Best of the Spectator
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.
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- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 33 minutes
- Episodes
- 2366
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
Americano: what will Jimmy Carter be remembered for?
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here **
The former US President has died age 100 surrounded by his family in Plains. Kno…
The former US President has died age 100 surrounded by his family in Plains. Kno…
00:22:25 |
Tue 31 Dec 2024
Holy Smoke: how abuse scandals shattered the Church of England but were hidden by the Vatican
In this end-of-year episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson discusses the abuse scandals that have forced the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to resign his post, his predecessor Lord C…
00:13:17 |
Tue 31 Dec 2024
Coffee House Shots: why 2025 could redefine politics
Santa will have had a tricky time this year fulfilling all the Christmas wish lists in Westminster. Keir Starmer is desperately hoping for a change in the political weather, and Kemi Badenoch would l…
00:22:50 |
Mon 30 Dec 2024
Americano: did 2024 save the American dream?
2024 has been another year of extraordinary events in American politics. From Trump’s attempted assassination, the general election, the death of peanut the squirrel, Biden’s resignation and internat…
00:50:07 |
Sun 29 Dec 2024
Book Club, from the archives: Annie Nightingale
Broadcaster and Radio DJ Annie Nightingale passed away earlier this year. In memory of her, please enjoy this episode of the Book Club podcast, from the archives, in which she joined Sam Leith in 202…
00:32:51 |
Sun 29 Dec 2024
2024 Out Loud: Cindy Yu, Michael Simmons, Angus Colwell, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, Mary Wakefield, Fraser Nelson and Michael Gove
On 2024 Out Loud: Cindy Yu examined Chinese work ethic (1:13); Michael Simmons declared his love of the doner kebab (6:28); Angus Colwell reported from Israel in July (9:27); Igor Toronyi-Lalic expla…
00:38:10 |
Sat 28 Dec 2024
Coffee House Shots: have we been too quick to judge Kemi Badenoch?
Kemi Badenoch is just over a month into her tenure as leader of the opposition, and already she has been criticised for her performances at PMQs and for failing to offer much in the way of policy pro…
00:19:21 |
Fri 27 Dec 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 the…
01:14:55 |
Thu 26 Dec 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 …
‘It gives on the whole much more pain than pleasure… Anyone can force you to give him a present by sending you …
00:26:12 |
Tue 24 Dec 2024
Chinese Whispers: Peter Hessler on what English names can reveal about China
Why do so many Chinese people choose such curious English names? You must have come across this phenomenon – whether they are names from a past century, or surnames, nouns or even adjectives used as …
00:34:01 |
Mon 23 Dec 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 (12:3…
00:48:09 |
Sun 22 Dec 2024
Coffee House Shots: Year in Review 2024
It’s been a historic year in British politics. At the start of 2024, the UK had a different Prime Minister, the Tories had a different leader, and The Spectator had a different editor! Michael Gove, …
00:27:43 |
Sat 21 Dec 2024
Women With Balls: Maureen Lipman
Dame Maureen Lipman has been a fixture of stage and screen for over five decades. She has been a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company; she is well k…
00:36:01 |
Fri 20 Dec 2024
Americano: are migrants 'self-deporting' in fear of Trump?
Springfield Ohio became a talking point in this year's Presidential election after Donald Trump referred to Haitian migrants 'eating the cats and dogs'. Steven Edginton, GB News US Correspondent has …
00:25:29 |
Thu 19 Dec 2024
The Book Club: Chris Ware
My guest in this week's Book Club podcast is Chris Ware — author of Jimmy Corrigan, Building Stories and Rusty Brown, and a man widely regarded as one of the greatest living cartoonists.
Chris's new b…
Chris's new b…
00:39:02 |
Wed 18 Dec 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 Ar…
00:29:21 |
Tue 17 Dec 2024
Coffee House Shots: would Brexit voters really accept the return of freedom of movement?
New research last week suggested that a majority of Brexit voters would accept the return of freedom of movement in exchange for access to the EU single market. The poll, conducted by the European Co…
00:18:22 |
Mon 16 Dec 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 o…
00:25:05 |
Sun 15 Dec 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 p…
00:36:23 |
Sat 14 Dec 2024
Americano: has Trump already become President?
Freddy Gray is joined by an Americano favourite, Jacob Heilbrunn, to reflect on 2024 in American politics. They discuss why Trump appears to be the de facto President, whether a good Democratic candi…
00:34:08 |
Fri 13 Dec 2024
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