Best of the Spectator

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Stephen Daisley, a journalist and Spectator contributor; The Revd Marcus Walker, Rector of Great St Bartholomew's in London; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether vaccines are already having an impact, if the UK's relationship with the EU is deteriorating, and if the Church of England has failed its members. To watch the show, go t...

On this week's episode, Emma Thompson explains why Church of England cuts could lead to the devastation of the parish network. (00:55) Then, Matt Ridley explains why lockdown could have led to more deadly coronavirus variants. (10:15) And finally, Toby Young asks why he hasn't got a peerage. (18:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mims Davies is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Employment and the MP for Mid Sussex. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about how her family became lifelong carers when her dad was attacked at work, about why she didn't come out as a Tory in her student days at Swansea University and why her change of seat in the 2019 election was not all that it seems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Are parish churches about to be devastated by bureaucracy and mismanagement? (00:55) What's the story behind the UK's vaccination efforts? (07:55) Has an intransigent union stopped firefighters from helping the Covid response? (21:55) With church volunteer Emma Thompson; Rector of Great St Barts Marcus Walker; The Spectator 's deputy political editor Katy Balls; senior project manager at the Unive...

In this week’s Book Club podcast Sam Leith is joined by one of the funniest writers working today. Shalom Auslander’s new novel is Mother For Dinner , which is set in perhaps the most oppressed minority community in the world. He talks to Sam about cannibalism, identity politics, his beef with tragedy... and an extremely high-risk prayer at the Wailing Wall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Bip Ling is a model, musician, food writer, visual artist and DJ. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv about being inspired by her grandmother's Indian cooking, eating as a model, and why macaroni cheese should be made with almond milk rather than full-fat. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food...

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by author and historian Sir Anthony Seldon; former Director of Immunisation at the Department of Health David Salisbury; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether the EU's dispute with AstraZeneca is the beginning of a vaccine war, if quarantines for international arrivals will work in Britain, and who have been Britain's best prime minis...

On this week's episode, Matthew Lynn describes the first great geopolitical battle of the century: the vaccine wars. (00:40) Plus, Anthony Seldon makes his case for a museum of British premierships. (09:35) Finally, Sam Leith says Doc Martins are the only footwear you'll ever need. (18:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray talks to Joe Weisenthal, co-host of the Odd Lots podcast and presenter of What'd You Miss on Bloomberg TV, about the GameStop short squeeze. Where did wallstreetbets start, have they revolutionised the stock market, and do they know what they're doing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has the vaccine rollout turned nasty? (00:45) What's the sex abuse scandal rocking France's elite? (16:55) Have artists run out of new ideas? (28:35) With Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Lynn; science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 Laura Spinney; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Dean Kissick, New York editor of Spike Art M...

Sam's guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the writer Simon Winchester, whose new book takes on one of the biggest subjects on earth: earth. Land: How The Hunger For Ownership Made The Modern World starts from the author's own little corner of New England - what he proudly calculates at a bit more than three billionths of the earth's surface that he can call his own - and roams worldwide and...

In November, the IPO of Jack Ma's fintech company Ant Financial was abruptly stopped by Chinese regulators (listen to the episode of Chinese Whispers from then here ). But while the move has been seen as counter-productive and political in the West, many Chinese cheered the clipping of Jack Ma's wings. It's in no small part thanks to the consumer lending wing of his company, which is often blamed...

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Trevor Philips, managing director of Webber and Phillips and columnist for The Times ; author and journalist Owen Matthews; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether Joe Biden can unite America, the latest coronavirus data, why less black people want to be vaccinated, and what's next for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. To wat...

On this week's episode, Kate Andrews says the challenges of Joe Biden's administration go beyond governing. (00:35) Plus, Liam Kennedy explains the history of Irish-American identity. (09:25) Finally, Jeremy Clarke wonders why everyone is a log expert (18:20) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Williams OBE is the former Deputy Team Principal of Williams, family-run the Formula One racing team set up by her father, Frank Williams. On the podcast, she talks about what it was like to be seen as 'Frank's daughter', the struggles of trying to turn around an ailing F1 team and how none of her family actually passed their driving test, first time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Can Joe Biden unite America? (01:05) Why is the UK's vaccine rollout its most important economic policy? (12:10) And how can re-enactments bring history to life? (22:15) With The Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews; US editor Freddy Gray; political editor James Forsyth; Capital Economics chairman Roger Bootle; re-enactor Chris Brown and historical consultant Justin Pollard. Presented...

Sam Leith's guests on this week's Book Club podcast are the writer and Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer, and her mother, the arts publicist Anne Mayer Bird. They are mother and daughter -- but a year ago they became 'sister widows', as both lost their husbands within a few weeks of one another. Their new book is called Good Grief: Embracing life at a time of death , and they join...

Alison Roman is an American food writer, cook, and author of New York Times bestseller Nothing Fancy . On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about the recipes she learnt from her mum, how she plans a dinner party, and craving pizza in lockdown. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guest...

On this episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Peter Greenberger, former head of political advertising at Google and Twitter; Francis Balloux, director of UCL's Genetics Institute; Anshel Pfeffer, a correspondent at The Economist; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether Twitter was right to ban Trump, what we know about the Brazilian Covid strain, and how Israel has vaccinated so many p...

On this week's episode, Lionel Shriver says we believe what we want to believe. (00:45) Then, Matthew Parris says Peter Mandelson, infamously nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, could have been prime minister. (09:50) And finally, Father Jonathan Beswick explains why he's keeping his church open during lockdown. (17:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helen Andrews is Senior Editor at the American Conservative and author of  Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster . On this episode, Freddy Gray interviews her about the Boomer generation and why she argues they are to blame for the chaos of today's world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden won the US election, but is Big Tech really in power? (00:45) Churches are allowed to open during lockdown, but should they? (13:20) And can comfort eating and cosy socks replace human connections? (25:50) With historian Niall Ferguson; New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger; Father Jonathan Beswick; The Very Reverend Peter Howell-Jones; journalist Laura Freeman and psychol...

In the first Book Club podcast of the year, we’re marking the moment that George Orwell comes out of copyright. I’m joined by two distinguished Orwellians — D. J. Taylor and Dorian Lynskey — to talk about how the left’s favourite Old Etonian speaks to us now, and how his reputation has weathered. Was he secretly a conservative? Was he a McCarthyite snitch? How would he be remembered had he died be...

Since 2017 a succession of re-education camps have sprung up across Xinjiang, the home of the Uyghur people. It's estimated that one in ten Uyghur people are incarcerated to be subjected to patriotic education, but there are reports of forced labour, forced sterilisation and even torture. Much has been written about what is happening in the region, but this episode sheds light on why it's happenin...

On this episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Jeremy Hunt, chair of the health and social care committee and former foreign secretary, alongside a team of Spectator journalists. This week, we discuss the implications of the Capitol riots and whether the UK's vaccine rollout has been fast enough. To watch the show, go to www.spectator.co.uk/tv . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...