The Critic Podcast

When the first Christians began proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, they landed a missile in the foundations of ancient paganism. Something had occurred which rendered the belief systems of that world utterly obsolete.

A vast global market in stolen and forged art and artefacts has only grown in the context of the pandemic, but technology and international policing may be catching up

Empty shelves need not mean dreary eating

Mary Beard emerges with a portrait of the emperors’ afterlives as vivid as the busts themselves

The joy of letting unexpected, accidental music in

Woefully out of touch and with falling congregations, the Church of England faces a crisis of leadership and theology

Welcome back to The Critic Narrated, where we bring you a selection of articles from our print issues, read aloud by their authors.  In this episode, Sarah Ditum reveals the joy of letting unexpected, accidental music in as she narrates her column from the December/January issue of The Critic: “Strange Brew”, while David Scullion says the Church of England are woefully out of touch and with f...

In this episode of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black talks to The Critic's deputy editor, Graham Stewart, about why Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire found themselves fighting together against Russia in the Crimea. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure you never you never miss an episode. -- Image: Battle of Inkerman, 5 No...

A narration of Boris Starling's column from the November issue of The Critic.

A narration of David Starkey's column, 'Welcome back to reality, feminists', from the November issue of The Critic.

A narration of the Hot House column from the November issue of The Critic.

In this episode, David Starkey says Feminists like Stock have made a belated rediscovery of biological reality in his column ‘Welcome back to reality, feminists’, while Boris Starling outlines the latest rivalry in F1 in ‘Top Guns of the Track’ and Claudia Savage-Gore drags woke Will back to therapy.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure...

In this edition of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black, whose books on the period include Waterloo and the forthcoming The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars - Strategies for a World War, talks to The Critic's deputy editor, Graham Stewart, about why and how Europe was engulfed in wars with France between 1792 and 1815. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on...

Hello and welcome back to The Critic Narrated, where we bring you a selection of articles from our print issues, read aloud by their authors.  In this episode, Lisa Hilton reads her piece ‘How Britiain really eats’, where she relays how she enjoys a Thai feast that shows that fiery and exotic has now become mainstream. Henry Hill says a new breed of “muscular unionists” is seeking to rev...

A narration of the feature, 'Putting Muscle Behind the Union' by Henry Hill from the November issue of The Critic.

A narration of the Eating Out column from the November Issue of The Critic.

A narration of the Secret Author column from the November Issue of The Critic.

As President Macron climbs down on his deadline to punish Britain over fishing licences, David Scullion asks Patrick O'Flynn whether Britain is getting the better of the French, or if the post-Brexit deal has left UK fishermen high and dry.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure you never you never miss an episode. -- Image: The Scot...

Welcome back to The Critic Narrated, where we bring you a selection of articles from our print issues, read aloud by their authors.  In this episode, Robert Hutton reads the secret diary of Boris and Carrie Johnson's dog, Dilyn, as he attends Glasgow COP26, Josephine Bartosch, author and campaigner for women’s rights narrates her feature, 'Turning victims into folk devils' and Robert Thicknes...

Were warfare and the state's role in military affairs transformed between 1500 and 1800? In this edition of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black, author of A Short History of War explores and debunks some generalisations about war in early modern Europe. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure you never you never miss an episod...

In this episode of The Critic Narrated, Revd. Marcus Walker, Rector of Great St Bart’s in the City of London, reads his piece ‘Resurrect Forgiveness’, Hannah Betts narrates her column: ‘Time for Coco’ and Patrick Galbraith reads his piece from Country Notes, this week entitled ‘Do the Right Thing’. These articles are taken from the October issue of The Critic. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podc...

In this edition of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black, whose books include A Short History of War, talks to The Critic's deputy editor, Graham Stewart, about how the feudal system, differing weaponry and firepower and the size of armies shaped medieval warfare. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure you never you n...

In this edition of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black, whose books include A Short History of War, talks to The Critic's deputy editor, Graham Stewart, about how the feudal system, differing weaponry and firepower and the size of armies shaped medieval warfare. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes to ensure you never you n...

Welcome back to The Critic Podcast, and welcome to our new series: The Critic Narrated! Each week, we will be bringing you a selection articles from our print issues, read aloud by their authors for you to listen to on your commute, around the house or alongside reading the written piece. Don’t forget you can visit our website to subscribe to the print issue, and to read a plethora of articles on...

Siege warfare was the most common form of warfare in medieval Europe. In this edition of Black's History Week, Professor Jeremy Black, author of Forts and Fortifications and Siegecraft, talks about defending and capturing walled cities and castles with The Critic's deputy editor, Graham Stewart. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and iTunes ...