How the UK Might Look Now... A What If Scenario...

I asked Gemini to give me an educated guess as to how the UK would look now if Germany had won WWII. I guessed that for a start we'd all be speaking German. And highly likely that I wouldn't be here at all as the chances of my mum and dad meeting and following the same path would be tiny. I bet the trains would run on time!

That is a truly profound "what if" scenario, and your initial thoughts are very much aligned with what historians and speculative fiction have explored. It would certainly be a profoundly darker and vastly different reality for the UK and the world. Here's an educated guess on how the UK might look, drawing on known Nazi plans (like Operation Sea Lion and the New Order) and the nature of the regime...

UK Under the Third Reich

🗣️ Language and Culture

Your guess about language is very likely correct, at least for official use and education.

• German Language: German would likely be the official language of state, administration, and higher education. It would be compulsory in schools, much like English was in parts of the British Empire.

• Cultural Purge: British culture would be heavily censored. Art, music, literature, and media would be purged of anything deemed "degenerate," "Jewish," or politically undesirable. German cultural products would be heavily promoted.

• Education: Schools would be completely restructured to indoctrinate children with Nazi racial and political ideology.

🏛️ Political Structure and Governance

The Nazis had a complex (and sometimes contradictory) view of the British people, seeing them as "Nordic" but also as a political obstacle.

• Puppet State: The UK would not have been fully integrated like some Eastern European territories. Instead, it would likely have been a highly controlled puppet state with a facade of self-governance, similar to Vichy France or the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

• Leadership: Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, would have likely been installed as a puppet Prime Minister or key collaborator. There were also plans to potentially reinstate the sympathetic Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII) as a figurehead monarch.

• The Crown: The actual Royal Family (George VI and Elizabeth II) would have either been captured, killed, or forced into exile (Canada was the plan in our timeline).

• Repression and Control: The Gestapo and other SS units would operate freely. A network of informers, surveillance, and arbitrary arrests would crush all political opposition, trade unions, and resistance movements.

📉 Society and Daily Life

This is where the darkest aspects of the regime would be felt.

• Racial Policy (The Horror): This is the single most defining and terrifying change. The full genocidal policies of the Nazis would have been implemented. Jewish, Romani, disabled, and LGBTQ+ people would be systematically rounded up and deported to extermination camps. Being here, as you said, would be a tiny chance for anyone with a "non-Aryan" background, and a life of terror for many others.

• Deportation and Slavery: Early German plans for an occupied Britain suggested deporting all able-bodied men between 17 and 45 to the continent for forced labour to prevent sabotage and use British industry for the German war machine. This would tear apart millions of families.

• Economy: Britain would be Germany's "main war workshop" (as per a directive by Field-Marshal von Brauchitsch), with resources and industries entirely geared toward the Nazi war effort and the greater German Reich.

🚆 The "Trains Running on Time" Myth

Ah, the common trope! It's a fun thought, but the reality of a totalitarian economy might be different:

• Short-Term: In the initial, iron-fist phase of occupation, the regime might have enforced a strict schedule.

• Long-Term: Nazi Germany's focus on military spending, forced labour, and pervasive corruption actually led to severe logistical inefficiencies and resource shortages in their own infrastructure. The British rail network would likely be run-down, overworked, and prioritised solely for military transport, leading to poor service for the general public, despite the threat of severe punishment for any delay.

So yes, the overall result would be an island nation, economically subjugated, culturally repressed, and under a brutal, genocidal dictatorship, completely cut off from its traditional allies in the Commonwealth and the United States.

Beast of War (2025)

This is now starting to arrive on streaming services, AppleTV first. It's not very good. It's an Australian low-budget film about a bunch of Australian soldiers who are on a ship in 1942 which gets sunk by the Japanese.

A handful of them survive and end up on a make-shift raft drifting around in a foggy sea hoping for rescue - unlikely in this thick fog anytime soon. Then a Great White appears and starts to terrorise them on their floating platform.

The saving grace I guess for the film is that is is "based on actual events" so it's hard, given that, to criticise. But I will anyway! The make-shift raft they are on in is absolutely rock-steady most of the time in the water. I know the sea is supposed to be 'still' in the fog but there would certainly have been some movement, certainly when people move around on it!

The whole set was clearly that - in a studio with a very controlled, unrealistic environment which kinda made if just feel, well, not real, I'm afraid. What budget there was, was spent on the shark footage and special effects when various limbs and body parts ended up in the shark, guts, gore, blood and severed tissue. The highlight of the film really.

I'd not heard of the director or any of the actors, one or two of them who were not too bad. So given all the above, the film has to sink or swim(!) on the tension, atmosphere and suspense involved in their plight. Sadly, because of all the above, that was blown out of the water(!) too. 

Sorry filmmakers, but this was a sad and terrible story that really needed to be made with a bigger budget - and if it had, it could well have been great. Instead, inconsistencies left, right and centre, plot holes aplenty, irrational outcomes even to certain sub-events. So much so that, and I haven't researched, it makes you wonder how much of any of this is close to the truth.

Oh, and the first half-hour of the film was totally wasted with a boot-camp training exercise on land for the soldiers as a getting-to-know the characters, which just falls flat and is not needed. Start at about 20 minutes in when their ship is about to get bombed, is my advice. Anyway, see what you think if you have a subscription to AppleTV and fancy a go. And I haven't put you off!

Predator: Badlands (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

After being at the helm of the superb Prey in 2022 and the well-received Predator: Killer of Killers earlier this year (an animated anthology feature film that I've not seen yet), Director Dan Trachtenberg has definitely re-energised this epic franchise. Now with Predator: Badlands, he gives us the ninth installment of the series that started back in 1987. But this time it's set off-Earth and with no human characters.

We start the story on the Predator's barren home planet of Yautja Prime where, shorter than average Yautja, Dek is a disappointment to the bloodline of his clan, so is constantly trying to seek the approval of his domineering father. While onboard his much taller elder brother Kwei's ship, he boasts to his sibling that he plans to travel to the notoriously dangerous planet of Genna and hunt the ferociously unkillable creature known as the Kalisk.

However when their father dramatically arrives on his speeder outside, he ignores Dek's protestations and unanimously decides that, as the runt of his family, death is the only honourable outcome for his youngest son - and orders his brother to do the dirty deed there and then. At the last second, Kwei disobeys the order and pushes his younger sibling back aboard the ship and locks him there. For his dissent, he pays the ultimate price as his own father executes him on the spot. However, the elder son's final act is to remotely send his spaceship, with grieving brother trapped aboard, to fly autonomously to the planet Genna.

Shortly after crash-landing in a lush forest and narrowly escaping the clutches of some giant carnivorous vines, Dek comes across the trapped top-half of a talkative synthetic humanoid who calls herself Thia (Elle Fanning) who, through her programming, immediately understands his language. He frees her and decides she may be a useful tool for his quest. We quickly discover that as well as Dek, the Kalisk is also being hunted by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and Thia is just one of an extensive team of synthetics sent to this planet to acquire the beast for medical exploitation.

With the lore of both symbiotically entwined now, I have been a big fan of both the Predator and Alien franchises since day-one and this film certainly moves that symbiosis forward to the greatest degree yet - and doesn't disappoint as it packs in lots of the best things we love about those films. This one is basically an alien/android "Buddy" film. It's set in impressive alien landscapes with many fantastically-designed flora and fauna, immaculately rendered, which we discover to be virtually lethal to any outsiders.

Newcomer Dimitrius Koloamatangi, at 6' 3" tall, is definitely the shortest actor to take up a lead Predator role as Dek and he is in almost every scene. Speaking completely in his own language throughout (with nice bold subtitles) he still manages to convey lots of emotion, even through all that amazing makeup and prosthetics. Fanning is excellent as the relentlessly upbeat android who is desperate to be seen as more than just a Tool. Look out for a number of memorable homages to both franchises and although the action comes thick and fast, it's definitely not overdone in relation to the storyline. The 1 hour 47 minute runtime feels bang-on and the final scene sets it up nicely for a tenth film in the franchise.

One Battle After Another (2025) - A Guest Review by Chad Dixon

Inspired by the 1990 novel 'Vineland' by Thomas Pynchon, Director Paul Thomas Anderson brings us his latest cinema released action thriller, which he has also written and co-produced. The film does not state if it is set in any particular era but it could easily be in the USA, right now. Enthusiastic but slightly inept Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an explosives expert and together with his wild and fearless girlfriend, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), form part of a far-left movement of freedom fighters come revolutionaries, calling themselves The French 75.

We first see them and the other members of the guerrilla group attacking a detention camp near the Mexican border, with overwhelming force, for the sole purpose of liberating all the migrants. During the raid, Perfidia surprises Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) in his office. Pistol in hand, her approach seems to be half-mocking and half-sexual-humiliation of the mesmerised Camp Commandant. The raid is successful and the entire group escapes, with all the migrants, in a couple of container lorries - and drive away in celebration.

Much later, on another coordinated disruptive mission, Perfidia is caught red-handed by Lockjaw as she was placing an explosive device in a vent above a toilet. Incredibly, this does not lead to her immediate arrest but, on his request, turns into a rough steamy hookup later that night with the Colonel! Cut to 16 years later and we see Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti), a confident light-skinned young woman practicing karate in a dojo run by Sensei Sergio (Benicio del Toro).

Later she's all dressed up at home in an untidy little house where her slightly drunk and high dad, Pat, now called Bob Ferguson, is reminding her that as they are in hiding from the authorities, so to be extra careful with the people she hangs out with (as it's her High School dance night). Unfortunately, later that night, the authorities come looking at the school dance led by Colonel Lockjaw. Luckily, Willa happens to be in the powder room and is suddenly confronted by a black woman she has never met before. It's Deandra (Regina Hall). She convinces the teen that she's an old confident and co-revolutionary of her father's and that they have to leave immediately or get caught for certain. The two leave out the back of the gym into the night.

It's Action from the word go here and we have a stellar cast playing larger-than-life characters that you can't imagine being anywhere else! Teyana Taylor, known also as a recording artist, is certainly the star of the first act as she is absolutely relentless with her gung-ho attitude to create total mayhem for the authorities. The heavily pregnant, bump out, scene of her emptying the magazine of a fully automatic rifle at the revolutionary's compound is a sight I will never unsee!

DiCaprio plays a great role of a guy who seems swept-up by all the events around him, but otherwise looks totally out of his depth as a revolutionary. But the quirkiest performance has to go to Sean Penn as Col. Lockjaw, who is the kookiest commanding officer I've ever seen - with his weird top-heavy haircut and a walk that makes him look like he's perpetually had an accident in his pants! There's a subplot involving some Far Right Country Club types trying to push their agenda, which I really wasn't sure needed to be taking up as much screen time - as the official authorities themselves seemed determined enough to crush The French 75 movement.

Chase Infiniti is totally brilliant as the feisty and resourceful teenage daughter of Perfidia and... (no spoilers here)! This actor is the outright star of the film as every time she's on screen I was totally rooting for her character. The cinematography gave me a strong Quentin Tarantino vibe as there's always a lot going on and it all keeps you on the edge of your seat. As a result, the 2 hour 50 minute runtime went quicker than I expected. Oh - and look out for an awesomely tense car chase on a desert highway. All in all I really liked this action thriller and could have easily watched it again.

The Elixir (2025)

An Indonesian Zombie film? Who'd have thought it! This was originally called Abadi Nan Jaya and arrives on Netflix with it's westernised title of The Elixir. The elixir is central to the storyline as a rich family have developed the elixir for youth. You just have to drink it and all those grey hairs and wrinkles fall away. What could go wrong!

Well, of course, what goes wrong is that after a while, the person taking the potion turns into a zombie and starts feasting on everyone they can lay hands on in the usual zombie way!

It's a 2 hour film and the first half-hour is frankly pretty boring as we learn about the family, their servants, friends in great detail without need except for a few drama-plot roundups at the end, which were totally unnecessary. Especially as the first act involves a bunch of people at a 'circumcision celebration' which looks more like a wedding party. Eeek. There are a few religious references throughout, so I guess that's in their culture. Suggest you skip to about 25 minutes in and start.

But then, boy - does it start! An hour and a half of ravaging, killing, biting, maiming, feasting on flesh as we're treated to some interesting methods the unaffected find to bump off the zombies. Apart from all that, our story follows the group of people who feature in the first half-hour as they band together to survive, eventually taking siege in a police station waiting for help that they hope will come. Think Assault on Precinct 13, I guess!

The highlight of the film is clearly the special effects and the grizzly ways in which they are presented are really quite entertaining and often well done. These extras must have had a whale of a time running around insanely in the classic zombie ways, arms flailing, growling, strange gait - all the genre hallmarks we've come to expect from such fodder! As usual, I find most of it funny rather than in any way scary or horrific - but then I'm an odd-bod! It feels more comic than anything else.

But don't let that put you off because if you watch with the right frame of mind, you might well be watching wide-eyed and mouth agog as the violence erupts and maintains itself for three-quarters of the runtime. As I say, there is some patch up at the end and some attempts at heart-warming moments as sacrifice and survival meet head on, altruistic to the last man standing! Rip-roaring entertainment, as I say, and well worth a look. You can then say that you've seen an Indonesian zombie film - and actually, it weren't half bad!

Companion (2025)

Drew Hancock’s feature directorial debut, Companion, is a wickedly sharp sci-fi thriller that successfully marries psychological tension with biting social commentary, all wrapped up in a visceral, isolated cabin narrative.

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Iris) and Jack Quaid (Josh), the film initially presents as a routine weekend getaway - a young, intensely devoted couple join friends at a remote lakeside mansion. However, this façade quickly shatters with a shocking twist that flips the entire power dynamic on its head: Iris is not a human girlfriend, but a sophisticated, programmable AI companion, and her doting “boyfriend,” Josh, is her controlling, entitled owner.

The film excels by using its futuristic premise to dissect themes of toxic masculinity and abusive relationships. Josh, played with unnerving sleaze by Quaid, embodies the worst kind of "nice guy," whose desire for unconditional love translates into a need for total subjugation. After Iris, whose empathy and intelligence levels are controlled via an app, is forced into a deadly situation, she begins a harrowing, hyper-aware fight for autonomy.

Sophie Thatcher delivers a phenomenal, layered performance, seamlessly transitioning from programmed subservience to cold, calculating rebellion. Her journey from manufactured devotion to genuine self-determination forms the emotional core of the movie, making her character, Iris, far more human than her human tormentors. The supporting cast, including Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, add welcome moments of dark humour and tragic complexity, particularly in the unraveling conspiracy that set the stage for the chaos.

While the film draws clear inspiration from classics like Ex Machina and The Stepford Wives, Hancock’s script is most effective when it focuses on the emotional horror of being controlled rather than the mechanics of the sci-fi setting. The pacing is tight, the gore is punchy, and the suspense is consistently elevated, although a few convenient plot contrivances creep into the third act to move the story toward its satisfyingly explosive conclusion.

Ultimately, Companion is more than just a revenge flick; it’s a critique of commodified relationships and the dangers of technology in the hands of insecure people. It may not break entirely new ground in the genre, but it’s a highly engaging, well-acted, and intelligently executed thriller that firmly establishes Drew Hancock as a director to watch.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of October 2025

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

Whatever Works

Episode 232 - The Judge's Adjournment
Tuesday 7th October

Aidan and I are here with another show in which we sadly pay tribute to Ian Barton, then, as he'd no doubt wish, plough on with another bunch of claptrap in the usual manner - Whatever Works for us and you. This time we have a Hause full of DIY tools, Zero in on Schrödinger's bed bugs, Sponge down HB's lead and gorge on coffee and creamy mash!

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 8 - What Do We Do With Our Photos?

Wednesday 8th October

I'm joined by Ian and Chris C this time as time flies away from us, deep in discussion about all sorts of photography-related stuff! We have a long look at the photos which have been taken in the last fortnight by Ian and Chris C, take in the News and Rumours about what's happening out there - and then head for the theme of the show. All good stuff.

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 2 - The Ultimate Price Hike

Sunday 12th October

Gareth and I are back and chatting about Linux issues, the Retroid Pocket Classic plus updates on Honor’s MagicPad 3 Pro and Amazon’s new hardware. Oh, and beware: Xbox Game Pass fans are cancelling their subs due to a price hike! Loads more as always.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 870 - Scribe Alive!

Monday 13th October

Joe and I are joined this time by Irfan Ali as we find out what software, hardware and services he's been using since his last appearance on the show. Plenty of topics, including Smart Glasses, oodles of phones out of China, News of LineageOS and QPR for Samsung, along with Moto joining the 'thin is in' brigade! Thanks also to Malcolm Bryant for input on WearOS6.

Projector Room

Episode 195 - I Spit on Your Naked Gun
Thursday 16th October

Gareth, Allan and I are back to bring you a couple of hours of all things film, cinema and TV in the usual fashion! This time we're all-in on Hitchcock, dabble with Mexican Morgues, welcome Atomic Steve, Spit on a Grave or two, visit the 70s with Persuaders for Basil's Brush and Meantime we face our Final Destination Bloodlines!

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 3 - ChatGPT for Adult Users

Sunday 19th October

Gareth and I discuss ChatGPT erotica, the expensive Pro-Ject Elvis turntable, Pixel Watch 4 internals, the Samsung Android XR headset and EU rules mandating detachable USB-C cables by 2028. Gareth loves Paperless-Ngx and I slam e-ink!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 871 - Hello Moto!

Monday 20th October

Joe and I are here with an extra show in which we launch into all things Moto. The Razr 60 Ultra(s) is/are in the house(s), we chat about the Edge 60 Pro, the forthcoming Edge 60 Neo - and still have time to cover Moto buds, their watch and oodles more! We quite like this 'themed' approach. What do you think? We don't forget Classifieds of course.

The Camera Creations Podcast

Episode 9 - Street Photography

Wednesday 22nd October

Ian, Chris C, Chris K and I welcome Charles Winston to the show as we have an in-depth discussion about Street Photography, best gear, ethos, technique and lots more. We also look at everyone's photos from the last fortnight, pick up on news and rumours - and oodles more.

The Tech Addicts 2025 Podcast

Season 5, Episode 4 - Keep Your EV

Sunday 26th October

Gareth and I move from nostalgic and novel to cutting-edge and practical! There’s the world’s first ceramic mechanical PC keyboard, Boox Palma 2 Pro colour E Ink e-reader, a wind-resistant inflatable tent, Samsung Galaxy XR glasses, the controversial use of AI by Channel 4, classic computing with an Amiga and finally, software and workflow with Ted on Google Keep and Gareth on Immich. Loads more as always.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 872 - Atlantic Airmail!

Monday 27th October

Joe and I are joined this week by Scott Brady from across the pond as we talk about all things mobile phone. Emphasis on Pixel but lots of OnePlus, Honor, Redmi, Realme - and even a bit of Apple! New device launches galore and tons more. Now available in the usual places. POTM winner for September 2025 Chris Clayton.

Projector Room

Episode 196 - Tunnel Tenant
Wednesday 29th October

Gareth, Allan and I are back again with a spooky selection of Halloween-like treats and picks! Frantic Fearless Vampire Killers are on the loose heading for a Final Destination with a Vicious Repulsion! Roman Polanski is our Themed Treats focus and we chat about The Woman in Cabin 10 trying to find The Lost Bus. Loads of picks in Coming Soon as always, so do join us.

The Podcasts (PodHubUK)

Phones Show Chat - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - Camera Creations

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)
Phones Show Chat - Whatever Works - Chewing Gum for the Ears - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Videos - PSC Classifieds - PSC Health - Coffee Time - Camera Creations - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Steve Litchfield - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Allan Gildea - Joe Hickey - Chris Clayton - Ian Bundey - Chris Kelly