How Downton Abbey Saved Our Family (Our Hardest Location Podcast Yet)

How Downton Abbey Saved Our Family (Our Hardest Location Podcast Yet)

Author: Liz Deacle and Brian Deacle September 24, 2025 Duration: 1:04:59

We recorded this week's marriage diary podcast on location under the famous Sycamore Tree in Bampton, the real village of Downton Abbey. But it was harder than we thought.

Downton Abbey has become our family's anchor, so when we found ourselves in the UK close to the location where many of the show's outdoor scenes were filmed, we packed our microphones and set off to record a podcast.

While we were talking about why this show has become a lifeline for both our marriage and our family, a coachload of tourists turned up. I've never felt so awkward and self-conscious in my life. But Brian refused to stop filming.

So you will hear my awkwardness in all its glory...

After a year of loss and leaving our home in New Zealand, Liz and Brian, husband and wife, have been living out of suitcases, feeling nomadic and uncertain.

In this very raw episode, we talk about how binge-watching Downton Abbey has given our family a surprising sense of routine, safety, and connection as we travel the world and heal after loss.

We also open up about the expat's identity crisis, what it's like to not know where "home" is, and pushing through the fear of being seen when you're grieving.

This is one of our most authentic and vulnerable conversations yet, and we hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for joining us, you are what make this happen.

Our hearts

Liz and Brian xx

Kia Kaha.

Liz and Brian xx

PS: If you haven't yet joined my inner circle of friends, my life-letter readers, please do. You will be the first person I share everything with. I'd love to have you. Go here to join us.  

❤️Join my inner circle. Liz's free newsletter is here: https://itsadrama.com/frontrow/

❤️ Like what you heard? Please rate and review the It's a Drama Podcast here, or if you are on Spotify, please review us over there. Your short review helps us massively and encourages us to continue!

🏡 We are staying in an Airbnb in Greece, but nine times out of ten, Brian and I house-sit.

It has saved us approximately $30k in accommodation around Europe.

If you want to join us in using TrustedHousesitters to travel the world, use our exclusive discount code to get a WHOPPING 25% off HOUSESITTING yearly membership. It's cheaper than one night's stay in an Airbnb.

⛑️Safety wing Nomad Travel insurance. If, like us, you are travelling for more than a couple of weeks, then we recommend getting a "rolling pay-as-you-go insurance". We use Safety Wing. They have been brilliant and offer us everything we need at a great price.

💰 ✈️ Travelling overseas and don't want to pay hefty credit card charges? We love the brilliant all-in-one Wise Card. The one card allows you to spend and receive money worldwide. No more annoying charges and the need to face credit cards when you return home. Check out WISE here for ease, availability and the best rates!

❤️ Like what you heard? Please rate and review the It's a Drama Podcast here, or if you are on Spotify, please review us over there. Your short review helps us massively and encourages us to continue!
 

You might think from the title It's a Drama Podcast that you're in for some heavy theatrics, but it's actually the opposite. Hosted by world traveller and best-selling comedy author Liz Deacle alongside her husband Brian, this is a space for the gloriously unfiltered and often hilarious conversations that happen between two people sharing a life and a suitcase. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair at their kitchen table, where the topics roam freely from travel mishaps and cultural observations to the everyday dramas of family, food, and navigating the second half of life with a sense of humor. Liz and Brian’s candid dynamic is the heart of the podcast, offering a blend of laughter and genuine honesty that makes the personal feel universal. You’ll find yourself in the middle of stories that are both frank and funny, often accompanied by the clink of a wine glass and the admission that adulthood isn't always a dignified affair. It’s less about destination and more about the messy, joyful, and relatable journey, making this a uniquely comforting listen for anyone who appreciates real conversation served with a generous side of comedy.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

It's a Drama Podcast
Podcast Episodes
We came to Canada to feel happy (did it work?) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:14
Want behind-the-scenes BONUS content? Become part of our fabulous Patreon Community to receive MEMBER ONLY SECRET podcasts, stories, photos and more! Click HERE to find out more! This week, we are in Nelson, BC. And if t…
Farewell. We're leaving New Zealand (and going to...?) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:00
You can now JOIN our SECRET Patreon Community! ➡️ ⁠https://patreon.com/itsadrama⁠ There's a 25% EARLYBIRD discount for the month of December!! It's been quite a year for us. If you have followed the podcast for a while,…
People who make you feel better [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:42
You can now JOIN our SECRET Patreon Community! ➡️ https://patreon.com/itsadrama There's a 25% EARLYBIRD discount for the month of December!! It's good to be back in New Zealand. Three things happened to us last week that…
(more) Unwanted news [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:41
We thought the sad news was over. Had floated away like water under a bridge. Babble, babble, babble. Brook, brook, brook. No more crying into a microphone. No more looking worried. No more sorrowful recalls. But no. I'm…
Life in NZ | Too good to be true? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:52
MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND and want to know more about the country? SIGN UP below for our FREE 5-DAY VIDEO GUIDE! It's all happening in New Plymouth's Pac'n'Save. Mostly around the frozen chicken aisle. Join Liz and Brian thi…
We're in Fiji (and it's NOT what we thought) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:09
So this is the BEST Island in Fiji? Today's episode is brought to you ON LOCATION. We are IN Fijji. Actually there. With the plan trees and everything. I've always wanted to say that. "On location". It reminds me of Judi…
Fiji Wedding Party, here we come... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:39
Liz and Brian and getting ready to go to a wedding in Fiji. Of course, there are concerns. Just a few. What with those dancing men and crab-racing women? It's all too much to think about...So Liz, thinks about her old pa…
Liz Meets Her Hero Author. Here's What Happened [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:59
I am a huge fan of this week's guest. Rachael Herron is a best-selling author who not only moved from the United States to New Zealand with her wife, but she then went on to write a book about it! I have followed Rachael…
The Book I'm Scared to Write [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:07
Feeling is healing. I've read those words a lot while grieving my mum. And it's true; to a certain extent, it's true. But what people fail to mention is that feeling also hurts like hell. And no one likes to feel pain. N…
Having a Public Panic Attack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
What's happening? Why, when I was feeling fine, 'doing ok,' and 'coping', do I suddenly feel like I've been hit by a sledgehammer and fallen down a well of darkness? It's been almost five months since my mum passed. This…