Best Spectator Out Loud Podcasts (2025)

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Tom Slater, Justin Marozzi, Iben Thranholm, Angus Colwell & Philip Womack 27:29

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4d ago27:29

27:29

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tom Slater says that Britain is having its own gilet jaunes moment; Justin Marozzi reads his historian’s notebook; Iben Thranholm explains how Denmark’s ‘spiritual rearmament’ is a lesson for the West; Angus Colwell praises BBC Alba; and, Philip Womack provides his notes on flatmates. Produced and presented by Pat…

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Spectator Out Loud: Tom Slater, Justin Marozzi, Iben Thranholm, Angus Colwell & Philip Womack 27:29

4d ago27:29

27:29

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tom Slater says that Britain is having its own gilet jaunes moment; Justin Marozzi reads his historian’s notebook; Iben Thranholm explains how Denmark’s ‘spiritual rearmament’ is a lesson for the West; Angus Colwell praises BBC Alba; and, Philip Womack provides his notes on flatmates. Produced and presented by Pat…

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Quite right! – Farage steals summer, Starmer’s reset flop & should we 'raise the colours'? 48:46

22m ago48:46

48:46

Michael Gove and Madeline Grant launch ‘Quite right!’, the new podcast from The Spectator that promises sanity and common sense in a world that too often lacks both. In their first episode, they take stock of a political summer dominated by Nigel Farage, a Labour government already facing mutiny, and the curious spectacle of Tory MPs moonlighting a…

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Americano: do mass shootings begin online? 31:46

20h ago31:46

31:46

Freddy Gray is joined by writer and internet ethnographer Katherine Dee. She's written about the Minneapolis school shooting and Robin Westman for Spectator World. Two children were killed and 17 others injured by a killer with a bizarre online footprint: a mix of memes, nihilism, politics and gore references. Katharine argues 'these shooters are r…

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Coffee House Shots: how have the 2024 intake found frontline politics? 19:26

1d ago19:26

19:26

As Parliament returns from summer recess, three rising stars of the 2024 intake join Coffee House Shots to provide their reflections on frontline politics so far. Labour's Rosie Wrighting, the Conservatives' Harriet Cross and the Liberal Democrats' Joshua Reynolds tell deputy political editor James Heale how they have found Parliament so far, and t…

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Holy Smoke: the Twelve Churches that made Christianity 39:53

2d ago39:53

39:53

What links the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and St Peter's in Rome with the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and Canaanland in Ota, Nigeria? These are just some of the churches that Anglican priest and writer the Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie highlights in his new book Twelve Churches: An Unlikely History of the Buildings that …

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Coffee House Shots: why Angela Rayner is so iconic 16:30

3d ago16:30

16:30

The Daily Telegraph have run a story this week that Angela Rayner may have dodged stamp duty on her second home. But beyond the story, its the photos of the Deputy Prime Minister on the beach at Hove – drinking and vaping – that went viral. Christian Calgie, senior political correspondent for the Daily Express, joins James Heale to unpack the story…

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The Edition: the coming crash, a failing foster system & ‘DeathTok’ 45:04

5d ago45:04

45:04

First: an economic reckoning is looming ‘Britain’s numbers… don’t add up’, says economics editor Michael Simmons. We are ‘an ageing population with too few taxpayers’. ‘If the picture looks bad now,’ he warns, ‘the next few years will be disastrous.’ Governments have consistently spent more than they raised; Britain’s debt costs ‘are the worst in t…

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Book Club, from the archives: 80 years of Brideshead Revisited 42:29

5d ago42:29

42:29

This week's Book Club podcast marks the 80th anniversary this year of the publication of Brideshead Revisited. This conversation is from the archives, originally recorded in 2020 to mark its 75th anniversary. To discuss Evelyn Waugh's great novel, Sam Leith is joined by literary critic and author Philip Hensher, and by the novelist's grandson (and …

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Coffee House Shots: is Britain becoming more sectarian? 22:11

6d ago22:11

22:11

Immigration returned to the headlines over the past week after the High Court granted an injunction forcing the removal of migrants from a hotel in Essex – a ruling that could have wider implications for similar cases across the country. At the same time, the sight of Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses appearing in towns and cities has sparked a d…

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Coffee House Shots: Farage finally unveils his deportation plan 13:18

7d ago13:18

13:18

Today James Heale has been on quite the magical mystery tour. Bundled into a bus at 7.45 a.m. along with a group of other hacks, he was sent off to an aircraft hangar in Oxfordshire where Nigel Farage finally unveiled his party’s long-awaited deportations strategy. The unveiling of ‘Operation Restoring Justice’ was accompanied by some impressive pr…

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Americano: how progressivism killed American Protestantism 18:29

8d ago18:29

18:29

Freddy Gray speaks to Christopher Mondics who is a legal affairs writer about how the left-wing orthodoxy has destroyed Protestantism in America. They discuss the mainline denominations in America, how 'wokeness' infiltrated the churches and why, despite some drop off, religion is still so present in America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy …

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Spectator Out Loud: Svitlana Morenets, Michael Simmons, Ursula Buchan, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, Richard Morris & Mark Mason 36:41

9d ago36:41

36:41

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Svitlana Morenets says that Trump has given Zelensky cause for hope; Michael Simmons looks at how the American healthcare system is keeping the NHS afloat; Ursula Buchan explains how the Spectator shaped John Buchan; Igor Toronyi-Lalic argues that art is no place for moralising, as he reviews Rosanna McLaughlin; R…

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Coffee House Shots: Starmer’s authoritarian turn – with Ash Sarkar 15:35

10d ago15:35

15:35

Since the government’s decision to proscribe the group Palestine Action, arrests have mounted across the country, raising questions not only about the group’s tactics but also about the government’s handling of free speech and protest rights. On today’s special edition of Coffee House Shots, Michael Simmons is joined by The Spectator’s James Heale …

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Svitlana Morenets, Michael Simmons, Ursula Buchan, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, Richard Morris & Mark Mason 36:41

11d ago36:41

36:41

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Svitlana Morenets says that Trump has given Zelensky cause for hope; Michael Simmons looks at how the American healthcare system is keeping the NHS afloat; Ursula Buchan explains how the Spectator shaped John Buchan; Igor Toronyi-Lalic argues that art is no place for moralising, as he reviews Rosanna McLaughlin; R…

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Americano: how dangerous is Washington, D.C.? 21:36

12d ago21:36

21:36

US President Donald Trump claims Washington, D.C. has been "overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals". There are lots of stories about crime, including one very bizarre incident involving a sandwich. Just how unsafe is D.C.? Freddy Gray is joined by US managing editor Matt McDonald and Isaac Schorr, staff writer at Mediaite, who has wr…

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The Edition: Putin’s trap, the decline of shame & holiday rental hell 49:40

13d ago49:40

49:40

First: Putin has set a trap for Europe and Ukraine ‘Though you wouldn’t know from the smiles in the White House this week… a trap has been set by Vladimir Putin to split the United States from its European allies,’ warns Owen Matthews. The Russian President wants to make a deal with Donald Trump, but he ‘wants to make it on his own terms’. ‘Putin w…

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Book Club Live: Max Hastings 31:54

13d ago31:54

31:54

Sam Leith's guest for this week's Book Club podcast is Max Hastings. Max joined Sam earlier this year for a live recording to discuss his new book Sword: D-Day, trial by battle, which tells the story of the individual stories who risked their lives as part of Operation Overlord. The discussion was arranged to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. On …

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Coffee House Shots: how do we get more working class people into politics? 16:26

15d ago16:26

16:26

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, joins James Heale to discuss his campaign to improve working class representation in politics. Tom, newly elected in 2024, explains how getting his mum involved in local politics in West Yorkshire led him to think about the structural issues that exist preventing more people from gett…

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Americano: did Putin get the upper hand in Alaska? 18:55

16d ago18:55

18:55

Donald Trump hasn't left his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska with a deal to end the war in Ukraine. He told reporters that 'great progress' was made but 'we didn't get there'. To discuss who really got the upper hand, Freddy Gray is joined by Spectator associate editor and Russia correspondent Owen Matthews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

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Holy Smoke: from the Bible to Tolkien, the risks & rewards of collecting rare books 27:00

17d ago27:00

27:00

The Bible is widely said to be the most published book of all time. Despite this, many older versions of the Bible are still sought after. This is because, as Tom Ayling tells Damian Thompson on this episode of Holy Smoke, there is a great deal of diversity amongst the editions precisely because it has been so widely published. Tom, a young antiqua…

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Coffee House Shots: is the world safer than in 1945? 11:03

18d ago11:03

11:03

80 years ago this week Japan surrendered to the allies, ushering in the end of the Second World War. To mark the anniversary of VJ day, historians Sir Antony Beevor and Peter Frankopan join James Heale to discuss its significance. As collective memory of the war fades, are we in danger of forgetting its lessons? And, with rising state-on-state viol…

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Patrick Kidd, Madeline Grant, Simon Heffer, Lloyd Evans & Toby Young 27:48

19d ago27:48

27:48

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Patrick Kidd asks why is sport so obsessed with Goats; Madeline Grant wonders why the government doesn’t show J.D. Vance the real Britain; Simon Heffer reviews Progress: A History of Humanity’s Worst Idea; Lloyd Evans provides a round-up of Edinburgh Fringe; and, Toby Young writes in praise of Wormwood Scrubs – th…

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Spectator Out Loud: Patrick Kidd, Madeline Grant, Simon Heffer, Lloyd Evans & Toby Young 27:48

19d ago27:48

27:48

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Patrick Kidd asks why is sport so obsessed with Goats; Madeline Grant wonders why the government doesn’t show J.D. Vance the real Britain; Simon Heffer reviews Progress: A History of Humanity’s Worst Idea; Lloyd Evans provides a round-up of Edinburgh Fringe; and, Toby Young writes in praise of Wormwood Scrubs – th…

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The Edition: Border lands, 200 years of British railways & who are the GOATs? 37:22

20d ago37:22

37:22

First: how Merkel killed the European dream ‘Ten years ago,’ Lisa Haseldine says, ‘Angela Merkel told the German press what she was going to do about the swell of Syrian refugees heading to Europe’: ‘Wir schaffen das’ – we can handle it. With these words, ‘she ushered in a new era of uncontrolled mass migration’. ‘In retrospect,’ explains one senio…

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Book Club: Joanna Pocock 35:23

20d ago35:23

35:23

Sam Leith's guest for this week's Book Club podcast is Joanna Pocock, whose new book Greyhound describes two trips she took across America by Greyhound bus in 2006 and 2023. They talk about the literature of the road, that distinctively American and usually distinctively male genre, and the meaning of travel – and Joanna tells Sam how the America y…

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Table Talk: Brett Graham 29:54

21d ago29:54

29:54

Brett Graham is the man behind the Michelin-starred The Ledbury in Notting Hill, which is celebrating 20 years this year. He’s also the director of The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London’s only pub with a Michelin star. On the podcast, Brett tells hosts Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts about why being in the kitchen is like being in the army, what it …

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Americano: what's the matter with Candace Owens? 36:04

22d ago36:04

36:04

Freddy Gray speaks to podcast host and commentator Candace Owens about her story investigating whether Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte is a man, why she remains firm on her views about Gaza, and how Trump is doing in his presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Holy Smoke: how has John Henry Newman inspired Pope Leo XIV? 30:41

24d ago30:41

30:41

St John Henry Newman (1801-90) is perhaps the most influential theologian in the history of English Christianity. Yet, as Damian Thompson discusses with Fr Rod Strange – one of the world’s leading authorities on Newman – he was a divisive figure, though perhaps not in the way one might imagine. One of the founders of the Oxford Movement, Newman was…

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Americano: Ann Coulter on why Trump wins & why Reform can win 30:34

25d ago30:34

30:34

Freddy Gray is joined by author Ann Coulter in London, to discuss why she backs the rise of Reform UK, how immigration main issue voters care about this election and why she's backing Trump in his second term. Ann Coulter's Substack can be found at: anncoulter.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Max Jeffery, Cosmo Landesman, Henry Blofeld, David Honigmann & Rachel Johnson 28:14

26d ago28:14

28:14

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery reports from court as the Spectator and Douglas Murray win the defamation cause brought against them by Mohammed Hijab; Cosmo Landesman defends those who stay silent over political issues; Henry Blofeld celebrates what has been a wonderful year for test cricket; David Honigmann reflects on the powder k…

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Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery, Cosmo Landesman, Henry Blofeld, David Honigmann & Rachel Johnson 28:14

26d ago28:14

28:14

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery reports from court as the Spectator and Douglas Murray win the defamation cause brought against them by Mohammed Hijab; Cosmo Landesman defends those who stay silent over political issues; Henry Blofeld celebrates what has been a wonderful year for test cricket; David Honigmann reflects on the powder k…

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The Edition: Reform’s motherland, Meloni’s Italian renaissance & the adults learning to swim 45:28

27d ago45:28

45:28

First: Nigel Farage is winning over women Does – or did – Nigel Farage have a woman problem? ‘Around me there’s always been a perception of a laddish culture,’ he tells political editor Tim Shipman. In last year’s election, 58 per cent of Reform voters were men. But, Shipman argues, ‘that has begun to change’. According to More in Common, Reform ha…

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Coffee House Shots: what Douglas Murray’s court win means for press freedom 9:55

27d ago9:55

9:55

The Spectator and Douglas Murray have comprehensively won a defamation case brought by Mohammed Hegab. Hegab, a YouTuber who posts under the name Mohammed Hijab, claimed that an article about the Leicester riots, written by Douglas Murray and published by The Spectatorin September 2022, caused serious harm to his reputation and led to a loss of ear…

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Book Club: Nicola Barker 26:34

28d ago26:34

26:34

Sam Leith's guest on this week's Book Club podcast is Nicola Barker, talking about her new book TonyInterruptor -- about how a man who interrupts a free jazz concert becomes a viral sensation on social media. Nicola tells Sam why some of her books are bouts of the flu and some are sneezes, how hard she works on her apparently spontaneous prose, why…

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Americano: Trump, MAGA and US foreign policy 23:53

29d ago23:53

23:53

Trump, MAGA, and US foreign policy Kate Andrews speaks to Damir Marusic, assignment editor at The Washington Post and co-founder of Wisdom of Crowds. They examine Donald Trump’s surprising foreign policy moves in his second term: his position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, why he's armed Ukraine despite MAGA frustration, and whether his instincts are…

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Coffee House Shots: why can't we agree on data? 11:13

29d ago11:13

11:13

John O’Neill and Sam McPhail, the Spectator’s research and data team, join economics editor Michael Simmons to re-introduce listeners to the Spectator’s data hub. They take us through the process between the data hub and how their work feeds into the weekly magazine. From crime to migration, which statistics are the most controversial? Why can’t we…

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Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons, Kapil Komireddi, Margaret Mitchell, David Abulafia and Melissa Kite 26:30

30d ago26:30

26:30

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons argues that Trump is winning the tariff war with China; Kapil Komireddi reviews Robert Ivermee’s Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India; Margaret Mitchell watches a Channel 4 documentary on Bonnie Blue and provides a warning to parents; David Abulafia provides his no…

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Holy Smoke: Massacres in Syria and the Congo 27:25

1M ago27:25

27:25

Massacres in Syria and the Congo: why aren't Western elites, including the Churches, drawing attention to religious persecution? After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, many people voiced fears that the religious minorities in the country could face increased persecution. This could be at the hands of the new government’s supporters, or simply…

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Coffee House Shots: the Online Safety Act vs free speech 26:13

1M ago26:13

26:13

Is the Online Safety Act protecting children – or threatening free speech? Michael Simmons hosts John Power, who writes the Spectator's cover piece this week on how the Act has inadvertently created online censorship. Implemented and defended by the current Labour government, it is actually the result of legislation passed by the Conservatives in 2…

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Michael Simmons, Kapil Komireddi, Margaret Mitchell, David Abulafia and Melissa Kite 26:30

1M ago26:30

26:30

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons argues that Trump is winning the tariff war with China; Kapil Komireddi reviews Robert Ivermee’s Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India; Margaret Mitchell watches a Channel 4 documentary on Bonnie Blue and provides a warning to parents; David Abulafia provides his no…

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Americano: Lionel Shriver on Trump’s second term 35:37

1M ago35:37

35:37

Lionel Shriver on Trump’s vendetta, Mamdani’s ‘stupid’ ideas & sentimental immigration Deputy US editor Kate Andrews is joined by author and Spectator columnist Lionel Shriver to assess Donald Trump’s turbulent second term. They discuss the rise of socialism in New York, why fairness is warping immigration policy, and whether Trump’s obsession with…

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The Edition: Under CTRL, the Epping migrant protests & why is ‘romantasy’ so popular? 38:32

1M ago38:32

38:32

First: the new era of censorship A year ago, John Power notes, the UK was consumed by race riots precipitated by online rumours about the perpetrator of the Southport atrocity. This summer, there have been protests, but ‘something is different’. With the introduction of the Online Safety Act, ‘the government is exerting far greater control over wha…

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Book Club: Gary Shteyngart 34:38

1M ago34:38

34:38

Sam Leith is joined for this week's Book Club podcast by Gary Shteyngart — whose new novel Vera, or Faith is set in a near-future America whose politics seems to be less science-fictional by the day. It tells the unexpectedly tender story of a bright but lonely ten-year-old girl contending with her parents' failing marriage and navigating the begin…

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Americano: what should we make of Trump's trip to the UK? 26:30

1M ago26:30

26:30

Donald Trump is in Scotland, holding court at Turnberry. He's welcomed Sir Keir and Lady Victoria Starmer to his golf course, and had a long discussion with reporters at a wide ranging press conference, that covered Russia, Gaza, and his long running feud with London mayor Sadiq Khan. To unpack it all, Freddy is joined by political editor Tim Shipm…

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Table Talk: Charlotte Ivers 34:26

1M ago34:26

34:26

Charlotte Ivers is the restaurant critic for the Sunday Times; most recently she reviewed Lupa, Fenix and Home SW15. Charlotte started her career as a media adviser in Theresa May’s Number 10, before she moved into the world of radio. She was a political correspondent at talkRADIO and Wireless Group before joining Times Radio. On the podcast, Charl…

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Americano: Douglas Murray on conspiracy America, Epstein & the new age of suspicion 30:28

1M ago30:28

30:28

Douglas Murray on conspiracy America, lawfare & the new age of suspicion Donald Trump promised to release the Epstein files – so why hasn't he? Spectator columnist Douglas Murray joins Kate Andrews to discuss the scandal that won't go away, what it says about trust in institutions, and why even Trump’s most loyal supporters are starting to turn on …

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Spectator Out Loud: Ian Thomson, Patrick Kidd, Mike Cormack, Ursula Buchan and Richard Bratby 35:54

1M ago35:54

35:54

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Ian Thomson on what the destruction of the Hotel Oloffson means for Haiti (00:54); Patrick Kidd analyses Donald Trump and the art of golf diplomacy (06:43); Mike Cormack reviews Irvine Welsh’s Men In Love (16:49); Ursula Buchan provides her notes on the Palm House at Kew (20:38); and, Richard Bratby argues that Jo…

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Coffee House Shots: Katie Lam on immigration, benefits and the border 24:00

1M ago24:00

24:00

Katie Lam became an MP in 2024 after a career in finance. She's also an accomplished scriptwriter, having co-written five musicals. She's one of the most exciting new intake MPs, and she's ruffling feathers in Westminster and beyond. She joins political editor Tim Shipman to discuss everything from her vision for the country to the ECHR, and shares…

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Americano: did Condé Nast shape the world? 34:33

1M ago34:33

34:33

Did Condé Nast shape the world? In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks with New York Times writer and debut author Michael Grynbaum about his new book Empire of the Elite, a sweeping history of Condé Nast – the media empire that once dictated American taste, fashion, and celebrity. From Anna Wintour’s carefully staged exit to the vanished…