Best of the Spectator

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Sir David Spiegelhalter, a leading statistician from the University of Cambridge; Spectator contributor Stephen Daisley; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; and our TV regulars Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Kate Andrews. We discuss whether the government is really following 'data, not dates', if  the UK's economic recovery could lead to an ear...

This week's episode features a reading of The Spectator's leading article, on how devolution has created a democratic deficit in Scotland (00:50); our economics correspondent Kate Andrews on what keeps the Chancellor up at night (7:00); and Rod Liddle on the real cause of food poverty in the UK. (16:35). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Reeves is the Labour MP for Leeds West and the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about being a teen chess champion (pictured playing), going to a school where her mum worked and what Labour needs to do to turn its losing streak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could a blip in inflation ruin the UK's economic recovery? (00:50) Why is support for the IRA becoming normalised? (12:20) What makes a great diarist? (31:15) With The Spectator 's economics correspondent Kate Andrews; economist Julian Jessop; writer Jenny McCartney; politician Mairia Cahill; satirist Craig Brown; and historian, journalist and author Simon Heffer. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced b...

The public conversation - especially on social media - is widely agreed to be of a dismally low quality. In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam is joined by two people who have ideas about how we can make it better. Andrew Doyle’s new book is Free Speech: And Why It Matters ; Ian Leslie’s is Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart And How They Can Bring Us Together . Andrew, Ian and Sam talk...

Max Halley is one of Britain's pre-eminent sandwich aficionados. He is the founder of Max's Sandwich Shop, and the author of Max's Picnic Book . On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about being exposed to obscure ingredients, working in a pudding factory, and the six essential components in every great sandwich. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

In the first public appearance since Biden's inauguration, Donald Trump has spoken to CPAC, the annual conservative conference. Freddy Gray reviews his speech with Kate Andrews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Robert Dingwall, from Nottingham Trent University; Rory Sutherland, vice chair of Ogilvy and The Spectator's Wiki Man columnist; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss SNP turmoil, the roadmap to unlocking, and what makes a good government advert. To watch the show, go to www.spectator.co.uk/tv . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

On this episode, Katy Balls explains how No. 10 infighting could lose Scotland, and reveals how Boris plans to get his side in order. (01:05) Matthew Lynn is next on the show, and tells the story of the Up Crash. (10:10) Craig Brown finishes the podcast, reading his review of a 'dark portrait of sibling hatred': Samantha Markle's memoir. (21:20) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Could No. 10 infighting lose the Union? (00:40) When should the government tell us how to behave? (13:20) Can a relationship work without hugging for a year? (31:30)   With The Spectator ’s deputy political editor Katy Balls; The Spectator ’s Scotland editor Alex Massie; vice chair of Ogilvy and Spectator columnist Rory Sutherland; Deirdre McCloskey, Professor of Economics, History, English and Co...

Sam Leith's guest on this week’s Book Club is the bioarchaeologist Cat Jarman, whose fascinating new book River Kings spins a global history of the Vikings out of a single carnelian bead found in a grave in Repton. Cat tells him how much more there was to the Viking culture than our traditional image of arson, rape and pillage in Northumbria - showing how 21st century techniques have helped to exp...

After getting off the phone with Xi Jinping, Joe Biden warned his senators that on infrastructure 'and a whole range of other things', China was spending much more than the US, and America risked being left behind. So just how interconnected is modern China and is it really a good growth model to emulate? With economist George Magnus, author of Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy. Hosted on A...

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Rod Liddle, associate editor at The Spectator ; Trevor Phillips, managing director at Webber Phillips; journalist Dan Hitchens; Harry Mount, editor of The Oldie ; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss how England will leave lockdown, the rise of vaccine diplomacy, and why Anglo-Saxon history is so popular. To watch the show, go to www.spec...

On this episode, Cindy Yu begins by explaining why China and Russia are ahead in the great game of vaccine diplomacy. (00:45) Fraser Nelson is next, and he tells us why The Spectator went to court. (10:35) Josiah Gogarty finishes the podcast, asking how middle-class your dad is. (16:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Holy Smoke examines the fragmentation of American Catholicism following the election of pro-choice Catholic Joe Biden. It focuses on the strangest current of thought among the many conservative Catholics calling for an urgent change of approach in order to confront what promises to be an authoritarian liberal administration. It's called integralism, a label previously attached to disti...

Suzanne Moore is a journalist. On the podcast, she tells Katy about interviewing to work for Marxism Today , feeling out of place at The Guardian , and standing to be an independent MP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are China and Russia getting ahead in the great game of vaccine diplomacy? (00:50) Has the US press lost its way? (11:30) Why is Anglo-Saxon history making a comeback? (27:20) With The Spectator 's broadcast editor Cindy Yu; journalist Owen Matthews; Harper's publisher Rick MacArthur; The Washington Post 's media critic Erik Wemple; journalist Dan Hitchens; and Sutton Hoo archaeologist Profess...

Sam's guest in this week’s books podcast is the historian Judith Flanders, whose A Place For Everything tells the story of a vital but little considered part of intellectual history: alphabetical order. Judith tells Sam how this innovation both reflected and enabled the movement from oral to written culture, from a dogmatic to a secular worldview, and made possible the modern administrative state....

Eliot Higgins is an investigative journalist. He is the founder of Bellingcat, a platform specialising in open source intelligence. Bellingcat is known for its work on the Syrian civil war, the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and the Salisbury poisonings. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Olivia about his love of custard, what he snacks on while working, and why he doesn't eat out. T...

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Sharon Peacock CBE, chair of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium; Douglas Ross, leader of Scottish Conservatives; Wolfgang Munchau, director of Eurointellgence; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss how genomics can combat new Covid variants, if the Scottish Tories can stop independence, and why Germany is sidling up to Russia. T...

In this episode of Spectator Out Loud, Andrew Sullivan reflects on Trump's second impeachment trial (01:05), Lara Prendergast questions whether vaccine passports are really the solution (08:20) and Deborah Ross reviews an unorthodox film about a school shooting (20:00). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray talks to Republican political consultant Luke Thompson about the demise of the Lincoln Project, the political action committee set up to oppose Donald Trump's re-election.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, we talk vaccine passports (1:10), Nord Stream 2 (14:55) and the appeal of chess (30:50). With entrepreneur Louis-James Davis, journalist James Ball, analyst Wolfgang Munchau, academic Kadri Liik, chess columnist Luke McShane and chess streamer Fiona Steil-Antoni. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery and Alexa Rendell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

In this week’s books podcast, Sam is joined by the philosopher Toby Ord to talk about the cheering subject of planetary catastrophe. In his book The Precipice , new in paperback, Toby argues that we’re at a crucial point in human history - and that if we don’t start thinking seriously about extinction risks our species may not make it through the next few centuries. Asteroids, supervolcanoes, nucl...

As the first BNO passport holders begin to make their way to the UK and start the path to a new citizenship, Cindy Yu takes a look back at Hong Kong's history and how that special city-state formed its own identity. As SOAS's Professor Steve Tsang tells her on the podcast: 'Not quite British, not quite Chinese'. They talk about how Hong Kongers yearned to find their Chinese roots, the fervour of h...