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Best of the Spectator — News & Politics
Best of the Spectator

Home to the Spectator’s best podcasts on everything from politics to religion, literature to food and drink, and more. A new podcast every day from writers worth listening to.

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Latest Episodes:

Spectator Out Loud: William Cash, Marcus Nevitt, Nina Power, Christopher Howse and Olivia Potts Aug 24, 2024

Show notes

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: William Cash reveals the dark side of Hollywood assistants (1:12); Marcus Nevitt reviews Ronald Hutton’s new book on Oliver Cromwell (7:57); Nina Power visits the Museum of Neoliberalism (13:51); Christopher Howse proves his notes on matchboxes (21:35); and, Olivia Potts finds positives in Americans’ maximalist attitudes towards salad (26:15).
Presented and produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Americano: Live from the DNC Aug 23, 2024

Show notes

The Americano podcast has been in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, as Kamala Harris is officially nominated to be their presidential candidate. Has the convention gone to plan? How united are the Democrats? And can their strategy sustain until November?
In this compilation episode, Freddy Gray is joined by Labour MPs Lucy Rigby and Mike Tapp, Democratic operative and fundraiser Christopher Hale, editor at large of The Spectator World Ben Domenech, editor in chief of Mediate Aidan McLaughlin and Washington editor of Harper's magazine Andrew Cockburn. For the full episodes, search for Americano or head to the Americano channel on our website.
Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons.

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The Edition: All hail Harris! Aug 22, 2024

Show notes

This week: All hail Harris! As the Democratic National Convention approaches its climax, The Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray explores vice president Kamala Harris’s remarkable rise to the top of the democratic ticket in his cover article this week. Freddy joins the podcast from Chicago (1:30).
Next: live from the DNC. Freddy and Natasha Feroze, The Spectator’s deputy broadcast editor, have been out and about at the convention talking to delegates – and detractors – of the Democratic Party. What do these Americans think? And does Kamala Harris have ‘good vibes’? (7:56).
Then: should misogyny really be classified under anti-terrorism laws? In the magazine this week The Spectator’s economics editor Kate Andrews argues that the measure would do little to solve the fundamental problem. And how would ‘extreme misogyny’ be defined anyway? Kate and author Helen Joyce joined us to discuss their concerns (14:00).
And finally: why does chess attract so many cheats? In the magazine this week The Spectator’s chess columnist, and grandmaster, Luke McShane examines the history of high-profile scandals in cheating. Why do some players stoop so low? Professor Ken Regan, an expert and investigator in anti-cheating in chess, and psychologist Professor Sam Sommers, join the podcast (25:31).
Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Book Club: Carlo Rovelli, from the archives Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

The Book Club has taken a short summer break and will return in September with new episodes. Until then, here’s an episode from the archives with the theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli.
Carlo joined Sam in March 2023 to discuss his book Anaximander and the Nature of Science and explain how a radical thinker two and a half millennia ago was the first human to intuit that the earth is floating in space. He tells Sam how Anaximander’s way of thinking still informs the work of scientists everywhere, how politics shapes scientific progress and how we can navigate the twin threats of religious dogma and postmodern relativism in search of truth.

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Americano: Douglas Murray on free speech in the UK and US Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

Douglas Murray joins Freddy Gray on the Americano podcast to discuss free speech in Britain following the sentences handed down after the riots, how different free speech is in America, and how Douglas himself became a victim of online hate.

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Chinese Whispers: what would a second Trump presidency bring for China? Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

Trump is tough on China, but what really motivates his hawkishness? Does he care at all about China's human rights abuses? Or is he fundamentally a foreign policy disentangler, hoping to rein back America's overseas commitments? How much does the China policy of a second Trump presidency depend on which advisors the president surrounds himself with?
On this episode of Chinese Whispers, The Spectator's China podcast, assistant editor Cindy Yu talks to deputy editor Freddy Gray and Jordan McGillis, economics editor at the Manhattan Institute's City Journal.
Produced by Cindy Yu and Patrick Gibbons.

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Women With Balls: Kemi Badenoch, from the archives Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

Women with Balls has taken a summer break and will be back in September with a new series. Until then, here's an episode from the archives, with current Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch MP.
Widely seen as one of the Conservative Party’s rising stars upon her election to Parliament in 2017, her star has only continued to rise. Serving under successive PMs, this episode was recorded in May 2022 when she was Minister of State for Local Government, Faith and Communities, and for Equalities. Now many consider her the frontrunner to be Tory leader.
On the podcast, Kemi talks about her childhood in Nigeria and the golden ticket that was her UK passport, hacking Harriet Harman and what it's like to be a 'rising star'.

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Spectator Out Loud: Richard Madeley, Cindy Yu, Lara Prendergast, Pen Vogler and James Delingpole Aug 17, 2024

Show notes

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Richard Madeley reads his diary for the week (1:01); Cindy Yu explores the growing trend for all things nostalgic in China (6:00); Lara Prendergast declares that bankers are hot again (11:26); Pen Vogler reviews Sally Coulthard’s book The Apple (17:18); and, James Delingpole argues that Joe Rogan is ‘as edgy as Banksy’ (23:24).
Presented by Patrick Gibbons.

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Americano: is Elon Musk a great man of history? Aug 16, 2024

Show notes

Freddy Gray sits down with journalist and Spectator author Ed West who writes the Substack Wrong Side of History and Richard Hanania who writes the Richard Hanania Newsletter to discuss Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump on Twitter (X), how much influence Twitter has both in the UK and America, and whether the right-wing men are 'weird'.

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The Edition: Power play Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

This week: Power play. The Spectator’s Svitlana Morenets writes the cover article in this week’s magazine exploring Zelensky’s plan for his Russian conquests. What’s his aim? And how could Putin respond? Svitlana joins the podcast alongside historian and author Mark Galeotti (02:10).
Next: Will and Gus discuss their favourite pieces from the magazine, including Richard Madeley’s diary and Lara Prendergast’s argument that bankers are hot again.
Then: how concerned should we be about falling fertility rates? In the magazine this week Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde argues that the problem is already far more grave, and far more global, than we realise. Why should we worry about this, and what can be done to stem this? Jesus joined the podcast with filmmaker and demographer Stephen J. Shaw (16:56).
And finally: why is nostalgia such a powerful emotion? The Spectator’s broadcast editor – and host of the Chinese Whispers podcast – Cindy Yu writes in the magazine about the ‘thriving industry’ of nostalgia in China. What’s behind this and, more generally, what drives humans to feel nostalgic? Cindy joined the podcast alongside historian and author Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster who argues that nostalgia doesn’t deserve its negative reputation (28:32).
Hosted by William Moore and Gus Carter.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

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