#10: The English Eccentric w/ Sebastian Lloyd

I’m joined by Sebastian Lloyd, a writer from South London, to ask the question: is Englishness inherently weird?We discuss how Britain’s colonial hangover has shaped the ‘plucky’ national character, whether Dunkirk is the Roman Empire for blokes, and how TikTok is complicating neurodiversity discourse. Along the way, we stop to take shots at Seb’s old workplace, Noel Fielding, the entirety of Soho, Francis Bourgeois, and Brexit. We also dig into real-life London eccentrics, such as Hackney’s mole man and a Nunhead Elvis impersonator, characters who appear to answer a generational yearning for Authentic Community™ in a city at the mercy of American sweet shops, noise complaints, and slop bowl salad bars.Show Notes:Pinterest BoardThe English Eccentrics by Edith SitwellSeb’s Substack post on Steve BennettHenry Paget / Madfabulous (2026)The Mole Man of Hackney / Karen Russo Paddy Power World Cup advertAdjacent characters: The Free Spirit, The Branded CoupleRethinking Eccentricity by Miranda GillSoho eccentrics: Philip Sallon & Thierry AlexandreJonathan Nunn on ‘Sohoification’Eccentric Soho spots: All Is Joy, Bradley’s Spanish Bar & Bar ItaliaThe Mighty Boosh (2003–2007)Withnail & I (1987)Wallace & Gromit (1989–Present)Gromit’s upcoming autobiographyRichard E. Grant’s InstagramSaltburn (2023)SpaceX goes publicScrapheap Challenge (1998–2010)Poetry and the Turning World: Work by the LRB Francis BourgeoisMission to Space with Francis Bourgeois (2026)Noel Fielding on Talk ArtBritish eccentricity is dying out by the TelegraphThe King of SE15 (2021)New York NicoThere Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack by Paul Gilroy (1991)Year of the Rat by Harry Shukman (2025)VittlesCaffs not Cafes and Wooden City by Isaac Rangaswami