Freddie Sayers

Shows

Episodes

  1. War in Iran: How the Neocons won

    13H AGO

    War in Iran: How the Neocons won

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers and US editor Sohrab Ahmari unpick the ideological fracture within the Republican party following the escalatory US strikes against Iran. From the notable silence of JD Vance to the resurging influence of Lindsey Graham, they explore how Donald Trump’s "Peace Admin" shifted toward a hawk-like interventionism agenda reminiscent of the George W. Bush era, at a decisive moment in the battle for the soul of American foreign policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  2. Avi Loeb vs. Michael Shermer: The Aliens Debate

    5D AGO

    Avi Loeb vs. Michael Shermer: The Aliens Debate

    In the wake of Obama's on-air revelation that he believes in aliens and Trump's move to declassify government UFO documents, UnHerd invites two world experts to make the best case for hope and doubt about extraterrestrial life. Michael Shermer, Skeptic magazine founder and author of the new book Truth (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Truth-What-Find-Still-Matters/dp/142145372X), and Harvard astronomer Prof. Avi Loeb ask: are we alone in the universe? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  3. Michael Tracey: In defence of Prince Andrew

    FEB 20

    Michael Tracey: In defence of Prince Andrew

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks to journalist Michael Tracey about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and what Tracey describes as a "moral panic" surrounding the Epstein scandal. Tracey challenges the mainstream narrative, arguing that the case against the former Prince relies on fictionalised accounts and inconsistent testimony from the late Virginia Giuffre, and by examining recently surfaced FBI memos and the charges of misconduct in public office, suggests that the current constitutional crisis is driven more by mass hysteria and media credulity than by unassailable legal evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  4. Anton Jäger: The Far-Right's route to victory

    FEB 19

    Anton Jäger: The Far-Right's route to victory

    UnHerd’s Jonny Ball meets historian, academic, and author Anton Jäger to discuss his new book ‘Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization without Political Consequences’, charting the pronounced shift in engagement and death of political institutions since the 1980s via analysis of movements like Brexit, BLM, and the rise of the far-Right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 3m
  5. Danish minister: Here's how we controlled immigration

    FEB 16

    Danish minister: Here's how we controlled immigration

    UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers meets with former Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek – fresh from his high-profile talk at the Policy Exchange - to explore how his centre-Left Social Democrats party successfully implemented hardline immigration policies to reduce asylum applications to their lowest in 40 years. He argues that by curbing uncontrolled migration, the Danish government has effectively neutralised the populist far-Right and maintained public trust in the welfare state, offering a blueprint for other European leaders - including Keir Starmer - on how to manage borders from a progressive, pro-labour perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min
  6. Robby Soave on 'Epstein Derangement Syndrome'

    FEB 11

    Robby Soave on 'Epstein Derangement Syndrome'

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks with senior editor at Reason, Robby Soave, about the long-awaited release of the Epstein Files and the fallout following the disclosure. Has the dump of millions of unverified documents sparked a modern-day witch hunt, where gossip is mistaken for evidence and guilt by association replaces due process? They explore how both ends of the political spectrum have weaponised the files to smear opponents, the high cost of sacrificing privacy, and why the lone “no” vote in Congress may have been the most prescient voice of all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  7. John Bew: The Davos world is over

    JAN 22

    John Bew: The Davos world is over

    In this exclusive interview, UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers speaks with Professor John Bew - leading historian and chief foreign policy advisor to the last four UK Prime Ministers – about the friction caused by the Trump administration's push to acquire Greenland and the resulting panic within the Western alliance. Set against the backdrop of the 2026 Davos summit, the conversation confronts the 'break glass' moment facing Western leaders and explores the uncomfortable reality of our current era: Will the UK shift from economic dependency toward restoring its own national power to navigate a scary new era of ‘bully powers’? Is the Western alliance truly over, or can a nuanced and multi-layered approach preserve the core security frameworks that have defined the last 80 years? How should middle powers respond when the United States - the traditional guarantor of global norms - begins to operate under a pre-1945 logic of annexation and unilateral tariffs? And could a new Northern European alliance provide the necessary leverage to protect sovereign interests in an increasingly bipolar world? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  8. Prof. James Hankins: The return of Western civilisation

    12/26/2025

    Prof. James Hankins: The return of Western civilisation

    Order 'The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition' by Professor James Hankins here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Thread-Ancient-World-Christendom/dp/1641773995 UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks with Professor James Hankins, a forty-year veteran of Harvard University, about the precarious state of the Western tradition and the burgeoning resistance movement in classical education. Moving through a 2,500-year narrative arc from the ancient Greek invention of reason to the modern-day "cult of innovation," Hankins warns that elite institutions are suffering from a dangerous cultural amnesia. But, despite the degradation of the canon, offers a defiant hope rooted in history, arguing that Western civilisation has survived near-extinction before and remains ripe for a new Renaissance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  9. Paul Kingsnorth: How to fight the Machine

    09/29/2025

    Paul Kingsnorth: How to fight the Machine

    UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers welcomes Paul Kingsnorth to the UnHerd Club an exclusive interview about his new book Against the Machine. Kingsnorth has spent decades charting the alienation and upheaval brought about by modernity. In this wide-ranging interview he sets out why he sees today’s technological order as inhuman, why AI may be the 'Antichrist', and why he believes the West must be allowed to die. What does it mean to live as a dissident inside the Machine? And what lines must we draw if we are to remain human? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 23m
  10. The ICE debate: Sohrab Ahmari vs Jenin Younes

    JAN 15

    The ICE debate: Sohrab Ahmari vs Jenin Younes

    Freddie Sayers debates the killing of Renee Good by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis with civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes and UnHerd’s US editor Sohrab Ahmari, examining the incident through the lens of the "Rashomon effect" where observers draw diametrically opposite conclusions from the same evidence. Was the shooting a catastrophic violation of civil liberties and potentially an illegal execution, or does the responsibility lie with Good for obstructing a lawful federal operation and “weaponising" her vehicle, a view echoed by the Trump administration's branding of the event as an act of domestic terrorism. The discussion concludes with YouGov’s David Montgomery, who reveals how the broader American public view the use of force, and what significant long-term political risks the incident may yield for the Republican project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  11. Why Trump will get Greenland

    JAN 7

    Why Trump will get Greenland

    UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers speaks with author and Cambridge professor Helen Thompson, economist Pippa Malmgren, and Danish MEP Henrik Dahl about the Trump administration's escalating rhetoric and strategic moves to acquire Greenland. Covering the historical legal underpinnings of Danish sovereignty while analysing modern geopolitical drivers such as the Monroe Doctrine, Arctic militarisation, and the essential role of the region in a new space race for strategic security dominance, they explore how the Greenland situation is symptomatic of a profound breakdown in trust between Washington and Western Europe, with the administration increasingly viewing European leadership as obstructive political rivals in a shifting global order. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
  12. Douglas Murray responds to Joe Rogan

    04/15/2025

    Douglas Murray responds to Joe Rogan

    In this captivating UnHerd interview, Freddie Sayers sits down with Douglas Murray to trace his remarkable evolution from a young Oxford scholar immersed in cultural and artistic pursuits to a global neoconservative commentator. Murray reflects on his early days writing the acclaimed biography Bosie (2000), a deep dive into the life of Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde’s lover, and how his focus shifted quickly to fiery political debates on the world stage. From his 2005 book Neoconservatism: Why We Need It to his later bestsellers like The Strange Death of Europe (2017) and his new book Democracies and Death Cults (2025), Murray has become a polarising voice defending Western values and interventionism, particularly on Israel. The conversation also dives into Murray’s recent viral appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he sparked controversy by challenging the shapeshifting Right and the unchecked influence of podcasters. Join Freddie Sayers as he uncovers what drives Douglas Murray, how his past shaped his present, and why he’s demanding more from today’s media giants. Don’t miss this in-depth look at one of the most provocative thinkers of our time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 6m
  13. Greg Lukianoff: America's new free speech crisis

    12/22/2025

    Greg Lukianoff: America's new free speech crisis

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks to Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), about a new report revealing that 2025 has officially surpassed 2020 as the worst year on record for campus censorship and scholar sanctions. Despite the Trump administration’s campaign promises to restore free expression, Lukianoff details a disturbing shift where the political right has adopted the very cancel culture tactics it once decried, led by government officials who are now directly intervening to investigate, defund, and even deport students for controversial speech. From the fallout of the Charlie Kirk assassination to the use of executive orders to ban student groups, they explore why the new wave of state-sponsored retaliation is creating a chilling effect across American universities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  14. Glenn Loury: Elon Musk’s apartheid politics

    JAN 30

    Glenn Loury: Elon Musk’s apartheid politics

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks to eminent economist and social scientist Professor Glenn Loury about a troubling new shift in American discourse: the rise of Right-wing identity politics. Traditionally a critic of the woke Left, Loury turns his sights on the world’s wealthiest man, arguing that Elon Musk is making a "category mistake" by importing South African racial anxieties into the American context. By embracing white solidarity and racial essentialism, Loury argues, the Right is not defeating identity politics, but is instead adopting a politically destructive mirror image of the very ideology they claim to oppose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  15. The truth about net immigration

    12/02/2025

    The truth about net immigration

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers speaks with migration expert Dr. Madeleine Sumption to dissect the latest ONS figures which reveal a dramatic crash in UK net migration. Is this truly caused by an alarming "exodus of fed-up Brits," as some headlines suggest, or is the surge in people leaving the country, in fact, the long-overdue re-migration of earlier non-EU and EU immigrants—a data-driven truth that fundamentally upends how the media and public understand the entire politics of immigration? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  16. Can Reform win in Manchester?

    FEB 5

    Can Reform win in Manchester?

    UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers explores the upcoming high-stakes by-election of Gorton and Denton with a deep dive into the constituency and its localised microcosm of global populist trends. He is joined by Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, Rob Ford, founder and editor of the Manchester Mill, Joshi Herrmann, and councillors Allan Hopwood (Reform) and Shahbaz Sarwar (Workers Party) to analyse whether the Labour stronghold will crumble under pressure from a surging Green Party or a high-profile Reform UK campaign led by Matt Goodwin within a new landscape of sectarian identity politics and deepening public frustration with the UK’s traditional two-party system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min
  17. Yanis Varoufakis: The most deepfaked man on YouTube!

    12/30/2025

    Yanis Varoufakis: The most deepfaked man on YouTube!

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers speaks with Yanis Varoufakis about the unsettling rise of AI-generated deepfakes, using Varoufakis’s own experience as one of the most synthesised figures on YouTube as a chilling case study. The conversation delves into the "techno-feudal" power structures of Big Tech, where algorithms prioritise engagement and "rent-seeking" over truth, allowing misinformation to spread rapidly while the victims struggle to reclaim their own digital identities. Moving beyond the personal, they explore an imminent future in which audiovisual evidence can no longer be trusted, debating whether this will lead to a new era where arguments are judged solely on their merits, or a return to a medieval-like state where high-quality information becomes a luxury for the elite while the masses are left to navigate a sea of fabricated content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min
  18. Steven Pinker: Questions that shouldn't be asked

    10/06/2025

    Steven Pinker: Questions that shouldn't be asked

    Freddie Sayers sits down with renowned cognitive psychologist, author, and Harvard Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker to discuss his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows... and explore how common knowledge shapes our social, political, and economic worlds. Their conversation delves into the power and pitfalls of collective thinking, the dynamics of cancel culture and censorship, and the Trump administration’s clashes with academic institutions like Harvard. They also consider whether democracy is in decline, if society is losing its shared sense of reality, and whether there’s still reason to be optimistic about the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
  19. Slavoj Žižek: Trump is a liberal fetish

    04/09/2025

    Slavoj Žižek: Trump is a liberal fetish

    Dubbed “the most dangerous philosopher in the West”, Slovenian psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek has singlehandedly led a revolution in punk political theory. Now, in the shadow of Donald Trump 2.0, he asks why democracy fails, sex sells and how rock bottom could be the best place to start. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 18m
  20. Ex-prisoner: The Islamist gangs inside our prisons

    12/16/2025

    Ex-prisoner: The Islamist gangs inside our prisons

    UnHerd's Freddie Sayers speaks with Steve Gallant, a convicted murderer who served 16 years in prison and became known as a hero during the 2019 London Bridge terror attack, where he famously helped subdue the attacker, Usman Khan, with a narwhal tusk on his first-ever day release. Gallant recounts the dramatic events of that day, which led to a royal pardon and an early release, but the conversation delves deeper into the complex reality of rehabilitation and the growing threat of organised Islamist terror networks—or "the Brotherhood"—who are gaining authority and converting other inmates within the UK's high-security prisons. Gallant offers an urgent warning on the failures of the system to challenge radical ideology and reflects on the difficult question of whether true change is possible for long-term prisoners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
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