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.

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❤️ 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
Tears in the Toilet. Returning to New Zealand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
Liz and Brian are back in New Zealand. They flew from Chiang Mai via Bangkok and China and, thirty hours later, were home in Taranaki, New Zealand. Tucked up in bed. But flying home to NZ didn't go smoothly. In fact, it…
Teeth Fixed, Bones Bent. How we Saved $$ in Thailand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:11
Trusting our Teeth to Thailand and paying to be pummelled. After three weeks in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Liz and Brian are smiling from ear to ear. Their bones have been pummeled, their teeth nicely drilled, and they have a…
Losing it (all) in Thailand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:01
Combining much-needed dental work with a holiday, Liz and Brian left New Zealand and are in Thailand for a month. Brought to you from their bedroom in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, they are ready to share the story of h…
Drama in Vegas. (Over) worrying about our 23-yr-old son [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:40
Is it Just Me? Wouldn't every mother be the same? Our son is on holiday in Vegas. And of course, there've been a few dramas. What was interesting, though, was how Liz and Brian reacted differently to some worrying news.…
Hor-Moans. Taking Testosterone & resisting the URGE to edit your life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:43
There's been a bit of a to-do in New Zealand this week. A shortage of HRT. Scary stuff... Talking about taking hormone replacement, Brian shares why he takes Testosterone, and the couple discuss their battle to stay true…
Staying. In New Zealand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:58
Stay. This week we were given a huge reminder. Something that changed the way Liz sees things. The stars aligned. Questions were answered. On one sunny morning in New Zealand, suddenly everything made sense. This podcast…
A Month in Thailand? What's to Dread? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:11
Sign up for Liz's FREE 5-day LETTERS. When we booked our month-long trip to Thailand back in May, it seemed like a grand idea. Get away. Change of scenery. Leave the kids. And now, when it's almost time to leave, we're h…
Is this NORMAL? What I wish I'd known about Grief [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:48
Sign up for Liz's Five Letters here. Be the help you needed. That's always been my motto. My blueprint. My words-in-guiding-armour that help me forward whenever I feel stuck. Especiaslly in these terrifying times of deep…
Can I stay home forever? Braving normal life while GRIEVING [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:37
It's the first time in eight weeks I've left the house. Apart from getting groceries, walking in nature, and spending an hour or two working at our local cafe, my safe place to grieve has been at home. Alone. In this epi…