounds like a great way for

some to celebrate the Queen’s seventy-year reign.

Which reminds me of your question, Neil. We know Elizabeth II has reigned for

70 years, but who was the second longest-serving monarch?

I said it was c) Queen Victoria.

I’m glad you were so sure, because you were correct.

Victoria was queen for almost 64 years which is a long time, but not as long

as Elizabeth.

OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme about the Queen’s jubilee

– a celebration of the anniversary of a special event, usually involving

the Royal Family.

A king or queen’s reign means the period of time they rule a country.

A coronation is the ceremony at which someone is made monarch

– the king or queen.

Trifle is a popular pudding made of a layer of fruit and cake, a layer of

custard, and a top layer of cream.

If you say a food dish is a twist on something, you mean it’s a variation of

a traditional recipe, using new and exciting ingredients.

And finally, someone who is humble is modest, and not proud.

If you were inspired by this recipe, why not try making it.

But that’s all from us. Goodbye for now.

Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam. 

And I’m Neil.

Have you ever played the game, Cluedo, Neil? The idea is that the person

playing detective discovers who the murderer is, where the crime took place,

and which weapon was used.

The last time I played Cluedo it was Professor Plum, in the library, with the dagger!

Cluedo is based on a very popular type of book– the murder mystery,

sometimes called a whodunnit – a story about a murder which doesn't reveal 

who the murderer is until the end.

The queen of murder mysteries is a British writer who was born in 1890.

Her books are read all over the world and have been translated  into

a 103 different languages. Her name is Agatha Christie.

To date over 2 billion copies of her crime novels have been sold worldwide,

making her the best-selling novelist of all time… and the subject of this programme. 

Perhaps her best-known story is ‘Murder on the Orient 

Express’, a whodunnit featuring her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot,

who starred in 33 of Agatha Christie’s books. 

More about that later but as usual I have a quiz question 

for you, Neil.

Poirot may be Agatha Christie’s most famous detective, but he isn’t her only one

– so who is Agatha Christie’s other fictional detective?

Is it:

a) Hetty Wainthropp?

b) Jessica Fletcher? or,

c) Miss Marple?

I’ll guess it’s a) Hetty Wainthropp.

OK, Neil. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

As mentioned, one of Agatha Christie’s most famous books is

‘Murder on the Orient Express’. The story takes place

on a train travelling from Istanbul in Turkey to Calais in northern France.

Listen as writer and Agatha Christie superfan, Harriet Gilbert,

summarises the story for BBC World Service programme, World Book Club.

Poirot is on the train, heading back home to England from 

Syria, when two unconnected events take place. In a 

snowstorm in Croatia, the train comes grinding to a halt  

and in one of the sleeping berths, a passenger is murdered. 

Since it’s impossible for anyone to have reached the isolated 

snow-trapped train or to have escaped from it without 

leaving telltale footsteps in the snow,  

the killer can only be one of the dozen people sharing  

Poirot’s coach. Yet as he starts to investigate it  

seems that each of them has an alibi for the time of the murder.  

Impossible? Well, Poirot’s certainly perplexed… 

During a snowstorm, the express train comes to a grinding halt

– it slows down until it stops altogether. Then, someone is murdered! 

The murderer can’t have escaped without leaving telltale footprints in the snow.

When something is described as telltale, it reveals information which allows 

a secret to be uncovered. For example, lipstick on your 

husband’s shirt could be a telltale sign he’s having an affair. 

The murder victim is found in bed stabbed with a knife. 

Poirot begins to investigate, but as he questions the 

train passengers one by one, it seems that everyone 

has an alibi - proof that they were somewhere else when a crime was committed. 

Naturally, this leaves the Belgian detective perplexed,  

or confused because something is difficult to understand 

or solve.

I won’t spoil the story by telling you what happens next, Neil.  

But let’s just say that, as usual, Poirot uncovers the murderer using his

incredible powers of observation.

In her stories, Agatha Christie describes Hercule Poirot as a very strange

or eccentric man.

The author, Sophie Hannah, has written several new Poirot stories based on the

characters invented by Agatha Christie before her death in 1976.

Here she is describing more of Hercule Poirot’s  

strange characteristics to BBC World Service Programme,

World Book Club

There’s the sort of the outward things,  

his appearance which is very striking and very unusual,  

and his sort of, I suppose foibles is the best thing to call them,  

he likes neatness, he likes order,  

he approaches thing very methodically, he’s very proud of his

luxuriant moustaches, you know, all of that.

Sophie calls Poirot’s unusual behaviour his foibles - 

habits or characteristics which are considered strange 

or foolish but which harm no-one. 

Yes, unlike the fictional murderers he uncovers, Poirot’s  

foibles do no harm, but it makes me wonder if Agatha 

Christie’s other famous detective also had unusual habits. 

Well, first you’ll have to reveal the answer to your quiz question, 

Sam. You asked me for the name of Agatha Christie’s other 

famous detective, and I guessed

it was a) Hetty Wainthropp.

Well, I’m afraid that was the wrong answer!

In fact, Miss Marple was the name of Agatha Christie’s second most famous

character - although Hetty Wainthropp is a fictional detective on TV.

Well. now that we’ve solved the murder and revealed the correct answer,

let’s recap the vocabulary starting with whodunnit -  

a murder story which does not tell you who the murderer is until the end.

In the whodunnit, Murder on the Orient Express, the train 

comes to a grinding halt – it slows down until it stops altogether.

A telltale sign reveals hidden information so that a secret can be revealed.

An alibi is proof that you were somewhere else when 

a crime was committed.

To be perplexed means to be confused because something 

is difficult to understand.

And finally,  

someone’s foibles are their strange but harmless habits or behaviour.

That’s all for our six-minute investigation into the 

mysterious world of Agatha Christie. Goodbye for now.

Goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.

And I’m Neil.

In this 6 Minute English we’re celebrating the life of 

one of modern South Africa’s founding fathers

– the icon and Nobel laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Tutu was one the leaders of the non-violent movement to end the system

of racial segregation known as apartheid. Apartheid was enforced against the

black population of South Africa by the white minority government from 1948

until 1991.

It’s impossible to imagine South Africa's difficult journey to freedom without

Archbishop Desmond Tutu. While other anti-apartheid leaders, like his close friend

Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned or even killed, Archbishop Tutu was there

at every step of the struggle - the rebellious priest speaking out against

the injustices of apartheid. Archbishop Tutu was a hero of the 20th century. 

He died in December 2021 and was laid to rest in Cape Town in

a state funeral on New Year’s Day. In this programme, we’ll hear about some

important moments from his life and, as usual, learn some related vocabulary

as well. But first I have a question for you, Neil.

Nelson Mandela was sometimes affectionately called by his clan’s name, Madiba,  

but do you know what nickname Archbishop Desmond Tutu was given? 

Was it:

a) The Des?

b) The Bish?

or c) The Arch?

I don’t know, but I’ll guess his nickname was c) the Arch.

OK, Neil. We’ll find out if that’s the correct answer at the end of the programme.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born in 1931 in the town of Klerksdorp in northern

South Africa.

In this 2014 interview with BBC World Service programme, Outlook, he looks back on  

some of his earliest childhood memories:  

I had a very happy childhood. I am a boy child between two girls.

My sisters sometimes thought that our mother  

rather spoiled me, pampered me. My mother was not educated much but she had an 

incredible loving for people and was very generous.

Part of my own unhappiness was precisely that anyone could want to

take advantage of such a gracious, gentle, generous person.

As a child, Desmond Tutu’s mother would pamper him – give him special treatment

and make him feel special by doing nice things for him 

He also says his mother spoiled him – let him do or 

have whatever he wanted. Spoiling a child usually has a bad effect on their  

character as they grow up, but this doesn’t seem to be true for Desmond Tutu.

What upset the young Desmond was how his mother 

was treated by some white South Africans who would  

take advantage of her - treat her unfairly for their own benefit.

In 1955 Desmond Tutu married his wife, Leah. They had children and the family

moved to London for a time, before returning to South Africa when Desmond 

was made Dean of Johannesburg.

He knew that returning to a racially segregated South Africa would be

difficult for his family.

In this interview with BBC World  

Service programme, Outlook,

Archbishop Tutu remembers one terrifying incident involving his wife, Leah,  

who had gone to the Johannesburg traffic department to renew a car licence: 

…they handcuffed her, and they walked with her in the 

streets, she was paraded, and then when the court case was heard my wife  

was acquitted - but they had done what they wanted to do  

which was humiliate her, and in the process  

hit at me. I have to say that I found those actions near unforgivable, because I was 

the one who was out in the forefront...

although Leah… she’s a toughie! (laughs).

Police officers arrested and handcuffed Leah 

to humiliate her – make her feel ashamed and stupid.

When she went to court, Leah was acquitted – declared not guilty of

committing a crime. But the police continued to harass her, even though his wife was,

in his own words, a toughie – someone who is tough and determined.

Archbishop Tutu describes the event as “near unforgivable” 

but, in fact, he did forgive the white police officers, and 

in 1991, at the end of apartheid, he started the Truth 

and Reconciliation Commission as a way of healing divisions between

black and white communities.

What an inspirational life! But we still don’t know what his nickname was, Sam!

Right, in my question I asked Neil what Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s nickname was.

I guessed it was, The Arch.

Which was the correct answer! Affectionately known as The Arch, Desmond Tutu

will be remembered as a man of peace and forgiveness.

Right, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned in this programme,

starting with pamper – to give someone special treatment.

If you spoil a child, you let them do whatever they want, but be careful  

because they might take advantage of you – treat you badly for their own benefit.

To humiliate someone means to make them feel ashamed or stupid.

If you are acquitted of a crime, it is judged that you are not guilty.

And finally, a toughie is a slang word to describe someone,

like Archbishop Desmond Tutu or his wife, Leah, who is tough and determined.

Once again, our six minutes are up. Goodbye for now!

Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.

And I’m Neil.

In this programme, we’re talking about a famous leader and teaching

you some useful vocabulary… ..like ‘chancellor’ – the person in the highest position 

in a government or a university – and especially the 

title for the head of the government in some  

European countries.

A country such as Germany,

It’s a position like the prime minister in the UK.

And one of Germany’s longest serving chancellors was 

Angela Merkel, who led the country from 2005 until the 

recent elections in September 2021.

Well, we’re going to find out more about her soon 

but not before I’ve challenged you to answer this question, Neil.

Who was Germany’s first ever chancellor?

Was it: a) Otto von Bismarck,

b) Helmut Schmidt

or c) Franz von Papen?

Well, my knowledge of German history isn’t great but I'll go for

a) Otto von Bismarck, sounds quite likely.

OK, I’ll reveal the answer later on. But let’s talk more 

about Angela Merkel now.  

She was in office for 16 years – ‘in office’ means ‘in power’  

or ‘in charge’, until she stepped down last month.

Yes, that’s a long time – which meant that she had to make lots of decisions,  

popular with some people and not with others.

Over that time, she’s gained a nickname – ‘mutti’ – 

German for ‘mother’. This could be seen as a compliment 

but started life as more of an insult, as BBC correspondent 

Damien McGuinness, explained on the BBC Radio programme, 

From Our Own Correspondent…

The ‘mummy Merkel’ image in fact, started off as an insult

from conservative rivals. It was made up during her first term in office

by hardline conservatives in her predominantly male party.

A patronising put down behind her back.

to put her in her place as a woman, possibly even meant to 

be hurtful, given that in reality she has no children.

Oh dear, so the nickname of ‘mother’ was really used 

as an insult to start with, probably invented by the men 

in her political party – described as the hardline  

conservatives – ones with traditional and strict beliefs 

that can’t be changed.

Yes, the nickname was used as a put down – that’s an 

insult, used to make someone feel stupid or embarrassed. 

And the intention was to  

make her feel less important – or to put her in her place.

Well, politics is full of insults and critics, but it sounds 

rather cruel, and Damien McGuinness does go on to say that this image

is really a ‘media myth’ and not quite accurate.

The media has not always been negative about Angela 

Merkel. She is the longest serving amongst current EU leaders and participated in an  

estimated 100 EU summits. She has often been labelled  

as "the only grown-up in the room". So, the media  

has also labelled her ‘The Queen of Europe’.

What is true is that following the recent elections in Germany, 

her successor – the person who became chancellor - will lack the experience and  

gravitas that Merkel has gained over her 16 years as chancellor.

But Damien McGuinness, in his report for the BBC’s 

From Our Own Correspondent programme, concludes that many people aren’t sure

which of her nicknames is accurate.  

What word does he use to mean ‘phrases or ideas that have become meaningless  

because they’ve been overused’? 

But the confusion around these cliches does point to 

another truth - The Chancellor is discreet, to the point 

of sometimes being invisible. So, there's a fascination 

about what's really going on behind that deadpan exterior. 

Angela Merkel may have been in power for more than a decade and a half,

but people are still not really sure they know who she is.

He used the word cliches to mean ‘phrases or ideas that have become

meaningless because they’ve been overused.’ People are unsure which description

of her is true because she is discreet – she keeps quiet about 

things so as not to attract attention.

Yes, it’s hard to know what she is thinking because 

she looks deadpan – that means she looks serious and doesn’t show

expression or emotion.

Hmmm, I wonder if Germany’s first ever chancellor had a deadpan exterior?

Ah yes, earlier you asked me who that was, and I said it was Otto von Bismarck.

Was I right?

Yes, you were – well done.

Wunderbar! Now it’s time to recap some of the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today,

starting with chancellor - the person in the highest position in a government n some countries.

in some countries.

Hardline describes someone with traditional and strict beliefs

that can’t be easily changed.

A put down is an insult, used to make someone feel stupid or embarrassed.

When someone is put in their place, they are made to feel less important

than they are.

Cliches are phrases or ideas that have become meaningless

because they’ve been overused. And deadpan describes

someone’s serious facial expression that shows no emotion.

Thanks, Neil. That’s all for now but don’t forget there 

are lots more 6 Minute English programmes to enjoy on our website

at bbclearningenglish.com.

You can also find us on social media and on our free app.

And if you enjoy topical discussion, like in 6 Minute English, why not

try one of our other podcasts? In News Review we take a big  

international story, discuss the vocabulary used in the headlines,  

and teach you how to use it in your  

everyday English.

That’s News Review from BBC Learning English. Try it out!

Thank you for listening and goodbye.

Goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I'm Rob.

And I'm Dan.

Now, Dan do you know who Michelle Obama is?

Er, yeah. Maybe the most famous woman in the world? Former First Lady,

which means she was the wife of the President of the United States of America.

That is correct. She's just published her autobiography and has been talking in the UK

about her life. Before we find out more,  

here is this week’s question.

When did the title First Lady first become used for the wife of the US president?

Was it in the:

a) 18th Century

b) 19th Century

or c) 20th Century? Any ideas, Dan?

This could be a trick question. The first US presidents were in the 18th Century,

and they had wives, but I think the actual term may only have been introduced

much later – so I'm going to take a wild guess and say the 20th Century.

OK. Well, I'll have the answer later in the programme. 

Michelle Obama’s visit to the UK was covered on BBC News

According to this report, where did she visit that 

she had visited before?

The former First Lady spoke openly about a number of issues and one of her main 

messages was about empowerment.

Earlier in the day Mrs Obama revisited a school in north London,

a place where she says she was first inspired to focus on education during her time

as the First Lady.

So, where did she revisit on this trip?

She went to a school in north London. She said it was at this school that she was

first inspired to focus on education. If you are inspired to do something, you get a

strong feeling that you want to do something, you feel a strong motivation to

achieve something particular, often because of something someone else

has said or achieved.

The report also mentioned that she spoke openly about a number of issues.

To speak openly about something is when you discuss a subject, often a difficult

subject, without trying to hide the facts or your feelings. It’s a phrase that is used

when people talk about things in their life that they find difficult or embarrassing.

One of the things she spoke openly about was her own feeling that she didn’t

really belong, that she didn’t have the skills or talent to be doing what 

she was doing and that she didn’t deserve her position. 

There is a name for that. It’s called imposter syndrome

– that feeling where you think one day everyone will realise that you're

really not very good at what you do.

I get that feeling all the time!

I wonder why? Because the thing with this imposter syndrome is that it isn’t justified.

It’s more a lack of confidence or a result of the way society labels us.

Well, anyway, back to the report. Michelle Obama was also keen to talk about the topic

of empowerment. That's giving people the strength, confidence and power 

to achieve what they want in life by themselves.

Let’s hear from Michelle Obama herself now talking about how we sometimes

judge people based on their class rather than their individual abilities.

That’s often the mistake that we make, we assume  

that working-class folks are not highly gifted in their 

own right when a lot of times your station in life is 

limited by the circumstances that you find yourself in.

She says here that we assume things about people 

based on their social status or station in life. To assume  

means 'to make a judgement which is not based on the facts

but on what we think is true'.

She uses the phrase in their own right. When you say 

that someone is talented in their own right, it means 

that their talent comes from their own skills and abilities

and not because of any connection with any organisation, individual or class

that they happen to be associated with.

Before we wrap up, time to get the answer to this week’s question.

When did the title First Lady first become used for the wife of the US president?

Was it in the:

a) 18th Century

b) 19th Century

or c) 20th Century

And Dan, you said?

I thought it was the 20th Century.

Well, you were right.

Yay!

But let me finish.

You were right in that it was later than the 18th Century, which was when the first

US presidents held their positions, but it wasn’t as late as the 20th Century.

It was the second half of the 19th Century when the  title First Lady began to be used.

Now let’s review today’s vocabulary.

We started with the phrase to talk openly about something.

This means to discuss something, usually a difficult subject, without

hiding your feelings, emotions or facts about that subject.

Then there was the noun empowerment. This is the process of

giving people the feeling that they are in control of their lives,

making people more confident in their rights and abilities.

The verb inspire was next.

If you inspire people, you give them the feeling that they  

want to and can do something,  

something difficult or creative. If you have that feeling yourself, you are inspired. 

Next there was the verb to assume something.

To assume means 'to make a judgement about someone or something

not based on proof, but on things you think or believe to be true'.

The next phrase was in their own right. If someone 

is successful in their own right, for example, it means 

their success is because of their own skills and abilities, 

and not because of who they work for, or work with or 

which social group they come from.

And finally there was the noun phrase station in life.

Your station in life is your position in society – your social status.

And that brings us to the end of this week’s programme. 

We’ll be back soon and in the meantime you can find 

us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube our app 

and of course the website bbclearningenglish.com.

Bye bye for now.

Bye!