Best of the Spectator

The Spectator

4.6 (30)
NEWS COMMENTARY
UPDATED DAILY

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.

5 HRS AGO

The Book Club: Michael Moorcock

My guest in this week's Book Club podcast is the writer, musician and editor Michael Moorcock, whose editorship of New Worlds magazine is widely credited with ushering in a 'new wave' of science fiction and developing the careers of writers like J G Ballard, Iain Sinclair, Pamela Zoline, Thomas M Disch and M John Harrison. With the release of a special edition of New Worlds, honouring the 60th anniversary of his editorship, Mike tells me about how he set out to marry the best of literary fiction with the best of the pulp tradition, how he fought off obscenity charges over Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron, about his friendship with Ballard and his enmity with Kingsley Amis – and why he's determined never to lose his vulgarity.

43 min
12 HRS AGO

Americano: can Trump really end the war in Ukraine?

Freddy Gray speaks to the Spectator's Russia editor Owen Matthews about Trump's plan for Ukraine. How much leverage does he have in negotiations with Putin? Plus, what does a Trump presidency mean for the future of NATO itself?

31 min
1 DAY AGO

Holy Smoke: Welby resigns - crisis at the Church of England

After mounting pressure, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned. His resignation comes days after a damning report into the child abuser John Smyth who was associated with the Church of England. Welby was apparently made aware of the allegations in 2013, yet Smyth died in 2018 before facing any justice. Since the report was published, Welby and the Church have faced questions about the failure to act and the lack of urgency. The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove joins Damian Thompson to discuss what Damian calls ‘not just a shocking moment in the history of the Church of England, but in the history of English Christianity’. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

18 min
2 DAYS AGO

Chinese Whispers: Why Beijing is wary of a Russo-North Korean alliance

There have been reports that some 11,000 North Korean troops are present in Russia and preparing to take part in the Russian invasion. While not acknowledged by either country, if true, this would mark a historic milestone: the first East Asian state to send troops to Europe since the Mongol Empire. And yet, both countries’ most powerful neighbour and ally – China – has remained suspiciously quiet about this new development. Beijing’s silence may well express a deep distrust and unease that actually characterises China’s relationship with its so-called allies. To get into the recent developments and what we can learn from the history of the relationship between these three countries, the historian John Delury joins the podcast. He is an expert on the Cold War and the history of China and the Korean peninsula. He is a visiting Professor at Luiss University and author of Agents of Subversion. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Cindy Yu.

56 min
3 DAYS AGO

Americano: will Trump make good on his election promises?

Kate Andrews, standing in for Freddy Gray, is joined by Nick Gillespie, host of The Reason Interview, and Freddy Gray himself. They discuss whether Trump 2.0 could be different in his final time in office. Will he 'drain the swamp'? And will the Democrats learn the lessons from their election loss?

32 min
3 DAYS AGO

Holy Smoke: Did Christianity create secular humanism?

Since the election of an overwhelmingly secular Labour government, people who describe themselves as humanists have a spring in their step: for example, there's a prospect that humanist weddings will be legally recognised in England and Wales (they already are in Scotland). But what exactly is a humanist? Definitions vary and there's a heated debate about to what extent the ethical but firmly atheist beliefs of the rather loosely organised modern humanist movement are descended from Christianity. In this episode of Holy Smoke we'll hear from Andrew Copson, CEO of Humanists UK since 2010 & President of Humanists International, and the theologian and Spectator contributor Theo Hobson, author of God created Humanism: the Christian Basis of Secular Values. Damian Thompson spoke to them earlier and, as you'll hear, it was a lively encounter. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

33 min
4 DAYS AGO

Americano: are we about to see Trump unleashed?

Kamala Harris has delivered her concession speech, signalling the start of the Democrat post-mortem. Donald Trump has secured a total victory, the kind which gives him a mandate to make some pretty radical reforms. Americano guest host Kate Andrews is joined by Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, to discuss what a second Trump term will look like: from domestic to foreign policy. And what about the Democrats? Where do they go from here?

32 min
4 DAYS AGO

Spectator Out Loud: Paul Wood, Sean Thomas, Imogen Yates, Books of the Year II, and Alan Steadman

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Paul Wood analyses what a Trump victory could mean for the Middle East (1:16); Sean Thomas gets a glimpse of a childless future while travelling in South Korea (8:39); in search of herself, Imogen Yates takes part in ‘ecstatic dance’ (15:11); a second selection of our books of the year from Peter Parker, Daniel Swift, Andrea Wulf, Claire Lowdon, and Sara Wheeler (20:30); and notes on the speaking clock from the voice himself, Alan Steadman (25:26). Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

30 min

See All (501)

4.6

out of 5

30 Ratings

Great Podcast

Feb 4

Fab Red Head

Sophisticated. Thought provoking. Balanced. Objective. Remember a couple of years ago when intellectual discourse still existed? That short time ago when adults could discuss issues, that is what this podcast reminds me of.
Thank you

2023-02-19

Too old to be a back

Excellent podcast with just the right amount of balance. Insights are thought provoking and Freddie’s whit adds a little spice to the subjects discussed. Great work Freddie and team.
Hey Freddie

2022-01-28

Enuf1

If you are interviewing Tucker Carlson, at least challenge his fallacies … you provided a platform with zero critique… Albright is a moron, nba and Hollywood owned by the Chinese … should I go on?

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.