Best of the Spectator

On this week's episode, Lisa Bjurwald reports on the Swedish monarchy going woke (01:20); Douglas Murray argues that the culture wars fit the UK even less well than the US (07:00); and Stuart Jeffries interviews the world's first AI artist. Also on the podcast: a complaints letter to the Times after their March 2020 story that Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson were considering giving their dog up f...

The past year has served as a reminder how quickly one's personal circumstances can change. In uncertain times such as these, financial resilience is more important than ever. But whilst savings for some Brits have surged in the pandemic, it's not been the case for everyone. 41pc of UK households could not last more than three months without their main source of income. If you are in a bad place,...

We’re still none the wiser about the origins of coronavirus, but has the lab leak theory just got more credible (00:55) Also on the podcast: are English tourists welcome in Scotland (15:25)? And is being rude the secret to success? With author Matt Ridley, virologist Dr Dennis Carroll, deputy political editor Katy Balls, hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray, journalists Harry Mount and Rebecca Reid. Pres...

Sam Leith's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Julian Sancton, whose new book Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night, documents the crew of men who were the first to experience an Antarctic winter trapped in the ice, in an attempt to reach the South Pole. Sancton speaks about the background of some of the eccentric characters that made up the B...

Patrick Jephson is a consultant, journalist, broadcaster and New York Times best selling author. From 1988 to 1996, Patrick worked first as Princess Diana's equerry and then as her private secretary. He is also currently a historical consultant on Netfilx's The Crown. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about bonding over mealtimes with his fellow seamen when in the Navy, having ambassador...

As the UK’s vaccine rollout provides a way out of the Covid pandemic, we are set to discover a host of new crises created from over a year spent in and out of lockdown.  The cancer crisis is just starting to unfold, as it’s estimated around 3 million people missed cancer screenings between last April and August alone. How do we begin to catch-up, as NHS waiting lists grow? What could have been don...

In this episode, Richard Dobbs reads his piece on why he's considering giving up his second vaccine for people more in need (00:55); Tanya Gold reports from her Kent road trip in a Ferrari (07:50); and Rory Sutherland on the unexpected joys of lockdown and why we may miss it when it's gone. (12:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the future of transport look like? From electric vehicles to driverless cars, a smarter way to get around the city may be just around the corner. The future of transport will be more efficient, more digital and greener - but what are the challenges that still stand in the way? Kate Andrews talks to Rachel Maclean, the Minister for Transport, Roger Hunter, VP for Electric Mobility at Shel...

In this week’s podcast, we talk to James Ball, author of this week’s cover story on the ‘TikTok Intifada’ about the themes he uncovers in his analysis of the impact of social media on the conflict in the Middle East. The conversation with James continues with our next guest, Professor Gabriel Weinmann of Haifa University in Israel, the author of an in-depth report on the rise of incendiary, unregu...

Sam Leith's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Frances Wilson, whose new book Burning Man: The Ascent of D H Lawrence sets out to take a fresh look at a now unfashionable figure. Frances tells him why we’re looking in the wrong places for Lawrence’s greatness, explains why the supposed prophet of sexual liberation wasn’t really interested in sex at all - and reveals that after his death Law...

In this week’s episode of The Green Room, Deputy Editor of The Spectator's world edition Dominic Green meets the author Sohrab Ahmari for a chat about his new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering The Wisdom Of Tradition In An Age Of Chaos . In it, Ahmari, a writer and New York Post op-ed editor, makes a compelling case for seeking the inherited traditions and ideals that give our lives meaning,...

China has run wild with facial recognition. From using it to ration tissues in public toilets, to identifying highest paying customers in stores and criminals from a crowd, what is a budding technology in the West has furthered state surveillance and corporate snooping in China. But there is a civil fightback happening in the courts, on social media and in public opinion at large. On this episode,...

On this week's episode, Leo McKinstry starts by arguing that having to sell the family home to pay for social care is not an injustice. (00:50) Then, Emily Hill reads her piece. She's not looking forward to the return of hugging. (08:00) Daisy Dunn finishes the podcast by examining the underappreciated art of asparagus. (12:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katy Searle is the Executive Editor of Politics at BBC News. She is known for overseeing numerous blockbuster political moments, including the infamous kitchen interviews with Ed Miliband and David Cameron, where the Labour leader showed off his two kitchens. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about leaving school at 16, working with Rod Liddle on the Today programme and what it's like to pro...

In this week’s podcast, we talk to The Spectator 's editor Fraser Nelson and associate editor Douglas Murray about the challenges facing a freshly re-elected SNP. What next for Nicola Sturgeon - full steam ahead for IndyRef2? Or have neither Scotland or Number 10 the bottle for an all-out battle for independence? [01:02] ‘When you look at the practicalities, the case for independence really does f...

In this week's Book Club podcast, we're celebrating the 80th birthday of Bob Dylan. Sam Leith's guests are the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, and Clinton Heylin, the Dylanologist's Dylanologist and author most recently of The Double Life of Bob Dylan: A Restless Hungry Feeling 1941-66. Sam asks what makes Dylan special, whether what he does - even if we admire it - can be called literature, h...

Jonathan Drori CBE is a Trustee of the Eden Project and Cambridge Science Centre, an ambassador for WWF, and was for nine years a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In a previous life at the BBC, he was executive producer of more than 50 prime-time science documentaries and popular series, and he is now the author of Around the World in 80 Plants . On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Oliv...

On this week's episode, Cindy Yu is joined by the journalist Isabel Oakeshott, Spectator contributor Stephen Daisley, historian Niall Ferguson, and Professor Jay Bhattacharya. We discuss why Boris can't afford childcare, why India is reluctant to lock down again, and if a second cold war is on the horizon. To watch the show, go to www.spectator.co.uk/tv . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

On this week's episode, Fraser Nelson starts by reading our leading article: the Prime Minister promised 'data, not dates', so should we reopen before 21 June? (01:15) Fiona Mountford is on next, saying she's had enough of corporate faux-friendliness. (07:20) Laurie Graham reads her piece afterwards, wondering what to put in her Covid time capsule. (13:00) Isabel Hardman finishes the podcast by re...

If it hadn't been for the pandemic, the past year would have likely been dominated by a familiar topic - Brexit. The decision to leave, we're told, presents the UK with endless opportunity in a variety of sectors, including healthcare and life sciences. But it hasn't been the easiest year, with supply chains and the Northern Ireland Protocol already under strain. So what are the opportunities to b...

In this week’s podcast, we talk to the author of our cover story, eminent author, historian and broadcaster Niall Ferguson, who says that the West and China are in the throes of a new cold war. Joining the debate is Chatham House's Dr Leslie Vinjamuri. (01:05)   Next up, Laura Freeman writes in the magazine this week about the fake facades she has been increasingly noticing whilst out and about in...

Sam's guest in this week's Book Club podcast is the writer and critic Ruth Scurr, whose new book marks today's 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death to cast a fresh light on this most written-about of characters. In Napoleon: A Life in Gardens and Shadows , she finds an unexpected thread running through the life of this man of war - his relationship with nature and with gardens, from the plot he t...

Covid has put a spotlight on housing in Britain - the inequalities, the challenges, but also the opportunities. As what we want out of our homes, offices, and even the high street, changes, public policy will have to follow suit. So how do we create sustainable towns and cities that ensure quality and access for all? Kate Andrews is joined by Christopher Pincher, Minister for Housing, Iqbal Hamidu...

The archaic-sounding notion of 'filial piety' has little direct translation into English, but is a deep-rooted part of Chinese culture and ethics. On this episode, I find out about what motivates the subscription to such an unequal view of family life; how modernity changes expectations (and in particular, the impact of the one child policy); and what happens to those deemed by society to be disre...

On this week's episode, Fraser Nelson is joined by Douglas Murray, The Spectator 's associate editor; Professor Tim Spector, principal investigator at ZOE; Professor Simon Wood, from the University of Edinburgh; Adam Ritchie, a vaccine development specialist from the University of Oxford; Professor Noel Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield and formerly of Robot Wars; and Sir Richard Dearlove,...