The Spectator

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Channel • 9 Shows

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17/12/2024

Table Talk: Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is a novelist, political scientist and essayist. She has published 21 books – 13 of which are novels – and her books have been translated into 58 languages. Her most recent novel There Are Rivers in the Sky, is out now. On the podcast, Elif tells Liv about the significance of food and drink in her writing, the many places she takes culinary inspiration from and reveals her love of heavy metal music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17/12/2024

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29 min
14/12/2024

Christmas Out Loud I: Katy Balls, Craig Brown, Kate Weinberg, Craig Raine, Lisa Haseldine and Melissa Kite

On this week’s Christmas Out Loud - part one: Katy Balls runs through the Westminster wishlists for 2025 (1:26); Craig Brown reads his satirist’s notebook (7:06); Kate Weinberg explains the healing power of a father’s bedtime reading (13:47); Craig Raine reviews a new four volume edition of the prose of T.S. Eliot (19:10); Lisa Haseldine provides her notes on hymnals (28:15); and Melissa Kite explains why she shouldn’t be allowed to go to church (31:19). Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14/12/2024

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36 min
22/12/2024

Christmas Out Loud II: Andrews Watts, Marcus Walker, Ali Kefford, Roger Lewis, Ayaan Hirsh Ali and Christopher Howse

On this week’s Christmas Out Loud - part two: Andrew Watts goes to santa school (1:11); Marcus Walker reads his priest’s notebook (7:20); Ali Kefford spends Christmas on patrol with submariners (12:34); Roger Lewis says good riddance to 2024, voiced by the actor Robert Bathurst (20:57); Ayaan Hirsh Ali argues that there is a Christian revival under way (32:41); and Christopher Howse reveals the weirdness behind Christmas carols (38:34). Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22/12/2024

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48 min
15/12/2024

Holy Smoke: is the end of Christendom nigh? with A.N. Wilson

Thousands of Brits will be attending Christmas and carol services throughout December. Yet festive attendance masks the reality that church congregations just aren’t holding up. The most optimistic of estimates suggest that regular church attendance has almost halved in the UK since 2009. This is just one of the factors that has led the historian and writer A.N. Wilson, in the Christmas edition of The Spectator this week, to declare that the end of Christendom is nigh.On this episode of Holy Smoke, A.N. Wilson joins Damian Thompson to discuss his thesis. Like Platonism, is Christianity doomed to become extinct in practice? When was the last time England was truly, and fervently, religious? And are innovations such as female priests a symptom – or a cause – of the Church’s decline?You can read more from A.N. Wilson on his Substack.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15/12/2024

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25 min
26/12/2024

The Edition: Best of 2024, with Dominic Sandbrook, Mary Beard and Harriet Harman

This week is a special episode of the podcast where we are looking back on some of our favourite pieces from the magazine over the past year and revisiting some of the conversations we had around them.First up: the Starmer supremacyLet’s start with undoubtedly the biggest news of the year: Starmer’s supermajority and the first Labour government in 14 years. In April, we spoke to Katy Balls and Harriet Harman about just what a supermajority could mean for Keir Starmer. Listening back, it’s an incredibly interesting discussion to revisit. The aim of Katy’s piece was to communicate the internal problems that could arise from such a sweeping victory and, crucially, how Starmer might manage a historic cohort of backbenchers. One MP who knows about adjusting to life in government after a supermajority is Harriet Harman, former leader of the Labour party and a member of Tony Blair’s first cabinet. (01:51)Reflections from the editor’s chairThe change in No. 10 Downing Street is, of course, not the only notable shake-up in Westminster this year. Fraser Nelson stepped down as editor of The Spectator in September after 15 years of wielding the editor’s pen, with 784 issues to his name. We sat down with him on his final day in the office to reflect on his time at 22 Old Queen Street. (08:31)Do historians talk down to children?In June, Mary Wakefield dedicated her column to this very question. She wrote about her experience trying to find engaging and challenging history books for her 8-year-old and compared the dumbed-down, one-dimensional version of history portrayed in modern children’s books with the classic Ladybird books of the 1960s. She joined the podcast to discuss this with Dominic Sandbrook, author of the Adventures in Time children’s book series and host of The Rest is History podcast. (17:18)Are ultra-processed foods really so bad?On The Edition podcast, we enjoy a fiery debate, and none was more heated than our discussion on ultra-processed foods. This debate, between columnist Matthew Parris and Christoffer van Tulleken, associate professor at UCL and author of the bestselling book Ultra-Processed People, took place in May. It was sparked by Matthew’s column on the myths surrounding ultra-processed foods—foods engineered to be hyper-palatable and typically containing preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colours, flavours, and so on. Such additives are widely considered detrimental to our health. Matthew says we shouldn’t be worried, but we’ll let you decide. (29:10)By whose values should we judge the past?On the podcast, we showcase articles from across the magazine—from the front half to the life pages, to books and arts. One of the most intriguing books of the year was Joan Smith’s Unfortunately, she was a nymphomaniac: A New History of Rome’s Imperial Women. An eye-catching title that is ‘as thought-provoking as it is provocative’, as Daisy Dunn wrote in October. Many popular historians are singled out for their analysis of women in ancient Rome, including Professor Dame Mary Beard. In the interest of granting a right of reply, we invited Mary onto the podcast to discuss the merit of judging history by today’s standards. (49:40)And finally: the politics of the breakfast buffetWe thought we would leave you with one of the most prescient discussions we had on the podcast this year: the politics of the hotel breakfast buffet. Is it ethical to pocket a sandwich at a hotel breakfast buffet? Laurie Graham explored that question in the magazine back in September. Specifically, she revealed the very British habit of swiping food from free breakfasts to save for lunch later in the day. Laurie joined us alongside Mark Jenkins, a former hotel manager in Torquay, whom listeners may remember from the Channel 4 documentary The Hotel. (01:04:04)Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26/12/2024

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1h 15m
12/12/2024

The Edition: Christmas Special 2024 with Rod Liddle, Lionel Shriver, Matthew Parris and Mary Wakefield

Welcome to a special festive episode of The Edition podcast, where we will be taking you through the pages of The Spectator’s Christmas triple issue.Up first: our review of the year – and what a year it has been. At the start of 2024, the outcome of the US election looked very different, the UK had a different Prime Minister, and The Spectator had a different editor! Luckily, The Spectator’s regular columnists are on hand to declare what they got right – and wrong – throughout the year, and whether they’re optimistic for 2025. Rod Liddle, Matthew Parris, Mary Wakefield and Lionel Shriver take us through everything from Trump to trans (03:24).Next: ‘Good riddance 2024’ – in his own alternative review of the year, Roger Lewis declares 2024 one to forget. The actor Robert Bathurst voices a special out-loud version of the article, taking us through the year in Roger’s typically acerbic style (28:37).Then: the unsung heroes at Christmas time. While most of the country will be sitting down to Christmas dinner, hundreds of people will face an atypical day, not least of all those deployed on the Royal Navy's Continuous At Sea Deterrent mission. Journalist Ali Kefford takes us through the relentless schedule of Royal Navy submariners in the Christmas issue, and explores the strangely isolating but oddly communal experience of Christmas at sea, where the traditions of land meet the peculiarities of life under the water. To explain what it’s really like, Ali joins the podcast alongside naval officer Alex Kubara (42:56).And finally: the prescient politics of Tintin. Few characters have captured the spirit of adventure quite like Tintin, the intrepid boy reporter with a knack for stumbling into international intrigue. From the deserts of Arabia to the jungles of South America – and even to the moon – Tintin has been a global icon of curiosity and courage for nearly a century. In the Christmas magazine former foreign correspondent and ‘Tintinologist’ Michael Farr celebrates the genius of the Belgian reporter and how politics was never far from Hergé’s agenda. To take us through a history of Tintin, and to understand its appeal and influence, we're joined by Michael and another author who took inspiration from the character, Anthony Horowitz (52:18).Throughout the podcast, you will also hear from The Spectator’s agony aunt Dear Mary, and the special celebrity guests who have sought her advice in this year’s Christmas magazine, including Jacob Rees-Mogg (27:07), James MacMillan (50:51) and Sophie Winkleman (1:09:49).Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12/12/2024

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1h 11m
06/11/2024

Americano: why Donald Trump won and the real reason Kamala Harris lost

Donald Trump has won the election and will be 47th President of the United States after winning the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. ‘America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,’ the Republican candidate told supporters. ‘This is a magnificent victory for the American people, that will allow us to make America great again,’ he said at the rally in Florida. It has been total victory, with the Republicans also winning Senate and the popular vote.Kate Andrews is joined by Sarah Elliott and Rick MacArthur to unpack a historic election night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

06/11/2024

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33 min
09/11/2024

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09/11/2024

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32 min
23/11/2024

Spectator Out Loud: Matthew Parris, Joanna Bell, Peter Frankopan, Mary Wakefield and Flora Watkins

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: pondering AI, Matthew Parris wonders if he is alone in thinking (1:10); Joanna Bell meets the leader of the Independent Ireland party, Michael Collins, ahead of the Irish general election later this month (8:41); Professor Peter Frankopan argues that the world is facing a new race to rule the seas (17:31); Mary Wakefield reviews Rod Dreher’s new book Living in wonder: finding mystery and meaning in a secular age (28:47); and, Flora Watkins looks at the Christmas comeback of Babycham (34:10). Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23/11/2024

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38 min
24/12/2024

Holy Smoke: why was C.S. Lewis such a killjoy at Christmas? with Alister McGrath

Which 20th-century Scrooge had the following to say about the celebration of Christmas? ‘It gives on the whole much more pain than pleasure… Anyone can force you to give him a present by sending you a quite unprovoked present of his own. It's almost blackmail… Can it really be my duty to buy and receive masses of junk every winter just to help the shopkeepers?’Step forward C.S. Lewis, beloved Christian apologist and children’s author, whose splenetic denunciation of ‘the whole dreary business’ of Christmas and mean-spirited comments about carol singers are hard to reconcile with his reputation for benevolence.To make sense of the author’s views, Damian Thompson is joined by the renowned theologian and C.S. Lewis expert Prof Alister McGrath for a Christmas episode of Holy Smoke. They talk about the influence Lewis had on McGrath’s own conversion, the significance of the nativity and the question of whether the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth are apocryphal.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24/12/2024

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26 min

The Spectator's mission is to entertain, inform, delight and infuriate our audience. Here you can find our free podcasts, tackling issues from UK politics, the US and China, to religion, literature, food and drink and more.

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