Best Spectator Out Loud Podcasts (2025)

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Spectator Out Loud: John Power, Nick Carter, Elisabeth Dampier, Maggie Fergusson & Mark Mason 25:36

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2d ago25:36

25:36

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: John Power argues the Oxford Union has a ‘lynch-mob mindset’; Elisabeth Dampier explains why she would never date a German; Nick Carter makes the case for licensing MDMA to treat veterans with PTSD; Maggie Fergusson reviews Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island by Mike Pitts; and,…

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John Power, Nick Carter, Elisabeth Dampier, Maggie Fergusson & Mark Mason 25:36

4d ago25:36

25:36

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: John Power argues the Oxford Union has a ‘lynch-mob mindset’; Elisabeth Dampier explains why she would never date a German; Nick Carter makes the case for licensing MDMA to treat veterans with PTSD; Maggie Fergusson reviews Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island by Mike Pitts; and,…

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Quite right!: where Blair is wrong & Farage is right 27:33

33m ago27:33

27:33

Listeners on the Best of Spectator playlist can enjoy a section of the latest episode of Quite right but for the full thing please seek out the Quite right! channel. Just search ‘Quite right!’ wherever you are listening now. This week, Michael and Maddie lift the lid on the strange rituals of party conference season and why the ‘goldfish bowl’ real…

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Americano: how scary is China's military? 19:53

1d ago19:53

19:53

Freddy Gray is joined by Harry Kazianis, editor in chief of the National Security Journal, to assess China’s military rise. He argues Beijing aims to dominate the Indo-Pacific with missiles, drones and naval power, posing a growing threat to U.S. influence and Taiwan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Holy Smoke: 800 years on, why is Aquinas Gen Z’s favourite philosopher? 25:28

3d ago25:28

25:28

This year marks 800 years since the birth of the theologian St Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas, best known for his theory of natural law and his magnum opus the Summa Theologia, argued for the existence of God through faith-based reason. The influence of the 13th Century theologian on the philosophy of religion is unquestionable, but what is curious is his…

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Coffee House Shots: should Britain recognise Palestine? 17:29

11h ago17:29

17:29

The government is expected to press ahead with recognition of Palestinian statehood, before a formal declaration at the United Nations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out plans earlier this year to recognise Palestine – but what does this actually mean? And what does the move actually achieve; is it driven by principle, by politics – or by pressur…

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The Edition: Weimar Britain, the war on science & are you a competitive reader? 35:42

5d ago35:42

35:42

First: a warning from history Politics moving increasingly from the corridors of power into the streets, economic insecurity exacerbating tensions and the centre of politics failing to hold; these are just some of the echoes from Weimar Germany that the Spectator’s editor Michael Gove sees when looking at present-day Britain. But, he says, ‘there a…

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Book Club: Roger Lewis on Peter Sellers 37:31

5d ago37:31

37:31

Sam Leith's guest in this week's Book Club podcast is Roger Lewis, whose book The Life and Death of Peter Sellers has been republished to mark 100 years since the comedian's birth. Roger tells Sam about the difference between Sellers's public persona and private life, plus his influence on comedy today. They also discuss how Roger reinvented the wa…

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Quite right!: Why Danny Kruger's defection changes everything & could Boris Johnson be next? 53:59

7d ago53:59

53:59

This week Michael and Madeline unpick the shock defection of Danny Kruger to Reform UK’s ‘pirate ship’ – as described by Michael – and ask whether this coup could mark the beginning of the end for the Conservative party. They also dive into Westminster’s most charged moral debates: the assisted dying bill in the Lords and the quiet decriminalisatio…

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Table Talk: Raymond Blanc 39:19

25m ago39:19

39:19

In a bumper episode, the legend that is Raymond Blanc joins Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. The self-taught chef heads up the double Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, has trained chefs from Heston Blumenthal to Marco Pierre White, and received an honorary OBE in 2008. His new book Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden is out now. The chef te…

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Spectator Out Loud: James Heale, Robert Hardman, Francis Pike, Henrietta Harding & Mary Wakefield 31:21

9d ago31:21

31:21

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale reports on the battle for the north; Robert Hardman provides his royal notebook; who’s really in charge of China, asks Francis Pike; Henrietta Harding goes on Ozempic safari; and, Mary Wakefield explains how to raise a patriot. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p…

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James Heale, Robert Hardman, Francis Pike, Henrietta Harding & Mary Wakefield 31:21

9d ago31:21

31:21

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale reports on the battle for the north; Robert Hardman provides his royal notebook; who’s really in charge of China, asks Francis Pike; Henrietta Harding goes on Ozempic safari; and, Mary Wakefield explains how to raise a patriot. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber to…

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Americano: what’s driving political violence? 17:30

9d ago17:30

17:30

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from south-west Utah, has been detained over the shooting of Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of Donald Trump. Author and anthropologist Max Horder joins Freddy Gray to discuss the cocktail of online hate and tribal divisions that's fuelling America's new era of political violence. Hosted on Acast. See acas…

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Holy Smoke: the next Archbishop of Canterbury 21:47

10d ago21:47

21:47

It is 10 months since the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury. Now, finally, the Crown Nominations Commission is believed to have drawn up a shortlist of candidates, and a successor to Welby could be approved by October. Theologian and author Andrew Graystone joins Damian Thompson to talk through what he calls ‘a weak list’ of p…

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The Edition: Royal treatment, neurodiverse history & is everyone on Ozempic? 42:56

11d ago42:56

42:56

First: a look ahead to President Trump’s state visit next week Transatlantic tensions are growing as the row over Peter Mandelson’s role provides an ominous overture to Donald Trump’s state visit next week. Political editor Tim Shipman has the inside scoop on how No. 10 is preparing. Keir Starmer’s aides are braced for turbulence. ‘The one thing ab…

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Americano: Eyewitness – inside the shooting of Charlie Kirk 12:59

7d ago12:59

12:59

Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead while taking questions at Utah Valley University. Kate Andrews speaks to eyewitness and reporter Eva Terry about the chaos on campus, the reaction across America, and what comes next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Quite right!: Why Mandelson had to go & the legacy of Charlie Kirk 40:56

13d ago40:56

40:56

In this bonus episode Michael and Madeline tackle two extraordinary political stories. First, the dramatic resignation of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador, following renewed scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Why did Keir Starmer take so long to act – and what does the debacle reveal about his leadership style? Then, across the Atl…

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Book Club: Andrew Bayliss 42:38

5d ago42:38

42:38

Sam Leith’s guest in this week's Book Club podcast is Andrew Bayliss, author of Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower. Andrew tells Sam what we know — and don't know – about these much-mythologised figures from the Ancient world and tells the story of how a tiny city-state punched above its weight, until it didn't. This is Sparta. Prod…

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Quite right!: Labour’s deputy drama, Macron’s mess & was Thatcher autistic? 46:47

14d ago46:47

46:47

Michael Gove and Madeline Grant return with another episode of Quite right!, The Spectator’s new podcast promising sanity and common sense in an increasingly unhinged world. This week, they dissect Keir Starmer’s brutal reshuffle – from the ‘volcanic ejection’ of Angela Rayner to the rise of Shabana Mahmood, the ‘uncompromising toughie’ now in char…

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Americano: how authoritarian is Trump 2.0? 32:35

8d ago32:35

32:35

On this episode, Nick Gillespie, Reason's editor at large, joins Freddy to discuss whether Trump 2.0 is really as authoritarian as people say. Is he closer to a gangster than a dictator? They also discuss tariffs, the weaponisation of the Justice Department, and the state of free speech in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf…

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Coffee House Shots: Reform's Zia Yusuf in conversation with Michael Gove 1:10:28

16d ago1:10:28

1:10:28

At the Reform conference in Birmingham, the Spectator's editor Michael Gove sat down with Reform UK's head of their department of government efficiency Zia Yusuf. They discussed Labour's track record in government, Zia's faith and his tech background, why leader Nigel Farage is his political hero and how AI could change Britain. Hosted on Acast. Se…

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Holy Smoke: why the canonisation of the first millennial saint is a cause to celebrate 36:41

17d ago36:41

36:41

The Catholic Church will acquire its first millennial saint today, when Pope Leo XIV canonises someone who, if he were alive today, would be young enough to be his son. Carlo Acutis, a ‘computer geek’ from a prosperous Italian family, died aged just 15 in 2006. In this episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson talks to Mgr Anthony Figueiredo and the I…

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Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman, Colin Freeman, Rachel Clarke, Michael Gove & Melanie Ferbreach 39:12

18d ago39:12

39:12

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman interviews shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick (plus – Tim explains the significance of Jenrick’s arguments in a special introduction); Colin Freeman wonders why the defenders of Ukraine have been abandoned; Rachel Clarke reviews Liam Shaw and explains the urgency needed to find new antibiotics; Mi…

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Tim Shipman, Colin Freeman, Rachel Clarke, Michael Gove & Melanie Ferbreach 39:12

19d ago39:12

39:12

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman interviews shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick (plus – Tim explains the significance of Jenrick’s arguments in a special introduction); Colin Freeman wonders why the defenders of Ukraine have been abandoned; Rachel Clarke reviews Liam Shaw and explains the urgency needed to find new antibiotics; Mi…

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The Edition: Reform’s camp following, masculine rage & why do people make up languages? 50:45

19d ago50:45

50:45

First: Reform is naff – and that’s why people like it Gareth Roberts warns this week that ‘the Overton window is shifting’ but in a very unexpected way. Nigel Farage is ahead in the polls – not only because his party is ‘bracingly right-wing’, but ‘because Reform is camp’. Farage offers what Britain wants: ‘a cheeky, up-yours, never-mind-the-knocke…

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The Book Club: Lea Ypi 47:50

11d ago47:50

47:50

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the Albanian-born political philosopher Lea Ypi, whose new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined reconstructs the story of her grandmother’s early life amid the turbulence of the early and mid twentieth century. She talks to me about using the techniques of fiction to supply the gaps in the archive, about Al…

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

21d 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

22d 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

23d 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

24d 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

24d 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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Tom Slater, Justin Marozzi, Iben Thranholm, Angus Colwell & Philip Womack 27:29

25d 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

25d 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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The Edition: the coming crash, a failing foster system & ‘DeathTok’ 45:04

26d 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

13d 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

27d 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

28d 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

25d 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

20d 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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…