Best of the Spectator

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Dr Remi Adekoya, associate politics lecturer at the University of York; Spectator contributor Olenka Hamilton; Bloomberg's Javier Blas; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss who's to blame in the Royal knockabout, why Britain's Polish community are sceptical of the Covid vaccine, and the murky world of commodity traders. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this episode, Anil Bhoyrul starts by asking if it's racist to wonder what colour your child's skin will be. (01:05) Lionel Shriver is up next, and says the West has used China's totalitarian tactics to suppress Covid. (05:05) Melissa Kite finishes the podcast, and describes her encounter with 'obnoxious Surrey battleaxes'. (14:15)

Freddy Gray talks to historian Patrick Allitt, the Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory University, about how much the Harry and Meghan interview has really cut through to the American public.

Is it fair to blame Meghan for the Royal Family's problems? (00:55) Why is China censoring a book of Dante's poetry? (12:40) Would you go to moon? (24:50) With The Spectator's US editor Freddy Gray; The Spectator's restaurant critic Tanya Gold; author Ian Thomson; Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese Studies at King's College London; The Spectator's commissioning editor Mary Wakefield; and Spectator columnist Matthew Parris. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Max Jeffery, Natasha Feroze and Matthew Sawyer.

Sam's guest in this week's Book Club podcast is Horatio Clare - whose superb latest book is about going mad. Heavy Light: A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing, tells the story of Horatio's recent breakdown and forcible hospitalisation - what he experienced, how he recovered, how it pushed him to investigate the unquestioned assumptions about 'chemical imbalances' causing mental illness, and the questionable and effectively random ways in which drugs are prescribed. 

Tiger mums and dads are infamous in the West, but in China the pressure is ramped up several times higher. From kindergarten to university, exams form the structure of a disciplined and competitive educational environment. It yields result - with even the poorest students in Shanghai scoring higher on maths and reading than the richest in the UK (according to PISA). But does the system value the right things, and what sacrifices are demanded? Cindy Yu speaks to journalist Lenora Chu, author of Little Soldiers (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Soldiers-American-Chinese-Achieve/dp/0349411778) , about her research and experience as a mother in the system. Read Cindy's take on the university entrance exams (gaokao) here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/china-s-battery-farm-schools) .

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Sir David Spiegelhalter, a leading statistician from the University of Cambridge; Spectator contributor Stephen Daisley; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; and our TV regulars Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Kate Andrews. We discuss whether the government is really following 'data, not dates', if  the UK's economic recovery could lead to an early election, and what's next for Nicola Sturgeon. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

This week's episode features a reading of The Spectator's leading article, on how devolution has created a democratic deficit in Scotland (00:50); our economics correspondent Kate Andrews on what keeps the Chancellor up at night (7:00); and Rod Liddle on the real cause of food poverty in the UK. (16:35).

Rachel Reeves is the Labour MP for Leeds West and the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about being a teen chess champion (pictured playing), going to a school where her mum worked and what Labour needs to do to turn its losing streak.

Could a blip in inflation ruin the UK's economic recovery? (00:50) Why is support for the IRA becoming normalised? (12:20) What makes a great diarist? (31:15) With The Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews; economist Julian Jessop; writer Jenny McCartney; politician Mairia Cahill; satirist Craig Brown; and historian, journalist and author Simon Heffer. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alex Valizadeh, Alexa Rendell and Matt Taylor.

The public conversation - especially on social media - is widely agreed to be of a dismally low quality. In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam is joined by two people who have ideas about how we can make it better. Andrew Doyle’s new book is Free Speech: And Why It Matters; Ian Leslie’s is Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart And How They Can Bring Us Together. Andrew, Ian and Sam talk free speech, tribalism, cancel culture - and how we can learn to disagree more productively.

Max Halley is one of Britain's pre-eminent sandwich aficionados. He is the founder of Max's Sandwich Shop, and the author of Max's Picnic Book. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about being exposed to obscure ingredients, working in a pudding factory, and the six essential components in every great sandwich. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd.

In the first public appearance since Biden's inauguration, Donald Trump has spoken to CPAC, the annual conservative conference. Freddy Gray reviews his speech with Kate Andrews.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Robert Dingwall, from Nottingham Trent University; Rory Sutherland, vice chair of Ogilvy and The Spectator's Wiki Man columnist; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss SNP turmoil, the roadmap to unlocking, and what makes a good government advert. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this episode, Katy Balls explains how No. 10 infighting could lose Scotland, and reveals how Boris plans to get his side in order. (01:05) Matthew Lynn is next on the show, and tells the story of the Up Crash. (10:10) Craig Brown finishes the podcast, reading his review of a 'dark portrait of sibling hatred': Samantha Markle's memoir. (21:20)

Could No. 10 infighting lose the Union? (00:40) When should the government tell us how to behave? (13:20) Can a relationship work without hugging for a year? (31:30)   With The Spectator’s deputy political editor Katy Balls; The Spectator’s Scotland editor Alex Massie; vice chair of Ogilvy and Spectator columnist Rory Sutherland; Deirdre McCloskey, Professor of Economics, History, English and Communications at University of Illinois at Chicago; writer Rob Palk; and journalist Emily Hill.    Presented by Lara Prendergast.    Produced by Max Jeffery and Charlie Price.

Sam Leith's guest on this week’s Book Club is the bioarchaeologist Cat Jarman, whose fascinating new book River Kings spins a global history of the Vikings out of a single carnelian bead found in a grave in Repton. Cat tells him how much more there was to the Viking culture than our traditional image of arson, rape and pillage in Northumbria - showing how 21st century techniques have helped to expose a culture that raided and traded from Scandinavia as far as Baghdad and Constantinople, and may even have been the ancestral population of the Russian heartland. Plus: real-life Valkyries, slavery and human sacrifice. You never learned all this from How To Train Your Dragon...

After getting off the phone with Xi Jinping, Joe Biden warned his senators that on infrastructure 'and a whole range of other things', China was spending much more than the US, and America risked being left behind. So just how interconnected is modern China and is it really a good growth model to emulate? With economist George Magnus, author of Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Rod Liddle, associate editor at The Spectator; Trevor Phillips, managing director at Webber Phillips; journalist Dan Hitchens; Harry Mount, editor of The Oldie; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss how England will leave lockdown, the rise of vaccine diplomacy, and why Anglo-Saxon history is so popular. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this episode, Cindy Yu begins by explaining why China and Russia are ahead in the great game of vaccine diplomacy. (00:45) Fraser Nelson is next, and he tells us why The Spectator went to court. (10:35) Josiah Gogarty finishes the podcast, asking how middle-class your dad is. (16:35)

This week's Holy Smoke examines the fragmentation of American Catholicism following the election of pro-choice Catholic Joe Biden. It focuses on the strangest current of thought among the many conservative Catholics calling for an urgent change of approach in order to confront what promises to be an authoritarian liberal administration. It's called integralism, a label previously attached to distinctly un-American European Catholic reactionaries such as Action française and General Franco's Falangists. In its US incarnation it's less nationalist but in some ways equally extreme. Its proponents want to turn the United States into a nation in which, in the long run, only Catholics will be full citizens eligible to hold office. This new integralism is a medieval fantasy built around the teachings of St Thomas Aquinas. It has been labelled 'clerico-fascist' by its critics – and also, more convincingly to my mind, 'Catholic Sharia'. No one is going to vote for it, of course, but as you'll hear in this episode it could well have an impact on US politics. 

Suzanne Moore is a journalist. On the podcast, she tells Katy about interviewing to work for Marxism Today, feeling out of place at The Guardian, and standing to be an independent MP.

How are China and Russia getting ahead in the great game of vaccine diplomacy? (00:50) Has the US press lost its way? (11:30) Why is Anglo-Saxon history making a comeback? (27:20) With The Spectator's broadcast editor Cindy Yu; journalist Owen Matthews; Harper's publisher Rick MacArthur; The Washington Post's media critic Erik Wemple; journalist Dan Hitchens; and Sutton Hoo archaeologist Professor Martin Craver. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery and Matt Taylor.

Sam's guest in this week’s books podcast is the historian Judith Flanders, whose A Place For Everything tells the story of a vital but little considered part of intellectual history: alphabetical order. Judith tells Sam how this innovation both reflected and enabled the movement from oral to written culture, from a dogmatic to a secular worldview, and made possible the modern administrative state. They touch on, among other things, prototypes of the Post-It note, the contribution of the French Revolution to indexing, the bizarre British Library shelfmark for Gawain and the Green Knight, and why Dewey, of decimal fame, was an utter rotter.

Eliot Higgins is an investigative journalist. He is the founder of Bellingcat, a platform specialising in open source intelligence. Bellingcat is known for its work on the Syrian civil war, the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and the Salisbury poisonings. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Olivia about his love of custard, what he snacks on while working, and why he doesn't eat out. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Sharon Peacock CBE, chair of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium; Douglas Ross, leader of Scottish Conservatives; Wolfgang Munchau, director of Eurointellgence; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss how genomics can combat new Covid variants, if the Scottish Tories can stop independence, and why Germany is sidling up to Russia. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

In this episode of Spectator Out Loud, Andrew Sullivan reflects on Trump's second impeachment trial (01:05), Lara Prendergast questions whether vaccine passports are really the solution (08:20) and Deborah Ross reviews an unorthodox film about a school shooting (20:00).

Freddy Gray talks to Republican political consultant Luke Thompson about the demise of the Lincoln Project, the political action committee set up to oppose Donald Trump's re-election. 

On this week's episode, we talk vaccine passports (1:10), Nord Stream 2 (14:55) and the appeal of chess (30:50). With entrepreneur Louis-James Davis, journalist James Ball, analyst Wolfgang Munchau, academic Kadri Liik, chess columnist Luke McShane and chess streamer Fiona Steil-Antoni. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery and Alexa Rendell.

In this week’s books podcast, Sam is joined by the philosopher Toby Ord to talk about the cheering subject of planetary catastrophe. In his book The Precipice, new in paperback, Toby argues that we’re at a crucial point in human history - and that if we don’t start thinking seriously about extinction risks our species may not make it through the next few centuries. Asteroids, supervolcanoes, nuclear immolation, killer AI, engineered pandemics... Toby weighs up the risks of each, and tells us why we should care. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's literary editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

As the first BNO passport holders begin to make their way to the UK and start the path to a new citizenship, Cindy Yu takes a look back at Hong Kong's history and how that special city-state formed its own identity. As SOAS's Professor Steve Tsang tells her on the podcast: 'Not quite British, not quite Chinese'. They talk about how Hong Kongers yearned to find their Chinese roots, the fervour of handover and how 'Cantopop' (Cantonese pop music) took the mainland by storm.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Stephen Daisley, a journalist and Spectator contributor; The Revd Marcus Walker, Rector of Great St Bartholomew's in London; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether vaccines are already having an impact, if the UK's relationship with the EU is deteriorating, and if the Church of England has failed its members. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, Emma Thompson explains why Church of England cuts could lead to the devastation of the parish network. (00:55) Then, Matt Ridley explains why lockdown could have led to more deadly coronavirus variants. (10:15) And finally, Toby Young asks why he hasn't got a peerage. (18:10)

Mims Davies is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Employment and the MP for Mid Sussex. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about how her family became lifelong carers when her dad was attacked at work, about why she didn't come out as a Tory in her student days at Swansea University and why her change of seat in the 2019 election was not all that it seems.

Are parish churches about to be devastated by bureaucracy and mismanagement? (00:55) What's the story behind the UK's vaccination efforts? (07:55) Has an intransigent union stopped firefighters from helping the Covid response? (21:55) With church volunteer Emma Thompson; Rector of Great St Barts Marcus Walker; The Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls; senior project manager at the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute Adam Ritchie; journalist Leo McKinsey; and chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council Roy Wilsher. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Sam Russell and Matt Taylor.

In this week’s Book Club podcast Sam Leith is joined by one of the funniest writers working today. Shalom Auslander’s new novel is Mother For Dinner, which is set in perhaps the most oppressed minority community in the world. He talks to Sam about cannibalism, identity politics, his beef with tragedy... and an extremely high-risk prayer at the Wailing Wall.

Bip Ling is a model, musician, food writer, visual artist and DJ. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv about being inspired by her grandmother's Indian cooking, eating as a model, and why macaroni cheese should be made with almond milk rather than full-fat. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by author and historian Sir Anthony Seldon; former Director of Immunisation at the Department of Health David Salisbury; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether the EU's dispute with AstraZeneca is the beginning of a vaccine war, if quarantines for international arrivals will work in Britain, and who have been Britain's best prime ministers. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, Matthew Lynn describes the first great geopolitical battle of the century: the vaccine wars. (00:40) Plus, Anthony Seldon makes his case for a museum of British premierships. (09:35) Finally, Sam Leith says Doc Martins are the only footwear you'll ever need. (18:30)

Freddy Gray talks to Joe Weisenthal, co-host of the Odd Lots podcast and presenter of What'd You Miss on Bloomberg TV, about the GameStop short squeeze. Where did wallstreetbets start, have they revolutionised the stock market, and do they know what they're doing?

Why has the vaccine rollout turned nasty? (00:45) What's the sex abuse scandal rocking France's elite? (16:55) Have artists run out of new ideas? (28:35) With Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Lynn; science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Dean Kissick, New York editor of Spike Art Magazine; and Eddy Frankel, visual art editor of Time Out magazine. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alexa Rendell and Matt Taylor.

Sam's guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the writer Simon Winchester, whose new book takes on one of the biggest subjects on earth: earth. Land: How The Hunger For Ownership Made The Modern World starts from the author's own little corner of New England - what he proudly calculates at a bit more than three billionths of the earth's surface that he can call his own - and roams worldwide and through time and from the first prehistoric boundary lines to the modern age. Simon asks whether capitalism is possible without land rights, whether climate change will alter our relationship to property, why the pioneering map makers of the nineteenth century are now barely heard of - and just what the Dutch are up to. 

In November, the IPO of Jack Ma's fintech company Ant Financial was abruptly stopped by Chinese regulators (listen to the episode of Chinese Whispers from then here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/how-china-s-richest-man-flew-too-close-to-the-sun) ). But while the move has been seen as counter-productive and political in the West, many Chinese cheered the clipping of Jack Ma's wings. It's in no small part thanks to the consumer lending wing of his company, which is often blamed for a spiralling debt culture in China. Are we seeing the beginnings of a backlash against Big Fintech in the country? Cindy Yu talks to Rui Ma, a former venture capitalist and co-host of the podcast Techbuzz China.

On this week's episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Trevor Philips, managing director of Webber and Phillips and columnist for The Times; author and journalist Owen Matthews; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether Joe Biden can unite America, the latest coronavirus data, why less black people want to be vaccinated, and what's next for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, Kate Andrews says the challenges of Joe Biden's administration go beyond governing. (00:35) Plus, Liam Kennedy explains the history of Irish-American identity. (09:25) Finally, Jeremy Clarke wonders why everyone is a log expert (18:20)

Claire Williams OBE is the former Deputy Team Principal of Williams, family-run the Formula One racing team set up by her father, Frank Williams. On the podcast, she talks about what it was like to be seen as 'Frank's daughter', the struggles of trying to turn around an ailing F1 team and how none of her family actually passed their driving test, first time.

Can Joe Biden unite America? (01:05) Why is the UK's vaccine rollout its most important economic policy? (12:10) And how can re-enactments bring history to life? (22:15) With The Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews; US editor Freddy Gray; political editor James Forsyth; Capital Economics chairman Roger Bootle; re-enactor Chris Brown and historical consultant Justin Pollard. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alexa Rendell, Sam Russell and Matt Taylor.

Sam Leith's guests on this week's Book Club podcast are the writer and Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer, and her mother, the arts publicist Anne Mayer Bird. They are mother and daughter -- but a year ago they became 'sister widows', as both lost their husbands within a few weeks of one another. Their new book is called Good Grief: Embracing life at a time of death, and they join me to talk about grief in the time of Covid, how social perceptions of widowhood put pressure on the bereaved, and what they think needs to change at a societal and personal level with regards to how we treat death and bereavement.

Alison Roman is an American food writer, cook, and author of New York Times bestseller Nothing Fancy. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about the recipes she learnt from her mum, how she plans a dinner party, and craving pizza in lockdown. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

On this episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Peter Greenberger, former head of political advertising at Google and Twitter; Francis Balloux, director of UCL's Genetics Institute; Anshel Pfeffer, a correspondent at The Economist; and a team of Spectator journalists. We discuss whether Twitter was right to ban Trump, what we know about the Brazilian Covid strain, and how Israel has vaccinated so many people. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, Lionel Shriver says we believe what we want to believe. (00:45) Then, Matthew Parris says Peter Mandelson, infamously nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, could have been prime minister. (09:50) And finally, Father Jonathan Beswick explains why he's keeping his church open during lockdown. (17:10)

Helen Andrews is Senior Editor at the American Conservative and author of Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster. On this episode, Freddy Gray interviews her about the Boomer generation and why she argues they are to blame for the chaos of today's world.

Joe Biden won the US election, but is Big Tech really in power? (00:45) Churches are allowed to open during lockdown, but should they? (13:20) And can comfort eating and cosy socks replace human connections? (25:50) With historian Niall Ferguson; New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger; Father Jonathan Beswick; The Very Reverend Peter Howell-Jones; journalist Laura Freeman and psychology professor Dr Shira Gabriel. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Sam Russell and Matt Taylor.

In the first Book Club podcast of the year, we’re marking the moment that George Orwell comes out of copyright. I’m joined by two distinguished Orwellians — D. J. Taylor and Dorian Lynskey — to talk about how the left’s favourite Old Etonian speaks to us now, and how his reputation has weathered. Was he secretly a conservative? Was he a McCarthyite snitch? How would he be remembered had he died before writing Nineteen Eighty-Four? And does 'Orwellian' mean anything much at all?

Since 2017 a succession of re-education camps have sprung up across Xinjiang, the home of the Uyghur people. It's estimated that one in ten Uyghur people are incarcerated to be subjected to patriotic education, but there are reports of forced labour, forced sterilisation and even torture. Much has been written about what is happening in the region, but this episode sheds light on why it's happening. Cindy Yu speaks to Professor James Millward, a renowned historian of the region, to break down China's historic relationship with its ethnic minorities and what Beijing hopes to get out of its treatment of the Uyghurs.

On this episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Jeremy Hunt, chair of the health and social care committee and former foreign secretary, alongside a team of Spectator journalists. This week, we discuss the implications of the Capitol riots and whether the UK's vaccine rollout has been fast enough. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, author and financial columnist Matthew Lynn begins by arguing that the EU has already botched its Covid vaccine rollout. (00:25) Then, Will Knowland, formerly an English teacher at Eton, explains why he was dismissed from the school and criticises its 'stifling monoculture'. (08:20) And finally, Mary Wellesley reflects on the lives of 13th-century hermits. (13:55)

Christina Lamb is an award-winning journalist who has reported on conflicts and politics across the world, for more than three decades. Her latest book is Our Bodies, Their Battlefields, highlighting especially the treatment of women in war.

Coronavirus vaccines are now being distributed across the world, but what are the challenges posed by its delivery? (01:30) Is Boris Johnson the SNP's greatest weapon? (13:55) And is Prince Harry becoming more and more like his mother? (23:35) With financial columnist Matthew Lynn; former director at the McKinsey Global Institute Richard Dobbs; the UK's former director of immunisation David Salisbury; The Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls; The Spectator's Scotland editor Alex Massie; journalist Melanie McDonagh; and royal biographer Angela Levin. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alexa Rendell, Sam Russell and Matt Taylor.

Leroy Logan is a former superintendent at the Metropolitan Police, former chair of the Black Police Association, and author of Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about his love of apple crumble, his wife's lunchboxes, and why police officers should always stay dry. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Damian's guest, the celebrated Irish journalist, broadcaster and playwright Mary Kenny, offers a nuanced analysis of the powerful and paradoxical world in which she grew up: one in which Catholic clergy and lay people could be simultaneously fervently pious, warm-hearted and yet paralysed by petty snobbery. She talks about how the Irish Free State handed far too much power to bishops and priests. In effect, they replaced the disappearing Anglo-Irish nobility as the new aristocracy of rural Ireland, exercising an authority over people's lives that could be generous or malevolent and sometimes a mixture of both.  Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

After a year battling coronavirus, the UK's debt now totals more than £2 trillion. In an effort to keep the economy afloat, the Treasury has paid wages, given tax relief, and even paid for people to eat out. As recently as five years ago, Conservatives would have thought this spending unsustainable. But with Boris Johnson's government being elected on a promise to 'level up' the country, will this high-spending, high-debt economy become the new normal? With Paul Abberley, CEO of Charles Stanley Wealth Managers; Jake Berry, Conservative MP and chair of the Northern Research Group; and David Miles, an economist at Imperial College London and former member of the Monetary Policy Committee.  Presented by Kate Andrews.  Sponsored by Charles Stanley Wealth Managers.

Douglas Murray, the author of The Madness of Crowds, joins the last Americano of the year. On the episode, he and Freddy chat through the most important trends and events of the year, from China and the pandemic, to whether or not 'neocon' is still a usable term.

2020 is drawing to a close but none of us will forget this year anytime soon. For China, has it also been a watershed year? Western rhetoric hasn’t been so hawkish on China in a very long time, with talk of a second Cold War gracing commentary pages and calls to decouple supply chains. Lost in the noise is China's own turning away from the world. In a new strategy called 'dual circulation', the government is encouraging economic self-reliance. On this episode, Cindy Yu talks to Chatham House's Dr Yu Jie to find out how China is instigating its own decoupling.

On this week’s episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Professor Tim Spector, principal investigator of ZOE at Kings College London; Andrew Wilson, former SNP finance spokesperson and founding partner of Charlotte Street Partners; Rod Liddle, associate editor of The Spectator; and a team of Spectator journalists. On this week's episode, we discuss whether all the data supports increased coronavirus restrictions, if there's a case for Scottish independence, and the highs and lows of 2020. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

For the Christmas triple issue, there are four authors in this week's Spectator Out Loud. Fraser Nelson reads the leading article in our Christmas edition; Matt Ridley talks about how mRNA vaccines could revolutionise medicine; Ian Rankin reads his short story; and Cressida Bonas reflects on what it was like to have a lockdown wedding. To read more brilliant pieces from the Christmas issue, subscribe online at spectator.co.uk/voucher and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher; or pick it up at all good newsagents.

This week Beethoven celebrates his 250th birthday. To mark the day, Damian Thompson talks to the composer Sir James MacMillan about how Beethoven's faith impacted his music.

How will the UK's economy recover from Covid-19, and what has the pandemic revealed about the West? (01:20) Was 2020 the year we dealt a mortal blow to future viruses? (15:05) And finally, what makes Mary Gaitskill a brilliant writer, and why does Elif Shafak work to heavy metal music? (29:25) With The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth, deputy political editor Katy Balls, writer and biologist Matt Ridley, behavioural psychologist Dr Stuart Ritchie, The Spectator's literary editor Sam Leith and writer Elif Shafak. Presented by Lara Prendergast.  Produced by Max Jeffery and Sam Russell.

In this week's Book Club podcast, we remember the great John Le Carre. I'm joined by one of the late writer's longest standing friends, the novelist Nicholas Shakespeare. He tells me about Le Carre's disdain for - and debt to - Ian Fleming, his intensely secretive and controlling personality, his magnetic charm, his thwarted hopes of the Nobel Prize... and why at the end of his life he acquired an Irish passport. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Last month the government released its ten point plan for what it dubs 'The Green Industrial Revolution'. At the top of the list was offshore wind, with a pledge to produce enough power for every home by 2030. Offshore wind currently constitutes over 50 per cent of the renewables in the UK, with costs coming down considerably over recent years. But does offshore wind have its limits? Is it always a good deal for the consumer? And how far can it realistically advance us on our road to Net Zero by 2050? With Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth; Benj Sykes, VP for UK Offshore at Orsted; and Sir David King, the former chief scientific adviser to the UK government. Presented by Kate Andrews. Sponsored by Orsted.

Jeffrey Archer is a novelist, former politician, and peer of the realm. He has sold 275 million copies of his books - in 97 countries and more than 30 languages. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about food in prison, his wife's jacket potato, and why he loves shepherd's pie.  Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

On this week’s episode, Andrew Neil is joined by Philip Rycroft, permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the European Union from 2017 to 2019; Stephen Bush, political editor of the New Statesman; Andrew RT Davies, Wales's shadow health minister and former leader of the Welsh Conservatives; and a team of Spectator journalists. On this week's episode, we discuss whether a Brexit deal will really be broken by fish and state aid, whether Wales's 'firebreak' lockdown worked, and why China isn't shouting about it's Covid vaccine. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, the Spectator's deputy US editor, Dominic Green, argues that if Joe Biden departs from Donald Trump’s foreign policy, American interests will be harmed. (01:00) After, Tanya Gold reads her interview with Belle Delphine, the 21-year-old who earns more than $1 million a month from videos she posts online. (13:25) Lionel Shriver features next; she says that nobody wins from identity politics. (20:00) And finally, Bruce Anderson explains why you can’t trust supermarket cheese. (28:45)

Barbara Amiel, Baroness Black, is a journalist, writer and socialite. She's been married four times - her fourth to the newspaper proprietor Conrad Black. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her difficult childhood (which she describes as 'slightly unorthodox'), establishing her journalistic career in Toronto and London, comparing bathrooms with Ghislaine Maxwell, her glamorous marriage to Black and their fall from grace when he was jailed for fraud. Her new book, Friends and Enemies: A Memoir, is and out now. Presented by Katy Balls.

Joe Biden wants his administration to be a departure from the days of Donald Trump, but will a change in foreign policy harm American interests? (01:00) Why is it taking so long to reach a Brexit deal? (17:10) And finally, should cyclists be given priority on London's roads? (29:35) With The Spectator’s deputy US editor Dominic Green, Chatham House's Leslie Vinjamuri, The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth, EurasiaGroup's managing director Mujtaba Rahman, journalist Christian Wolmar and writer, actor, and comedian Griff Rhys Jones. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Matt Taylor and Alexa Rendell.

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam Leith's guest is the journalist Ed Caesar, whose new book The Moth and the Mountain tells the story of a now forgotten solo assault on Everest that ended in disaster. But as Ed argues, the heroic failure can be a richer and more resonant story than any triumph -- and as he painstakingly excavated the story of Maurice Wilson, it was just such a rich and resonant story he discovered: of a character who became fixated on the mountain as a means of redeeming wartime trauma and a chequered and at times disgraceful romantic history, of getting his own back on hated authority figures, and -- just possibly -- of finding a safe space for his darkest secret of all.

Henry Jeffreys is features editor of Masters of Malt, and author of The Cocktail Dictionary. On the podcast, he tells Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts about living like the Goodfellas in Leeds, being 'portly' at university, and enjoying his mum's apple and bramble pie. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

When thinking about Chinese student protests, you'll inevitably think about Hong Kong or Tiananmen. But there's one that kicked it all off in modern Chinese history, and its reverberations are still felt throughout the century, not least because of its role in the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. It's the May Fourth Movement of 1919, which is the topic of this episode. Professor Rana Mitter, former head of the China Centre at the University of Oxford and author of numerous books on Chinese history, joins the podcast on why China is no stranger to student protests. Presented by Cindy Yu.

Andrew Neil is joined by Trevor Phillips, managing director of Webber and Phillips, and columnist for The Times; Mark Harper, Conservative MP and former chief whip; Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos MORI Scotland; and a team of Spectator journalists. On this week's episode, we discuss why Tory MPs rebelled against the tiered restrictions, whether Scottish independence is inevitable and if critical race theory is flawed. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, the Spectator's Scotland editor Alex Massie asks why Nicola Sturgeon's popularity keeps growing, despite her government's underperformance. (00:55) Next, Paul Wood argues that the next six weeks are crucial for the future of the Middle East. (12:00) Finally, Melissa Kite wonders what the new Covid rules mean. (21:00)

From Brett Kavanaugh to Joe Biden, American politics too often seems to be a display of emotions rather than policies. On the podcast, Freddy Gray talks to political analyst Thomas Frank, author of The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism.

Despite her government’s underperformance on education, health and Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon’s popularity continues to climb – why? (01:10) Does spending more on overseas aid mean we care more? (14:05) And finally, are we all followers of the cult of casualness? (26:25) With The Spectator’s Scotland editor Alex Massie, former SNP finance spokesperson Andrew Wilson, development adviser Gilbert Greenall, former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell, journalist Melanie McDonagh and editor of The Oldie, Harry Mount.  Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Cindy Yu and Matt Taylor.

Sam's guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the winner of the 2020 Booker Prize, Douglas Stuart. His first novel, Shuggie Bain, tells the story of a boy growing up in poverty in 1980s Glasgow with an alcoholic single mother. It's a story close to the author's own. He joins Sam from the States to tell him about the ten years he spent writing the book and the dozens of rejections he had from publishers, how moving to the States made him see Glasgow more clearly - and how he went from growing up in a house without books to winning the Booker prize for his first novel. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Pen Vogler is the author of Scoff, which describes the history of food in the British class system. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv about being vegetarian for a year, eating at Oxford colleges in the 1980s, and why avocados are so popular. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Joe Biden's supporters say he will restore America's standing in the world, but with his foreign policy team looking like an Obama-era reunion, will the country simply become more interventionist? Freddy Gray speaks to Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, senior adviser at the Quincy Institute, about whether a Biden presidency will mean more wars. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Andrew Neil is joined by Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK's permanent representative to the EU between 2013 and 2017; Dr Stuart Ritchie, a behavioural scientist at Kings College London; and a team of Spectator journalists. On this week's episode, we discuss how the government plans to pay for coronavirus; whether you can persuade vaccine sceptics; and if a Brexit deal is on the horizon. To watch the show, go to https://www.spectator.co.uk/tv.

On this week's episode, Rod Liddle reflects on the public sector pay freeze, and wonders why teachers won't teach. (00:50) Next, Paul Embery argues that the Labour Party has become disassociated with the working class. (07:03) Finally, Rachel Johnson explains why she wishes Christmas was cancelled. (17:40)

Gillian Keegan is the minister for apprenticeships and skills, and Conservative MP for Chichester. She previously worked at Natwest, Mastercard, Travelport and Amadeus.

The vaccine might be just around the corner, but can the country truly recover? (01:00) How can the Labour party win back the working class? (11:15) And finally, should we celebrate the new statue of Mary Wollstonecraft? (23:10) With The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth, chair of the Health Select Committee Jeremy Hunt, firefighter and writer Paul Embery, Times Radio presenter and former Labour MP Gloria de Piero, The Spectator's radio critic Kate Chisholm, and Spectator contributor and feminist writer Julie Bindel. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery, Matt Taylor and Sam Russell.

On this week's Book Club podcast, we're talking about a subject that never ceases to arouse strong feelings: Auntie Beeb. Sam's guests, Patrick Barwise and Peter York, say - in their new book The War Against The BBC: How an unprecedented combination of hostile forces is destroying Britain's greatest cultural institution... And why you should care - that if we lose the BBC we will miss it. But isn't it a soft-left Establishment mouthpiece, riddled with groupthink and funded by an anachronistic and unjustifiable tax? Isn't it a market-distorting, bureaucratic, top-heavy behemoth that we're better off without? They make the case, here, for why not.

Marcus Wareing is a celebrated, Michelin-starred chef, a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals and Chef Patron at Marcus in Knightsbridge. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about eating in school canteens, working with Gordon Ramsay, and catering during coronavirus. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

As the UK and much of the West continues to struggle against Covid, in China, things largely seem back to normal. Pictures from the 'Golden Week', a week of state holidays to celebrate the People's Republic's founding, showed mountains and seas of people. On this longer episode than usual, Cindy Yu takes a deep dive into China's Covid response - finding out about life in China right now, China's 'Zero Covid' strategy and the economic ramifications. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's episode, Douglas Murray is first, reflecting on the US election, and wondering why people who see the same thing can come to different conclusions. (00:51) Lara Prendergast is next, with her profile of the Prime Minister's fiancee, Carrie Symonds. (09:07) Finally, Andrew Wilson, who makes the case for an independent Scotland. (14:37)

With essayist Mary Eberstadt, whose recent article (https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/12/the-fury-of-the-fatherless) for First Things argued that the riots in the wake of George Floyd's killing come down to the sexual revolution and fatherlessness. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits and experts stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

After two of Boris Johnson's most influential advisers left Downing Street last week, can the PM reset his relationship with the Tory party and find his way again? (00:58) Lara is joined by the Spectator's deputy political editor, Katy Balls, and former director of communications for David Cameron, Craig Oliver. A coronavirus vaccine seems to be the only way out of continued lockdowns, so should everyone be forced to have the jab? (13:49) The Spectator's literary editor, Sam Leith, joins the podcast with Professor Mona Siddiqui, who sits on the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. And finally, should we start referring to people by their surnames again? (25:30) Historian Guy Walters thinks so, and he's joined by the Spectator's etiquette expert, Mary Killen. Presented by Lara Prendergast.  Produced by Cindy Yu and Matt Taylor.

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam Leith's guest is James Hawes. The bestselling author of The Shortest History of Germany turns his attention in his latest book to our own Island Story: The Shortest History of England. He tells Sam why he thinks there's real value in so brief an overview of our history, how Jurassic rock formations doomed our politics, why we never got over the Conquest, how the break-up of the Union is now an inevitability, and why the Cross of St George is a funny emblem for English nationalists to rally behind. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

Sharmadean Reid is an entrepreneur and the founder of Beautystack. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about her grandfather's allotment, cooking roasts and trying crab for the first time.

Ant Group is the business magnate Jack Ma's fintech subsidiary, the company behind the ubiquitous 'Alipay' app, which has one billion users. Last week, it was due to begin trading on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Set to raise US$37 billion, it would have been the biggest IPO ever. But at the eleventh hour, the Chinese government scuppered the plans with crippling new financial reforms. So why won't China allow this homegrown fintech champion to go global? Rumours abound that Ma stepped on the wrong toes. Cindy Yu speaks to Duncan Clark, author of Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma Built, on this episode.

On this week's episode, Dr Simon Clarke tells us why a vaccine may not be as close as we've been led to believe. (00:51) Next, Simon Barnes gives us a history of the mink. (07:13) And finally, Jeremy Clark tells us about his US election night from an olive grove. (11:08)

Alice Bunn is a scientist and international director at the UK Space Agency. She tells Katy about falling in love with the stars, finding the right career and the threat of space debris. 

First, France has been shaken by a series of gruesome terror attack – yet western leaders seem remarkably reluctant to support President Emannuel Macron. (01:04) Lara speaks to The Spectator's associate editor Douglas Murray and writer Ed Husain. Next, this year's US election was truly remarkable – but what was it like to report on it? Lara is joined by the editor of The Spectator's US edition Freddy Gray and Washington editor Amber Athey. (17:31) And finally, the British pub has historically been remarkably adept at circumventing restrictions on drinking – but how has it dealt with lockdown? Lara talks to journalist John Sturgis and Spectator writer Mark Mason. (27:21) Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Gus Carter and Matthew Taylor.

In this week's books podcast, Sam Leith is joined by the sculptor Antony Gormley and the art critic Martin Gayford to talk about their new book Shaping The World: Sculpture from Prehistory to Now. They talk about the special place sculpture occupies in the arts, the lines of connection between its ancient origins and the avant-garde, and their views on the new fashion for tearing down statues. Plus, Antony talks about his own work from Field to the Angel of the North — and why he and Martin can't see eye-to-eye on the Baroque.

Dan Keeling is a wine writer behind the magazine and restaurant Noble Rot. He tells Lara and Livvy about how he discovered his love of wine; working in the music industry; and how to start a restaurant with zero experience.  Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.

The fallout from the election is ongoing, but Joe Biden has reached 270 electoral college votes, and he last night vowed to 'unify' the country. What kind of president will he be? Freddy Gray speaks to Tim Stanley.

On this week's episode, Sam Carlisle, a mother of a disabled child, says her family has been abandoned during the pandemic; Alberto Giubilini considers the ethics of lockdown; and Taki explains why New Yorkers are leaving the city in droves.

What are the latest developments in the US presidential election?  (01:15) - Lara is joined by the Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews and the Spectator US's editor Freddy Gray, who is currently in Pennsylvania. What is it like to care for a disabled child during a time of lockdown? (09:19) - The journalist Sam Carlisle discusses the lack of support for her daughter Elvi with the Education Select Committee Chairman Robert Halfon.  And finally, should churches keep their doors open throughout the pandemic? (20:42) - Journalist Laura Freeman thinks so, and considers the issue with Reverend Steve Morris from St Cuthbert's Church in North Wembley. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Matthew Taylor. 

Sam's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the publisher and historian Carmen Callil, whose new book Oh Happy Day: Those Times and These Times, tells the story of how her 18th-century ancestors were transported to Australia. She uses their story as a window into a densely imagined account of English and Aussie social history, and of the darker side of empire. She tells Sam why the Industrial Revolution wasn’t always a good thing, why it isn’t over the top to compare the British state apparatus to the Nazis - but also about her own childhood in Melbourne and why as a fervent anti-imperialist she accepted a Damehood.

Olia Hercules is a chef and food writer. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Olivia about growing up in Cyprus; being disappointed by British ingredients; and teaching her son to love Ukrainian cooking.

With Americans heading to vote, the final polls continue to give Joe Biden a clear lead. What do they say, and what are the early signs on the night that his support might not be as strong as expected? Freddy Gray speaks to YouGov's Marcus Roberts.

On this episode, Matthew Parris talks about how, on free school meals, he's truly fallen behind the zeitgeist; Lionel Shriver on why she's voting for Biden, warts and all; and Douglas Murray's reflections from America in the days before the election. Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit http://spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey.

Anneliese Dodds is the shadow chancellor. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about protesting tuition fees in a university exams hall, life before politics, forcing Rishi Sunak into the Commons on his birthday, and whether the Conservatives are spending too much money.

Why does the government think the second wave will be worse than the first? (00:49) Will a Biden presidency restore America's fortunes? (18:45) And finally, does Covid mark the end for the silver screen? (30:10) Spectator editor Fraser Nelson talks to Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford; editor of The Spectator's US edition Freddy Gray is joined by columnist Lionel Shriver; and reviewer Tanya Gold is in discussion with The Spectator's arts editor Igor Toronyi-Lalic. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Gus Carter, Max Jeffrey and Sam Russell.  

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam's guest is the writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes, whose new book Pandora's Jar: Women In The Greek Myths investigates how the myths portrayed women from Pandora to Medea, and how those images have been repurposed in the retellings of subsequent generations. She tells Sam why Theseus isn't quite the hero we imagine him, how Erasmus's mistranslation of a single word crocked Pandora's reputation for good, why Euripides was a feminist avant la lettre, and how the Gorgon got her body.   Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit http://spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey.

Ian Rankin is a bestselling crime writer, most known for his Inspector Rebus novels. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about living in a motel during his first year at university; how eating curry for the first time was 'a revelation'; and the snacks that keep him going while he writes. Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit http://spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey.

A recent poll showed that a fifth of Chinese-Americans are thinking about voting for Trump come November. But given Trump's hawkish position on China, what is it about him that appeals to these voters? As I find out, it's not all about the politics - much of it comes down to shared values of social conservatism. On the podcast, I speak to political researcher Sunny Shao and journalist Marrian Zhou about intergenerational political values, ethnic identity and the paradox of WeChat. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's episode of Spectator Out Loud, comedian Griff Rhys Jones complains about London's war on motorists (00:45); Toby Young on how he's become an English nationalist (08:55); and Cosmo Landesman on the joys of drinking alone (13:30).

The UK was the first major economy to set a net-zero carbon emission target. But our work is cut out for us: 23 million homes fuelled by natural gas will need upgrading, while nearly 98% of vehicles on UK roads are still powered by petrol or diesel. Reaching net-zero will require big changes, but will also need to sustain our standards of living and quality of life. As we make this transition, and start to recover from the economic damage Covid-19 has inflicted upon the world, we have the opportunity to merge the levelling up agenda with green solutions and advancements. While the government has yet to establish a clear plan to achieve net-zero by 2050 goal, it’s clear that new technology, such as greenhouse gas removal technologies, will need to play a role in leading the charge to carbon neutrality. Join Kate Andrews and a panel of special guests for a discussion on how new forms of energy and technology can bring together levelling-up, net-zero and the Covid recovery. This episode is an edited version of the live panel discussion at The Spectator's Alternative Conference (https://tv.spectator.co.uk/event/the-spectator-alternative-conference) . With Andrew Griffith MP, Dr Jonathan Marshall, Emma Pinchbeck and Will Gardiner. Sponsored by Drax.

China has come out on top from this pandemic year - what does this mean for the world? (00:50) Was Test and Trace doomed from the start? (12:35) And what's with all these Covid excuses? (22:35) With historian Rana Mitter; security expert Nigel Inkster; analyst Richard Dobbs; virologist Elisabetta Groppelli; editor of the Oldie Harry Mount; and Real Life columnist Melissa Kite. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery and Matt Taylor.

In this week's books podcast, Sam is joined by the irrepressible Gyles Brandreth - whose latest book is the fruit of a lifelong love of the theatre. The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes is a doorstopping compendium of missed cues, bitchy put-downs and drunken mishaps involving everyone from Donald Wolfit to Donald Sinden. Gyles explains how he always wanted to be Danny Kaye but also the Home Secretary, why live theatre is magical in a way cinema never can be, and how he got round the dismaying insistence of his publishers that all these anecdotes needed to verifiably true.  

Dolly Alderton is an author, journalist and podcaster who hosts 'The High Low' podcast. On the episode, she talks to Lara and Livvy about campaigning for gender equality (and cooked breakfasts) at her boarding school; how taste in food can make or break the attractiveness of a man; and the importance of planning a desert island dish. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

For The Spectator’s 2020 Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Julius Baer, we have introduced a new award for Social Impact to reflect the fact that today’s entrepreneurs, especially younger ones, tend to believe that business should aspire beyond profit (even though they recognise that profit is essential for any business to survive, grow and reward its investors) towards trying to make the world a better place. The panel of guest judges comprised Priya Lakhani OBE, founder of pioneering edutech venture and last year’s overall winner Century Tech; Jonny Ohlson, founder and chief executive of the 2018 overall runner-up Touchlight, which manufactures DNA for medical laboratories and is currently involved in several Covid vaccine projects; and David Durlacher, UK chief executive of Julius Baer.

There was a point in the Watergate scandal when revelations came so thick and fast that journalists struggled to keep up with them. And we seem to have reached an equivalent point in respect to the scandals engulfing Pope Francis's Vatican.   To quote the title of Lionel Shriver's celebrated novel, we really need to talk about Kevin. Listen to this episode to discover why. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

Kate Andrews explains why she's voting for Biden despite being a lifelong Republican (00:35); Matthew Parris urges you to go to Sweden while you still can (7:30); and Rory Sutherland wonders whether he's cracked the Covid problem (14:45).

Rachel Johnson is a journalist, author and broadcaster. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to go to a boys' boarding school, why university had been so eye-opening after her childhood, her brief foray into politics for Change UK, and the worst pieces of advice she's ever got (both from her mother). Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

Americans look like they're going to put Joe Biden in the White House - so what would his premiership look like? (00:45) Plus, Boris Johnson's impossible bind on coronavirus (13:55) and how should you sign off an email? (28:35) With editor of the Spectator's American edition Freddy Gray; Biden biographer Evan Osnos; political editor James Forsyth; editor of Conservative Home Paul Goodman; Evening Standard columnist Melanie McDonagh; and etiquette expert William Hanson. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery and Sam Russell.

In this week’s edition of the Book Club podcast Sam is joined by two guests. One is Rowland White, whose new book, Harrier 809: Britain’s Legendary Jump Jet and the Untold Story of the Falklands War, tells the story of the air war in the Falklands from the frantic logistical scrambling when 'the balloon went up', via spy shenanigans in South America, to the decisive action in theatre. The other is Tim Gedge, the commanding officer of 809 Squadron who flew in that war.

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in Scotland and Northern Ireland - from reprogramming people's relationship with alcohol to an 'Uber for careworkers'. Joining him on the judging panel were Irene McAleese, co-founder and chief strategy officer of See.Sense, the Northern Ireland-based ‘smart bike lights’ and road-use data analysis venture that was our regional winner in 2018; Ian Ritchie CBE, a leading figure in Scottish tech circles, having been involved as an investor or director in more than 40 start-up businesses; and Gordon Scott is a regional team head at Julius Baer, based in its Edinburgh office.

Chairman Mao famously said that 'women hold up half the sky'. It was a revolutionary statement in a feudal society (though it did help him, very much, with a labour shortage). But the recent high-profile murder of a young vlogger at the hands of her ex-husband has reignited a national conversation - have Chinese women every truly held up half the sky? With Leta Hong Fincher, author of Betraying Big Brother. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's episode, Katy Balls interviews Thérèse Coffey about her plans to get millions back into work; Rachel Johnson reveals the hidden cost of buying a puppy in lockdown; and Jeremy Clarke wins big at the horse racing.

The UK has the most severe economic contraction of any country, coupled with a looming unemployment crisis, as a result of the pandemic. Innovative ideas are needed more than ever to get the economy back on track. With the coming defence review - thought to be the biggest since WWII - now is the time to look at how defence, engineering and manufacturing can lead a recovery. Kate Andrews speaks to a panel of special guests: Tony Danker, CEO of Be the Business and the incoming Director General of the CBI; Tobias Ellwood MP, Chair of the Defence Select Committee; and Charles Woodburn, CEO of BAE Systems. Sponsored by BAE Systems.

In this second round of restrictions, the lockdown is no longer national. But a regional approach is full of political perils (00:45). Plus, the real reason to be disappointed in Aung San Suu Kyi (12:50) and is Sally Rooney's Normal People just overrated (26:15). With The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; Middlesbrough mayor Andrew Preston; historian Francis Pike; the Myanmar bureau chief for Reuters Poppy McPherson; journalist Emily Hill; and The Times's deputy books editor James Marriott. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

The latest national poll from CNN puts Joe Biden 16 points ahead of Donald Trump. Has the President's short stint in hospital dented his re-election chances, or is an unsettled news cycle and an unrepresentative sample skewing the numbers? Freddy Gray, editor of The Spectator's US edition, speaks to Marcus Roberts, director of international projects at YouGov. 

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in London and the South East - from making IVF easier to painless end of life arrangements. Joining him on the judging panel were Priya Lakhani OBE, founder of last year’s overall winner Century Tech; Charles Watson, an entrepreneur in financial communications and advertising who’s now involved in venture capital and environmental projects; and Matthew Garnham, an executive director of Julius Baer.

The Vatican is in the grip of a paranoia reminiscent of the days when Renaissance popes (and their dinner guests) were forced to employ food-tasters.  Cardinal Angelo Becciu, until 2018 the sostenuto at the Secretariat of State – that is, the Pope's hugely powerful chief of staff – has been sacked by Francis, who has accused him of stealing vast amounts of money. The Pope, who once showered him with favours, stripped Becciu of all the privileges associated with the position of cardinal – a twist of the knife worthy of a Netflix drama, or perhaps one of the Godfather films.  And now, in an equally extraordinary sequel, Becciu's arch-foe Cardinal George Pell, until recently languishing in an Australian jail cell, is heading back to Rome to advise Francis on resuming the Pell financial reforms that Becciu torpedoed. Damian Thompson's guest for this episode of Holy Smoke is the journalist who can take the most credit for uncovering Becciu's activities: Ed Condon, Washington Bureau Chief of the Catholic News Agency.

On this week's episode, Douglas Murray argues that Boris's new picks to take charge of the BBC and Ofcom will give the institutions a much-needed shake-up; Sam Leith defends 'wokeness'; Melissa Kite argues that fly-tipping is a good thing; and Toby Young explains why Laurence Fox's new political party should frighten the Conservatives.

Louise Haigh is the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her family's political roots, why she left the LSE, and whether or not nominating Jeremy Corbyn for leadership was a good idea.  Presented by Katy Balls.

Is this week's presidential debate a taste of the chaos to come? (00:55) In defence of 'wokeness' (15:10) and are male-only spaces immoral? (30:25) With Matt Purple, Senior Editor at the American Conservative; Karin Robinson, host of the Primarily: 2020 podcast; Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor; Andrew Doyle, the writer behind Titania McGrath; and Emily Bendell, the entrepreneur who is bring a lawsuit against the Garrick Club. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

Sam's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the distinguished Irish historian Roy Foster, talking about his new book On Seamus Heaney. He tells Sam how 'Famous Seamus'’s darkness has been under-recognised, how he negotiated with the shade of Yeats and the explosive politics of Ireland to find an independent space to write from, and just how 'certus' the man who signed himself 'Incertus' really was.

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in the West and the South West - from contactless payment for the charities sector to 'haptic' technology which allows users to touch virtual screens. The guest judges were Angela Luger, a newcomer to these Awards who has had a long career in consumer-facing businesses, latterly as chief executive of the online retailer N Brown until 2018 and currently as a non-exec at New Look and chair of Edinburgh-based The Paint Shed. Hugh Campbell, founder and managing partner of investment bank GP Bullhound — which advises and invests in ‘future unicorns’ — rejoined us for the third year. And the panel was completed by Dawn Li Wan Po, an executive director of Julius Baer and senior portfolio manager there. 

China is the world's largest polluter. At the same time, it accounts for a quarter of international investment into renewable energy, and it's the leading exporter of solar panels. So are ideas of China's eco-unfriendliness outdated? Journalist Isabel Hilton, who received an OBE for her contribution to raising environmental awareness in China, joins the podcast. She paints a complicated picture: of a country undergoing rapid industrial revolution; of a one-party state divining public opinion to solve public health issues; and of a country trying to use climate change as a jumping board into global leadership. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's episode, Jeff Fynn-Paul argues that land taken over by European colonialists in North America wasn't 'stolen'; Christopher Snowdon says the economic scars of coronavirus will define the decade; and Jo Deacon explains the drink being hailed as a Covid cure by Madagascar's president. 

Emily Sheffield is the editor of the Evening Standard. She was formerly deputy editor at Vogue, and has started her own journalistic venture at This Much I Know. She also happens to be sister of Samantha Cameron. On the podcast, she talks about the real story behind why she was kicked out of Marlborough as a teenager (spoiler: it was unrequited love gone wrong); battling sexism on her first day at the Guardian; and her two pennies on Sasha Swire's diary. Presented by Katy Balls.

Another Conservative civil war threatens to bubble over, so will the government start taking its backbenchers seriously? (00:55) Plus, the contentious fight over the next Supreme Court nominee (15:25) and what is it like to be in Madagascar during the pandemic? (29:05) With Political Editor James Forsyth; Chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers Sir Graham Brady; Professor Charles Lipson from the University of Chicago; USA Editor Freddy Gray; and writer Jo Deacon. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam's guest is Kate Summerscale, here to talk about her latest book The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story. Kate uses the true story of an eruption of poltergeist activity in 1930s Croydon to give what turns into a thoughtful and poignant look at the mental weather of interwar Britain, and the shifting meanings of the occult in light of new ideas about physics and the psychology of trauma. She tells Sam about the story's enduring mysteries and ambiguities, how spookily it chimed with its historical background - and about flying Bovril and a talking mongoose called Gef.

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in the Midlands and the North East - from desks made out of honeycomb paper to batteries that can sustain entire fleets of electric buses. Our guest judges on this occasion were all veterans of these Awards. Representing the Midlands, Clive Bawden is COO of past regional winner Warwick Music and has a hand in a wide range of entrepreneurial and social projects. From Yorkshire, Gordon Black is former chairman of his family’s manufacturing business, Peter Black, and an active venture capitalist. And from Newcastle, Caroline Theobald is chair of Northumbria University’s business school and founder of First Face to Face, which connects early-stage entrepreneurs to money and markets. Representing Julius Baer was Martin Cuthbert, head of region for the North East.

Mike Pompeo has guided Donald Trump's foreign policy, and has been hailed with bringing the president's ideology to life. In the latest US edition of the Spectator, Dominic Green interviews the secretary of state. Freddy Gray speaks to Dominic about Pompeo's Middle East strategy, and the philosophy that guides his decisions. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

On this week's episode, Swedish journalist Paulina Neuding talks about Sweden's crime surge; Toby Young on why he has given up on Boris; and Lloyd Evans on going to the theatre in the age of Covid.

From Covid to Brexit to even the culture wars, Boris's performance seems to have been lacklustre. Where is the effervescent leader he was promised to be? (00:45) Sweden's violent crime is spiking - and are politicians afraid to say why? (16:45) And on the other side of the world, why are the Japanese so much happier to wear masks? (27:55) With Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson; Director of Political Insight Stewart Jackson; journalist Paulina Neuding; the FT's Nordic Bureau Chief Richard Milne; Professor Jordan Sand; and Spectator Assistant Editor Lara Prendergast. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

In this week's books podcast Sam's guest is the writer Ysenda Maxtone Graham, whose new book casts a rosy look back at the way children used to spend their summer holidays. British Summer Time Begins: The School Summer Holidays 1930-1980 is a work of oral history that covers everything from damp sandwiches and cruelty to animals to tree-climbing, messing about in boats or endless games of Monopoly; intimidating fathers, frustrated mothers and grandparents who, if you weren't careful, would eat your pet rabbit. The good old days, in other words. Ysenda tells Sam why she sees 'spiritual danger' in iPads, how she longed to visit a motorway service station on the M2 - and how a childhood of constant hunger and warmed-through digestive biscuits may have shaped the psychology of our current Prime Minister. 

Has the government found the magic money tree? It certainly seems like it when the furlough scheme and various other Covid measures have taken government debt to above £2 trillion. The crazy amount of spending has been kept afloat by quantitative easing, the Bank of England’s policy of choice since the financial crisis. Some have called this ‘money-printing’ and warned of a reckoning, yet none has come. So what does this new financial environment mean for investors, savers, and the less well off? Fraser Nelson talks to a panel of special guests in this podcast, sponsored by Charles Stanley. With Harriett Baldwin, Conservative MP who sits on the Treasury Select Committee; David Miles, an economist at Imperial College London, formerly a member of the Monetary Policy Committee; and Paul Abberley, CEO of Charles Stanley.

It's said that Bicester Village is the second most popular attraction for Chinese tourists in the UK, coming just behind Buckingham Palace. The pandemic recovery figures show much the same - while retail is still struggling to recover, luxury goods sales is leading the bounceback. In this episode, I find out why the Chinese love luxury goods just so much. My guests tell me about why Chanel just doesn't cut it anymore for the most fashionable housewives of Beijing; how President Xi's anti-corruption drive recalibrated wealth flaunting among the elite; and why fashionistas are leaving Beijing for Shanghai. With Sara Jane Ho, founder of the Chinese finishing school, Institute Sarita; and Gregory Cole, co-founder of the consultancy firm CDGL. Presented by Cindy Yu.

On this week's episode, Douglas Murray asks - why would anyone want to be a government adviser, given what's happened to Tony Abbott? The historian Francis Pike reads his piece on Thailand's Caligula; and Philip Hensher reviews a new book on Wagner. Spectator Out Loud is a weekly audio collection of three Spectator writers reading their pieces in the latest issue.

Sarah Sands is the former editor of the Today programme. On the podcast, she talks to Katy Balls about her departure from the Sunday Telegraph after just nine months as Editor; giving John Humphreys a pay cut; and what it was like to find out on election night that the Boris Johnson government intended to boycott Today. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

Vaccines are normally in the realm of scientists; but not this time as world leaders race to be the first. (00:50) Brexit is heating up, but is the government in a stronger position than it seems? (13:35) And a modern day Caligula - the life and times of the Thai king Rama X. (22:40) With journalist Matthew Lynn; immunologist Beate Kampmann; our political editor James Forsyth; YouGov pollster Marcus Roberts; and Asia historian Francis Pike. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

Sam's guest in this week's books podcast is the former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Along with the economist and former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Julia has written a new book called Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, which includes interviews with women who've reached the top roles in global institutions, from Christine Lagarde and Joyce Banda to Michelle Bachelet and Theresa May. Sam asks her about her own time in politics, what she'd have done differently, whether Australia is more sexist than the UK, and her notorious 'misogyny' speech - plus, what she thinks her old sparring partner Tony Abbott has to offer the UK as a trade adviser.

In the last episode of this miniseries on climate change, Bjorn Lomborg argues that climate change is important, but solving it shouldn't come above all else. So what are the trade offs involved with a green agenda, especially when it comes to lifting the poorest in the world out of poverty? Kate Andrews discusses with Bjorn and Matt Ridley and asks - is it really an either/or? Bjorn Lomborg is the President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and author of False Alarm. Matt Ridley is a Conservative peer, journalist, and author of How Innovation Works. To hear all episodes in this series, click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/climate-change-special) .

Damian Thompson is joined by Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, Hungary's ambassador to the Holy See. A member of one of Europe's most historically influential families, Eduard explains how his religious practices have adapted to the acceleration of new technologies, and tells Damian how the Habsburgs keep in contact. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

On this week's podcast, Lloyd Evans argues that the state should stop subsidising the National Theatre and start funding bingo halls (00:41). Then Lionel Shriver explains the trouble of taking back control (08:15). And finally, Will Heaven explores the dissolution of the Downside monastery (16:48).  

In this week’s Book Club podcast Sam's guest is Annie Nightingale - Britain’s first female DJ, occasional Spectator contributor, and longest serving presenter of Radio One. Ahead of the publication of her new book Hey Hi Hello, Annie tells Sam about the Beatles’ secrets, BBC sexism, getting into rave culture, the John Peel she knew - and how when most people never get past the music they love in their teens, she’s never lost her drive to hear tunes she’s never heard before.

Governments around the world have adopted extraordinary powers to deal with coronavirus – but could they end up doing more damage than good? (01:00) Next, is the best way to deal with the threat of Scottish secession to negotiate a hypothetical Scottish exit deal? (16:04) And finally, are Britain's graveyards suffering a spate of indecent behaviour? (31:38) The Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls is joined by historian Johan Norberg and the Wall Street Journal's Gerard Baker; The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth and Scotland editor Alex Massie; and journalist Andrew Watts alongside the Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie. Produced by Gus Carter, Max Jeffery and  Sam Russell.

As the UK faces its worst economic contraction in 300 years, there have been growing calls to adopt a ‘green recovery’. But what does that mean? While renewable energy may be getting cheaper, can it really meet our energy demands? And has the Covid crisis set back the government on its path to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050? To answer all this and more, Kate Andrews, the Spectator’s economics correspondent, is joined by Kemi Badenoch MP, minister for equalities; Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change; and Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power. This podcast is kindly sponsored by Scottish Power.

Can human innovation stop climate change, or will it simply manage and delay the challenges it poses? In the second of this mini podcast series featuring Bjorn Lomborg and Matt Ridley, host Kate Andrews discusses with Bjorn and Matt whether their optimism is misplaced. Bjorn Lomborg is the President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and author of False Alarm. Matt Ridley is a Conservative peer, journalist, and author of How Innovation Works. To hear all episodes in this series, click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/climate-change-special)

You can’t get far doing serious business in China without having friends in powerful places. So when her husband’s company, Jardine Matheson (which once upon a time had smuggled opium into the country), was invited back into a liberalising China in the 1990s, Tessa Keswick had rare access to the country’s top leadership. On the podcast, she recounts seeing Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chongqing party secretary, days before he was arrested by Xi Jinping; the prank that Zhu Rongji, the then Prime Minister, played on Henry Keswick; and what it was like inside Zhongnanhai, the secretive Beijing compound that China’s leaders work from. Tessa Keswick's book, The Colour of the Sky after Rain, is out now and she is pictured above with Cai Qi, Party Secretary of Beijing. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's podcast, Freddy Gray explains how Trump could still pull his greatest trick yet (00:45) Emma Byrne considers whether she will be bankrupted by the next housing scandal (12:30) Lara Prendergast argues that wearing floral masks isn't worth the hassle. (19:11)

With protests in American cities continuing and the Democrat and Republican conventions drawing to a close - are there signs that Donald Trump could win again? (00:45) Plus, could planning reforms be the next Tory battle? (13:05) And finally, can daily commutes really be enjoyable? (25:45) With editor of the Spectator's US edition Freddy Gray; the Spectator's economics correspondent Kate Andrews; the Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; economist and author Liam Halligan; the Spectator's features editor; and author Sara Yirrell. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

In this week's Book Club podcast Sam Leith talks to Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells about their new book All The Sonnets of Shakespeare - which by collecting the sonnets that appear in the plays with the 154 poems usually known as 'Shakespeare's Sonnets', and placing them in chronological order, gives a totally fresh sense of what the form meant to our greatest poet-dramatist. They tell Sam what sonnets meant to Elizabethans, why so much of what has been said about 'the sonnets' has been wrong - they're not a sequence, and it's vain to look for a Dark Lady or Fair Youth in these candidly bisexual poems - and how they provide perhaps the most intensely inward view of the poet we have.

Can the conversation around climate change all too often get heated, hysterical, and panicked? Should we be appealing for more calm in the climate debate? In the first of this mini podcast series featuring Bjorn Lomborg and Matt Ridley, host Kate Andrews challenges Bjorn and Matt on their views over the best way to conduct what some say is the most important debate of our lifetimes. Bjorn Lomborg is the President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and author of False Alarm. Matt Ridley is a Conservative peer, journalist, and author of How Innovation Works. To hear all previous episodes in this series, click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/climate-change-special)

On this week's podcast, Lionel Shriver says that the real determinant of coronavirus isn't race - it's obesity (01:00) Simon Cooper asks whether the return of beavers to English rivers is really something to be celebrated (09:35) Gerri Peev asks why the European Union keeps backing Bulgaria's kleptocratic government (15:40)

Joe Biden accepted the Democratic Party's nomination at their virtual convention last night, bringing his three-day coronation to an end with a well-received speech. Throughout this year's DNC, speakers have warned that America's political foundations are at stake in the upcoming election - Barack Obama urged voters not to let the Republicans 'take away your democracy'. Is the country on the brink, and what's the verdict on the Democratic convention? Matt McDonald, managing editor of Spectator USA, speaks to Matt Purple, senior editor at the American Conservative. 

While the government’s U-turn on A-level and GCSE results has been widely welcomed, universities are still in a dire state – why? (00:55) Plus, has Boris Johnson got the right approach in his war on fat? (15:00) And finally, are illegal raves during the pandemic socially irresponsible, or just young people sticking it to The Man? (25:45)  With academic and author Matthew Goodwin; chair of the Education Select Committee Robert Halfon; Spectator columnist Lionel Shriver; weight loss doctor Andrew Jenkinson; Spectator contributors Leaf Arbuthnot and James Delingpole. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery and Alexa Rendell.

The virtual Democratic National Convention kicked off this week with an agenda packed full of the party's most well-known and experienced figures. But with a controversial appearance from Bill Clinton and a barnstorming speech from Michelle Obama, who is the convention really for? Matt McDonald, managing editor of the Spectator USA, speaks to Emily Larsen, political reporter at the Washington Examiner.

In this week's books podcast, Sam's guest is that man of parts Loyd Grossman. Loyd's new book is An Elephant in Rome: Bernini, the Pope, and the Making of the Eternal City, which explores the titanic influence of Bernini on the Rome we see today, and his partnership with Pope Alexander VII. Loyd tells Sam why you couldn't bring Italian Baroque home to meet your parents, about Bernini's far from congenial character - and why you'd stick an obelisk on top of an elephant anyway.

We don't hear much about his wall with Mexico anymore, but Trump seems to be building a digital wall to shut out Chinese tech. WeChat and TikTok are the two victims to his latest ban. On the episode, Cindy Yu talks to Chinese business expert Duncan Clark, author of Alibaba, and Rui Ma, host of the TechBuzz China podcast. They tell Cindy about how WeChat has created a cashless society in China, and why banning it would be more significant than banning TikTok. Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) .

On this week's episode, Douglas Murray reads his column on how if everything is racist, then nothing is; Reverend Steve Morris campaigns for the return of the British holiday camp; and Toby Young on his new dating website for lockdown sceptics.

Poll after poll is showing the surge in support for Scottish independence - so what can Boris Johnson do about it? (00:35) Plus, how many more pandemics does nature have in store for us? (13:20) And finally, is it time to bring back the British holiday camp? (28:00). With our Scotland Editor Alex Massie; commentator Angela Haggerty; author of The Pandemic Century Mark Honigsbaum; ecologist Peter Daszak; Reverend Steve Morris; and historian Kathryn Ferry. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Sam Russell.

In this week's Book Club podcast I'm joined by the philosopher, scientist and broadcaster Sam Harris - host of the hugely popular Making Sense podcast. Sam's new book is a selection of edited transcripts of the very best of his conversations from that podcast with intellectual eminences from Daniel Kahneman to David Deutsch, and explores some of the issues that preoccupy him most: to do with consciousness, human cognition, artificial intelligence and the political spaces in which these subjects come to bear. He tells me why civilised conversation is what the world needs now more than ever, why 'cancel culture' is real and J.K. Rowling's trans-rights-activist opponents are 'insane', how 'bad philosophy' has ruined the social sciences, the circumstances under which totalitarianism might be okay - and why, as a liberal, he thinks the left is in danger of destroying America.

Annie Gray is a historian, cook and writer who specialises in food from 1600 to present day. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Olivia about a childhood of eating 'frisbee-like' omelettes, why male hares are inedible, and how an episode of Antiques Roadshow nearly jeopardised the release of her new book. Annie Gray's Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook, is out now. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) . Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

The polls are tightening, meanwhile Joe Biden is on the back foot over another gaffe about African American voters. Is the Democratic challenger blowing the election? Editor of the National Interest Jacob Heilbrunn joins Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA.

On this week's edition, Joanna Lumley recalls her meeting with Mongolia’s former champion wrestler – now the country’s president – and reflects on the joys of eating birdseed (01:14). Lionel Shriver argues that the true novelty of coronavirus is just how scared it's made us all (07:14). Andrew Doyle suggests that the SNP's hate crime bill could lead to the criminalisation of the bible (15:34). And Low Life's Jeremy Clarke shares his sadness at seeing an old neighbour and friend moving on (20:14).

Next month, the Vatican will talk to Beijing about renewing its 2018 deal with the Chinese Communist Party that effectively allowed President Xi to choose the country's Catholic bishops. He has used this power to force Catholics loyal to Rome to join the puppet Catholic church set up by Chairman Mao in the 1950s. They can no longer refuse on the grounds that they recognise only the Pope's Church because Francis himself has validated the orders of Xi's party stooges.  But the Holy Father has done more than that: he has ostentatiously failed to condemn China's savage assaults on human rights, the worst of which is its attempt to eradicate the country's Muslim Uyghurs ethnic minority by herding them into concentration camps and forcing Uighur women to have abortions.  As I say in this episode of Holy Smoke, the Pope's behaviour is not just a disgrace but also a mystery. The Catholic Church has gained nothing from the 2018 pact. On the contrary, it has given Beijing a handy excuse to intensify its harassment of Catholics. So why is the Vatican apparently keen to renew a deal that so badly reflects on it?  One plausible explanation is money. Rome hasn't got any. China enjoys nothing more than buying influence. This year, claims surfaced that the Communist Party is quietly slipping the Vatican £1.6 billion a year in order to buy the Pope's silence about the Uyghurs, the subjugation of Hong Kong and the demolition of churches. But no evidence has been produced to support this conspiracy theory.  My guests are the journalist Catherine Lafferty and Fr Benedict Kiely, a campaigner on behalf of persecuted religious minorities.

London is the motor to Britain’s economy, so how can it rebuild after the pandemic? (00:55) How can the new Tory leader in Scotland, Douglas Ross, keep the United Kingdom together? (17:50) And why the looming conflict between India and China isn’t in Kashmir, but rather in the Bay of Bengal. (29:33)  With economist Gerard Lyons; historian Simon Jenkins; The Spectator’s Scotland editor Alex Massie; The Spectator’s political editor James Forsyth; historian Francis Pike; and author Jonathan Ward.   Presented by Katy Balls.   Produced by Gus Carter and Max Jeffery.

In this week’s podcast, we're replaying an episode that first aired earlier this year, but seems more relevant now than ever. Sam is joined by two writers to talk about the perennially fraught issue of race. There’s a wide consensus that discrimination on the basis of race is wrong; but what actually *is* race? Does it map onto a meaningful genetic or scientific taxonomy? Does it map onto a lived reality - is it possible to generalise, say, about 'black' experience? And can we or should we opt out of or ignore it? Adam Rutherford and Thomas Chatterton Williams approach these issues from very different angles: the former, in How To Argue With A Racist, brings genetic science to bear on the myths and realities of population differences; while the latter describes in Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race how after half a lifetime strongly attached to the idea of his own blackness, the arrival of his blonde haired and blue eyed daughter made him rethink his worldview. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Statistics released this week showed that England had the worst excess death rate in Europe during the first half of 2020. Katy Balls speaks to Kate Andrews and Carl Heneghan, professor of Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University about what's behind the numbers. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Earlier this year, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson gave credence to the conspiracy theory that the US military took coronavirus to China. It's just one example of a new school of diplomacy that has dominated Chinese foreign policy - the 'wolf warriors'. But does this approach work, or does it merely antagonise the world? Professor Todd Hall is a Chinese foreign policy expert at Oxford University, and tells Cindy Yu about what the wolf warriors say about China's view of the world. A fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) . Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

On the episode this week, Freddy Gray, editor of the Spectator's US edition, reads his cover piece on the real Joe Biden. We also hear from Douglas Murray on the trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp - and about allegations that can't be proved or disproved. At the end, Katy Balls relays the government's anxiety over a second wave. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the polls, so what is at the root of his appeal? (00:50) The government is anxious about a second wave - can it avoid repeating its mistakes? (11:15) And Rachel Johnson on her generation of high flyers and early retirees (23:30). With editor of the Spectator's US edition, Freddy Gray; our economics correspondent Kate Andrews; deputy political editor Katy Balls; former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt; journalist Rachel Johnson; and comedian Dominic Frisby. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu, Max Jeffery, and Sam Russell.

In this week's books podcast, Sam's guest is Kate Teltscher, who tells the fascinating story of one of the greatest showpieces of Victorian Britain: the Palm House in Kew Gardens. Though the gardens and their glassy centrepiece are now a fixture of London's tourist map, as her new book Palace of Palms reveals, they very nearly weren't. She tells Sam how a team of brilliant mavericks used cutting-edge science and engineering to build one of the greatest constructions of its era... in just the wrong place. With walk-on parts for Darwin, Humboldt and Alfred Russel Wallace, she reveals the way in which Victorian botany extended its tendrils through the whole Empire, shows how the palm was seen as the "prince of plants", and describes the quest for the palm of all palms, the elusive coco-de-mer. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

The new Holy Smoke episode is a significant departure from our usual formula. It’s a discussion about the profound and neglected meaning of Christian art. Professor Ben Quash of King’s College London is interviewed not by me but by Carmel Thompson – my sister, who has appeared twice on Holy Smoke to talk about her battle with ovarian cancer but is determined not to be defined by her illness. This is a truly engrossing episode inspired by Carmel’s conviction that art depicting Christian subjects – and that includes most of the great art produced in the West up to and including the Renaissance – is too often examined from a purely aesthetic point of view. Obviously you’ll get far more out of this discussion if you can see what Carmel and Ben are talking about with such infectious enthusiasm, so here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/how-a-biblically-illiterate-generation-can-discover-christian-art) are the artworks chosen by Ben. Holy Smoke is hosted by Damian Thompson, who dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

Freddy Gray talks to the journalist and author Nancy Rommelmann about the ongoing protests in Portland, Oregon as Trump begins to send in federal forces. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of the Spectator's US edition. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Owen Matthews on Russia's plan to unleash chaos in the West (00:50); Lionel Shriver on the peculiar similarities between the open letter and the ransom note (11:00); and Peter Hitchens on why he won't be wearing a mask when he's giving blood (19:40). Spectator Out Loud is a weekly podcast featuring some of the writers from the issue that week, reading out their pieces. Click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/Spectator-Out-Loud) for previous episodes.

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell made the headlines even before he was enthroned last week, when he ‘revealed’ that Jesus was black. This came as news to everyone except the far left, race-baiting fanatics of Black Lives Matter. This week, I talk to Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the Queen, about the implications of this disastrous appointment, which means that for the first time in the history of the Established Church the sees of Canterbury York and the London are all occupied by intellectually challenged bureaucrats with an adolescence enthusiasm for wokeness. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

As the long-awaited Russia report is released this week, we discuss Russia's plan to unleash chaos (00:45). Plus, does Boris Johnson have a management problem with his new MPs? (14:30) And last, the pains of dating during lockdown (28:30). With Russia journalists Owen Matthews and Mary Dejevsky; the Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls; Conservative Home's editor Paul Goodman; Sunday Telegraph columnist Madeline Grant; and author James Innes-Smith. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Pete Humphreys.

On this week's books podcast, my guess is Oxford University's Professor of European Archaeology, Chris Gosden. Chris's new book The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, From the Ice Age to the Present. opens up what he sees as a side of human history that has been occluded by propaganda from science and religion. Accordingly, he delves back to evidence from the earliest human settlements all over the world to learn about our magical past -- one thread in what he calls the "triple-helix" of our cultural history. He tells me why John Dee got a bad rap, where magic wands came from -- and why, unusually as an academic, he argues that magic isn't just an anthropological curiosity but might, in fact, have something useful to teach us. Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Freddy Gray interviews Thomas Frank in Spectator USA's second online event. Frank argues that populism isn't frightening, but rather an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all. To catch Freddy's next event, subscribe to Spectator USA now (https://spectator.us/subscribe/) .

The days of tightly controlled state economy are gone in China - but are they returning? In recent months, Chinese companies from Huawei to TikTok have caused concern in the West for fear that they don't really work for shareholders or themselves - but for Beijing. On this episode, I speak to Duncan Clark, a China expert who advises western investors on the Chinese economy, and author of Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built. So how independent are Huawei, TikTok and even Alibaba? More than you may think - but less and less so these days. A fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers) . Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Christopher Snowdon on Britain's lost demographic; this week's leading article on the Government's mixed messaging; and Toby Young on why he's in Jeffrey Epstein's little black book. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

As technology becomes ever more part of our daily lives, banking is no different. You might have already used some ‘fintech’ innovations like Monzo and Klarna. The flexibility of fintech can particularly help women in their day-to-day lives, but if that’s the case, why is some fintech mostly used and created by men? In this special episode of Women With Balls, Katy Balls is joined by her panel to discuss these issues and more.    With Nicky Morgan, Baroness of Cotes, a former Conservative Cabinet Minister and chair of the Treasury Select Committee; Chi Onwurah, a shadow Science minister, who was head of telecoms at Ofcom; Gill Wylie, Transformation Director at Lloyds Banking Group. Sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.

White working class boys consistently perform worse than other demographics in the UK's education system - why? (00:45) What is it like to be 'cancelled'? (14:20) And is it time to return to the office? (24:50) With the IEA's Christopher Snowdon; former Ucas head Mary Curnock Cook; journalist Kevin Myers; the Spectator's columnist Lionel Shriver; editor of the Oldie, Harry Mount; and Director of UK in a Changing Europe Anand Menon. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.

This week's Book Club podcast is brought to you rather later than we'd planned. In spring this year, the explorer and writer Robin Hanbury-Tenison was due to be talking to me about his new book Taming The Four Horsemen: Radical Solutions to Defeat Pandemics, War, Famine and the Death of the Planet. We'd been excited to have him on, not least because his book's interest in pandemic disease was starting to seem strangely prescient. The day before we were due to record, Robin emailed me to say that he had developed a terrible cough that would make recording impossible so we agreed to postpone our conversation. The next I heard was from Robin's son Merlin: Robin had been taken into hospital with Covid and the prognosis was grim. He'd been given only a 20 per cent chance of survival. But survive he did -- and once his health permitted we finally had our encounter. Listen to Robin talk about what the collapse of ancient civilisations can teach us about our own, how he sees the future of agriculture and medicine... and about what he remembers of his latest expedition to the gates of the beyond. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

The Coronomics series has come to an end after starting in mid-April, at a time when Hong Kong, Britain, the US, and Italy were at much more serious points of the pandemic. On this final episode, Kate Andrews talks to Nick Gillespie, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, and Jennifer Creery about what their respective governments have learnt during the crisis, and where they went wrong. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Skye McAlpine is a Sunday Times columnist and the author of two cookbooks. She joins Lara and Olivia down the line from Venice, where she grew up. On the podcast, she talks about moving to the city as a child, her favourite Venetian meals, and why, despite being a dinner party maestro, she doesn't believe in starters. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) . Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Liam Halligan on the inflationary dangers of the Bank of England's quantitative easing; Lionel Shriver on the vanity of white guilt; and Ysenda Maxtone Graham on the existential danger that choirs are facing. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

Douglas Murray writes in the Spectator this week that Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore defended all the right bits of American history. He joins the podcast with Freddy this week to talk cancel culture and how Trump is taking on the left in the right way. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

We've been told for years that the magic money tree doesn't exist - but has the Chancellor just found it? (00:55) Now that Hong Kong has come into closer orbit with Beijing, is Taiwan next? (21:15) And finally, we find out a little about the weird and wonderful world of hotel carpets - see them here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-weird-and-wonderful-world-of-hotel-carpets) ! (32:35) With The Spectator's Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; Miatta Fahnbulleh from the New Economics Foundation; security expert Alessio Patalano; Taiwan expert Shelley Rigger; pilot and carpet connoisseur Bill Young; and journalist Sophie Haigney. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights) and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.

In this week's Book Club podcast Sam's guest is the Argentine-born novelist Andrés Neuman, who was acclaimed by the late Roberto Bolano as the future of Spanish-language fiction. They talk about boundary-crossing in literature, historical trauma, multilingual jokes - and his dazzling new novel Fracture, which sees a survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki grappling with the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

In this episode, Mauricio Savarese reports on the latest from Brazil where the battle between the President Jair Bolsonaro and the media heats up. Kate Andrews updates on Britain's Covid situation with a report from the Times on an estimate for excess cancer deaths in 2021, and Cindy Yu reports on how Beijing's cluster infection has further damaged business and consumer confidence. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

The year-long Hong Kong protests seem to have come to an abrupt end - as China introduces a draconian national security law that punishes criticism of the Chinese government. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to academic and former diplomat Kerry Brown and Hong Kong journalist Jennifer Creery about what China wants with the city, and where this will end. Chinese Whispers is a new fortnightly podcast from the Spectator on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more, hosted by Cindy Yu.

On this week's episode, James Forsyth talks about Boris Johnson's impossible mission - to rewire Whitehall (01:00), Douglas Murray on woke books (09:00), and Leaf Arbuthnot on the underground world of lockdown speakeasies and theatre (17:15). Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

Chloe Smith is the Conservative MP for Norwich North and minister at the Cabinet Office. She entered parliament at the age of 27 and rose through the ranks quickly. In 2012, she was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman in what has been described as a 'car crash interview' when she was sent out to defend then-Chancellor George Osborne's U-turn on fuel duty. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to do that interview and the aftermath, why she proposed to her husband, and what it was like to receive a fake anthrax package. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

The Prime Minister is trying to reform the civil service. He's not the first to try - so will he succeed? (00:50) The stakes for success are high, as his opponent is no longer Jeremy Corbyn, but the more impressive Keir Starmer. How have Starmer's first almost 100 days gone? (15:45) And last, how widespread is loneliness? (29:45) With the Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; Jill Rutter from UK In a Changing Europe; our deputy political editor Katy Balls; former C4 Economics Editor Paul Mason; author Leaf Arbuthnot; and Andy Nazer from the Campaign to End Loneliness. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced Cindy Yu and Beth Stamp.

In this week's books podcast I'm joined by Alan Johnson and Andrew Adonis to talk about the latter's new biography of a neglected great of British political history: Ernest Bevin: Labour's Churchill. He was, in Andrew's estimation, the man who did most to save Europe from Stalin. So why has Bevin been so forgotten? In what way was he Churchillian? What would he have made of the current state of the Labour party? And will we ever see his like again? Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

Reporter at Canada's Globe and Mail, Robyn Doolittle, joins the panel this week to discuss what went wrong in Canada. Speaking to a series of infectious-disease experts, health officials and politicians, Robyn and her team pieced together an image of the 'lost months' - a period between January and March when more should have been done to prevent the pandemic. Also on the podcast: Kate Andrews gives an update on the latest in Leicester; Jennifer Creery reports on Hong Kong's latest worry - an influx of migrant workers; and Fredrik Erixon reflects back on Sweden's laissez-faire approach. Read the articles discussed here: Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/hold-quarantine-centre-plea-as-domestic-workers-return/ Sweden: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-self-isolation-in-the-country-that-didnt-do-lockdown-jdjdsc8mm Canada: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/investigations/article-canadas-lost-months-when-covid-19s-first-wave-hit-governments-and/ UK: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/hundreds-more-people-diagnosed-covid-4272970 The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.

Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of the renowned advertising firm, Ogilvy, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man' columnist. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about everything and anything from the dreadful British food of the 70s, why he loves chain restaurants, and the best and worst kitchen gadgets. As well as his incredibly eclectic and international death row meal. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) . The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.

On this week's episode, former police officer Kevin Hurley reads his piece on how top police officers get disillusioned in the job; Alicia Munckton talks about the private-state divide in education during this lockdown; and James Delingpole reviews Alan Bennett's new Talking Heads, and explains why he's not a fan. The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.

Fans of nuclear energy say that it is efficient, reliable, and greener than fossil fuels. The government's Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 target may not be achievable without a helping hand from nuclear. But its critics say that it's costly for the taxpayer, prone to delays, and damaging for local ecosystems. What's more, Hinkley Point demonstrated the risk of foreign investment in key infrastructure. Is Britain going to need more nuclear power plants, or is there a better way? Kate Andrews speaks to a panel of guests to discuss this and more: Bim Afolami, Conservative MP for Hitchin and Harpenden Professor Simon Taylor, author of The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain Julia Pyke, Nuclear Development Director at EDF Energy This podcast is sponsored by EDF Energy.

On the podcast this week, a former police officer gives his take on why black youths loathe the police (01:05); we discuss why Downing Street would prefer Joe Biden to win (17:25); and will anything really change after the pandemic? (30:50). With former Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley; campaigner Katrina Ffrench; the Spectator's Political Editor James Forsyth; the Spectator's Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; and our columnists Matthew Parris and Rory Sutherland. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Beth Stamp. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

In this week’s Book Club podcast my guest is the historian Rutger Bregman. In his new book Humankind, Rutger argues that practically every novelist, psychologist, economist and political theorist has got it all wrong: humans are naturally caring, sharing and altruistic... and far from being the one thing that stands in the way of a Hobbesian war of all against all, 'civilisation' is actually what makes us behave badly. You’re probably thinking: 'Come off it, hippy.' Why not see if he can change your mind? The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

Germany has launched its contact tracing app, but is it the only way to get out of lockdown? Kate Andrews talks to a panel of international guests and hears about the situation from Italy, where concerns over tourism and getting their cities back are conflicting the residents of Venice and Rome; from Germany, where uptake on the new app has been good; and from America, on how even 'science' is becoming partisan. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli from Rome, Nick Gillespie from New York, and Constantin Eckner from Berlin. Presented by Kate Andrews. The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.

Leo Kearse is a Scottish comedian and writer. On the podcast, he talks to Ben and Andy about the irony of alt-right protestors making Nazi salutes in central London; the difficulty in pinning down the changing definition of a 'racist'; and why Patrick Hutchinson, the BLM protestor who carried a man out of a protest getting violent, was his man of the month. Presented by Andy Shaw and Benedict Spence. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

This week's episode features actor Laurence Fox on the pitfalls of wrongthink; teacher Lucy Kellaway on the true cost to students of classroom closures; and Toby Young on what happened when he tested negative for antibodies. The Spectator is partnering with private bank Julius Baer to find the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.

Joanna Trollope is an award-winning novelist, whose books have sold more than eight million copies worldwide. She's known best for her novel, The Rector's Wife, which was adapted into a TV series. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about the expectations on her as a girl growing up in the 40s, how stay at home mums can still be feminists, and how, as she gets older, she finds she gets her way more. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

Schools have been closed for almost three months - what is the true cost of these closures on pupils (1:00)? Plus, have Brexit negotiations started looking up (13:15)? And last, are the statue-topplers of Rhodes Must Fall going about their mission the wrong way (22:45)? With teacher Lucy Kellaway; the IFS's Paul Johnson; the Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; the FT's public policy editor Peter Foster; journalists Tanjil Rashid and Nadine Batchelor-Hunt. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

In this week's Book Club podcast, my guest is the writer Susanna Moore. Best known for her pitch-black erotic thriller In The Cut, recently republished to huge acclaim, Susanna has just published a superb memoir of her young womanhood in Hawaii and Los Angeles - from shopgirl at Bergdorf's to model and actor, script reader for Warren Beatty and lover to Jack Nicholson - called Miss Aluminium. She talks about writing the past, sexual violence, the rage that inspired In The Cut, the young Roman Polanski - and why clothes matter. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

With post-Covid life a bit closer for some countries around the world than others, this week's panel takes a look at how businesses are navigating their way out of the pandemic. Jennifer Creery, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press, takes a look at the government bailout to Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's airline; Peter Griffin, a science and tech journalist based in New Zealand, talks about balancing contact tracing with the demands of reopening businesses; while Cindy Yu, the Spectator's Broadcast Editor, kicks off the episode by taking a look at China's candidates in the vaccine race. Coronomics is a series of podcasts taking a look at how coronavirus has turned the world upside down, with an international panel each week. Presented by Kate Andrews. Click here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/coronomics) for previous episodes. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.

Greta Bellamacina is an actress and poet, who has published numerous collections and made her acting debut in Harry Potter. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about what it was like to be on set for Harry Potter, growing up with four siblings, and why her favourite restaurant is an over-priced Chinese restaurant in Paris. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03) to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Douglas Murray reads his cover piece in which he argues that liberalism is under threat; Matthew Parris rejoices in the toppling of Bristol’s Edward Colston statue, calling it a thrilling act of history; and Kate Andrews explains the problems of policing back in her home country of America. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has updated its definition of racism – so what does racism in America actually mean? Spectator USA editor Freddy Gray speaks to writer Coleman Hughes. 

Are we witnessing the death of the liberal ideal? (01:02) Next, what's behind the government U-turn on primary schools and what effect could it have on the poorest students? (20:14) And finally, Britain's ash trees are facing a pandemic of their own, with so-called ash dieback sweeping the nation. Can Britain's ash trees be saved? (30:12) With Douglas Murray; The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews; Coffee House contributor Melanie McDonagh; political editor James Forsyth; associate editor of the Evening Standard Julian Glover; and professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona Valerie Trouet. Presented by Katy Balls. Produced by Gus Carter and Matthew Taylor. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) . 

Freddy Gray talks to the author and President of the National Association of Scholars Peter Wood about the prevalence of anger in modern America. 

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the biographer Adam Begley. Adam's work includes biographies of John Updike and the Belle Epoque photographer, cartoonist and aeronaut Felix Tournachon, aka Nadar. In his new book he turns his attention to the great escapologist Harry Houdini. I asked him what it was that made Houdini special, what challenges a lifelong myth-maker (aka inveterate liar) poses to the biographer, and how Adam tends to get on with his subjects. As Adam describes in our talk, you can watch a video of Houdini in action here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_HHFMSmHCQ) . The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) . Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) .

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Brazil’s unknown death toll, Sweden’s cautious optimism for employment, the UK’s crawl out of lockdown restrictions, and the double standards uncovered in America’s lockdown rules. Kate Andrews is joined by Fredrik Erixon in Sweden, Nick Gillespie in New York City, and Mauricio Savarese in Brazil.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this weekend as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, a statue of the slaver Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the city's docks. But are we now seeing a change in the government's response? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) .

Fraser Nelson reads his cover piece (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/our-duty-to-hong-kong-the-case-for-granting-full-british-citizenship) campaigning for the British government to offer citizenship to the Hong Kong Chinese; Douglas Murray asks (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-are-street-protestors-exempt-from-the-corona-clause) - why do the Black Lives Matter protestors get to be exempt from the lockdown? And Tanya Gold reviews (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/repulsive-depraved-and-oddly-political-monster-munch-crisps-reviewed) : Monster Munch. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) .

Sunetra Gupta is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. An expert in the fight against infectious diseases, she is the lead scientist behind the Oxford study that disputed Imperial College's dire coronavirus predictions. She is also a novelist and translator. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her writing and how it was inspired by her intellectual father; her dispute with the mentor of Imperial College's Neil Ferguson; and how she has found being in the public eye. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) . Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

As China looks to push through its national security law, is it time to offer Hong Kongers a way out? (01:00) And with the Black Lives Matter protests continuing to rage in America, can they unseat Donald Trump? (15:30) And last, do animals have culture? (29:10) With Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson; Hong Kong expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom; Spectator USA Editor Freddy Gray; our Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; writer and journalist Simon Barnes; and ecologist Carl Safina. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03) .

Is there life, as David Bowie wondered, on Mars? In this week's Book Club podcast my guest is the astrobiologist Kevin Peter Hand, author of a fascinating new book Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. Kevin explains how and where we're currently looking for extraterrestrial life in our own solar system - and why on the basis of sound science he's optimistic that we'll find it. He tells us about the brilliantly ingenious scientific deduction that has established that there exist oceans of liquid water deep under the icy shells of moons of Saturn and Jupiter, why it's quite possible to suppose that aliens might be living in those oceans - and how we can even speculate about what those aliens might look like. And if Kevin's old schoolmate Elon Musk is listening, he has a favour to ask... Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) . The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

Rhik Samadder is an actor and columnist for the Guardian, where his column Wellness or Hellness? reviews kitchen gadgets and life hacks. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about his mother's adventurous dinner table, his teenage battles with anorexia, and the worst kitchen gadgets he ever reviewed (including a mug which had a biscuit compartment).  Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Vanity von Glow is one of the UK's most in demand drag queens. She's a singer, pianist, and comic, and also hosts a new political talk show The Vanity Project. On the episode, she talks to Andy and Ben about flirting in a pandemic, why the word 'unprecedented' is unprecedentedly insufferable, and why Lana del Rey is her person of the month. That's Life is a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Presented by Spectator Life’s satirist Andy Shaw and political commentator Benedict Spence. Find previous episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/5010935) . Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

Hear Katy Balls (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/it-s-not-only-cummings-whose-fate-is-at-stake) on the long term impact of the Cummings affair; Dr John Lee (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-way-covid-deaths-are-being-counted-is-a-national-scandal) on the problem with the way we are counting Covid deaths; and Lionel Shriver (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-living-without-risk-really-living-at-all-) on how life isn't worth living without a little risk. Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

In this week's Book Club podcast we're talking about Brideshead Revisited. Evelyn Waugh's great novel is 75 years old this week, and I'm joined by our chief critic Philip Hensher, and by the novelist's grandson (and general editor of Oxford University Press's complete Evelyn Waugh) Alexander Waugh. What made the novel so pivotal in Waugh's career, what did it mean to the author and how did he revise it -- and why have generations of readers, effectively, misread it? The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) . Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

It's not just coronavirus, but the government is keen to have a new approach to China. We discuss what this entails and whether or not it's a good idea (00:50). Plus, what will be the lasting impact of the Cummings affair on the government? (17:16) And last, the way to deal with noisy neighbours now that people are working from home (34:00). With our Political Editor James Forsyth; former Cabinet minister Sir Oliver Letwin; our Deputy Political Editor Katy Balls; Conservative Home's Paul Goodman; Spectator columnist Melissa Kite; and our 'Dear Mary' columnist and Gogglebox star Mary Killen. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

My guest for this week’s Book Club podcast is the great Michael Frayn, talking about his new book of sketches Magic Mobile, lockdown life, the joys and perils of technology, adapting Spies for the screen - and how his muse has changed as he gets older. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) . Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) to try four weeks of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger.

With Amber Athey, Spectator USA's Washington Correspondent. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes. Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

On this week's Audio Reads, Douglas Murray advises (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/x-days-to-save-the-economy) Labour to get a new attack line, now that the Conservatives have become the party of the NHS. Professor Paul Dolan, a behavioural scientist at the LSE, ponders (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/lockdowns-are-as-contagious-as-covid) what would have happened had the pandemic started in Sweden, rather than China. And Andrew Watts says (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/britains-strange-aversion-to-seafood) - if Brexit talks are scuppered because of fish, shouldn't Brits at least eat more of it? Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

Kate Forbes is an SNP MP and the Scottish Finance Secretary. She stepped in at the last minute when her predecessor, Derek MacKay, was suspended from the party on the day of the Budget. On the podcast, she talks about her international upbringing and how that relates to her nationalism, what it was like to step in for the Budget on that day, and how she squares her faith with politics. Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) . Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

Brexit is back on the agenda, but this time, talks are even more difficult than the last phase (00:45). Plus, what do we understand about immunity, and how should that inform the lockdown policy (16:45)? And for a nation that bangs on about fish, do we eat enough of it (28:00)? With the Spectator's Political Editor James Forsyth; former Adviser on Europe to Theresa May Raoul Ruparel; Crick Institute scientist Rupert Beale; former Cabinet Minister Nicky Morgan; Spectator contributor Andrew Watts; and Pesky Fish founder Ben King. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter. Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) .

John Williams is the ebullient Executive Chef at the Ritz. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about breaking into the London fine dining scene as a boy from Tyneside, how the Ritz is as far from rustic as you can get, and his friendship with Margaret Thatcher, when she lived at the hotel in her last years. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

In this week's episode, the panel discuss the merits of treatment vs vaccine, American red tape, Hong Kong's fairly relaxed stance on new infections, and Italy running out of money. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine. Presented by Kate Andrews. Click here (https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03) to try four weeks of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger. Read the articles discussed in the episode here: Italy: https://www.thelocal.it/20200514/italys-new-poor-the-people-left-in-poverty-by-the-coronavirus-crisis Hong Kong: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3084283/coronavirus-hong-kong-health-experts-doubt-new USA: https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-backed-coronavirus-testing-program-stopped-by-fda-2020-5?r=US&IR=T UK: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/16/blood-thinning-drugs-can-help-save-covid-19-patients-lives/

In this week’s Book Club podcast Sam's guest is the writer and human rights lawyer Philippe Sands. His new book The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive describes his painstaking quest to track down the real story of a Nazi genocidaire who fled justice into the murky underground society of postwar Italy. Philippe tells Sam about the strange world of shifting allegiances he uncovered, and his own no less shifting relationship with his subject’s son - who continued against all the evidence to believe his father was a good man. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

On this week's Audio Reads, Swedish economist Fredrik Erixon reads his cover piece (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/league-of-nations-the-race-out-of-lockdown) explaining how European nations are all flying blind in the pandemic. James Forsyth advocates (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-british-state-needs-rewiring) a complete rewiring of the British state. And Leaf Arbuthnot, whose novel Looking For Eliza is released this week, extolls (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-to-go-clubbing-without-leaving-your-living-room) the joys of Zoom raves.

In this week's books podcast Sam is joined by Mark O'Connell, a writer whose latest book Notes from an Apocalypse: A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back sees him investigate doomsday preppers, wannabe Mars colonists, the Ayn Rand billionaires buying up New Zealand, and the tourist route through Chernobyl. Why, he asks, is the apocalypse something we seem to fantasise about as much as fear? The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

European countries all seem to be doing something different, so what are the lessons from the continent (00:45)? Plus, how the West's lockdown impacts the developing world in a very real way (13:05). And last, rediscovering the joy of driving on the country's empty roads (24:55). With economist Fredrik Erixon, the Economist's Anne McElvoy, Stanford Professor Jayanta Bhattacharya, Indian economist Ashwini Deshpande, writer Alexander Pelling-Bruce, and transport journalist Christian Wolmar. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

With Matt Mayer, President of free market group Opportunity Ohio and contributor to Spectator USA. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Hong Kong's reopening, lockdown confusion in the UK, the American unemployment nightmare, and the growing divides between northern and southern Italy. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine. Presented by Kate Andrews. Read the articles discussed in the episode here: Italy: https://www.ft.com/content/6c2ad256-9452-4480-9d98-2444b07675d4?shareType=nongift Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/hk-to-relax-social-distancing-rules-from-friday/ USA: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-terrible-jobs-report-gets-worse-the-more-you-read-it/

Rory MacLean is a historian and travel writer. His latest book, Pravda Ha Ha, is out now. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about how his mother was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny, singing a duet with David Bowie, and the time he was taken to lunch by a Vietnamese drug lord. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

This week, Douglas Murray (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/hugging-china-hasnt-done-us-any-favours) writes on why we shouldn't be hugging China any closer; Nigel Farndale (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/writing-obituaries-can-be-strangely-life-affirming) writes on why there's nothing morbid about obituaries; and Susan Hill (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/in-the-covid-era-age-isn-t-just-a-number) on the lessons she's re-learnt from the pandemic.

The economic impact of coronavirus is already felt keenly by many people. A large chunk of the population is having to dig into its savings to cover for lost income. But what if you don't have much in the piggy bank in the first place? Often, the discipline to save gets overtaken by events. With two fifths of adults having less than £500 in savings, what can be done to encourage people to think about their lifetime savings more? With Mims Davies, Minister for Employment; Lord David Willetts, President of the Resolution Foundation; and Emma Watkins, Annuities Director at Scottish Widows. Presented by Katy Balls. This podcast is sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.

The government is looking at easing the lockdown, but how much remains unknown about the coronavirus (00:40)? In the meantime, Joe Biden is batting off sexual assault allegations (10:15), and we take a look at the upside of lockdown for new parents (21:30). With science writer Matt Ridley, virologist Elisabetta Groppelli, Spectator USA editor Freddy Gray, host of the 'Democratically: 2020' podcast Karin Robinson, the Spectator's Assistant Editor Lara Prendergast, and Editor of the Times Literary Supplement Stig Abell. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

Toby Young is the Spectator's No Sacred Cows columnist and founder of the Free Speech Union. On the podcast, he talks to Andy and Benedict about getting coronavirus, the worst WHO gaffes, and the hardy 70-somethings down his street. That's Life is a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Presented by Spectator Life’s satirist Andy Shaw and political commentator Benedict Spence. Find previous episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/5010935) .

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss the confusions of Italy's lockdown easing; Hong Kong's large-scale repatriation of residents from South Asia; the potential watershed moment of American news outlets accepting federal funds; and whether China is looking down the barrel of a second wave. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine; and guest appearance from Cindy Yu, Broadcast Editor at the Spectator. Presented by Kate Andrews. Read the articles discussed in the episode here: Italy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2020/04/29/italians-angered-by-chaotic-and-confusing-phase-2-lockdown-lift/ Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/hk-to-repatriate-5200-citizens-from-india-pakistan/ USA: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/news-media-federal-aid-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage China: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-harbin-china-s-new-wuhan-

Carbon offsetting refers to the suite of schemes that compensate for the emissions we put out, by making up for them elsewhere. Included in those schemes are so-called 'nature-based solutions' - initiatives designed to protect and transform land, like tree planting. But with offsetting in the news for all the wrong reasons - like Harry and Meghan's private jet-setting lifestyle - is it a medieval indulgence, allowing the rich to absolve their environmental sins; or is it the way to Net Zero, which the government has committed to achieve by 2050? Do nature-based solutions work, and how should their performance be measured? With Tony Juniper, Head of Natural England, Robert Courts, Conservative MP for Witney, and Harvonne Yap, Global Origination Lead for Environmental Products at Shell, which is sponsoring this podcast. Presented by Kate Andrews.

This week's episode features Rachel Johnson's diary, in which she talks about becoming an aunt again; Paul Wood on why mass testing isn't good enough - we need to test everyone; and Simon Barnes on the point of boxing.

Charles Moore recently published Herself Alone, the final volume of an authorised biography of Margaret Thatcher. When writing, he realised that the story is half-tragedy, half-Whodunnit. Many of those involved in her fall had a motive. This podcast is a narrative of the events leading up to Mrs Thatcher's fall, voiced by Charles Moore and Kate Ehrman, who assisted with all three volumes of the biography.

With the Prime Minister back, the government is pivoting towards a South Korean model on coronavirus. So what's taken them so long (00:45)? Plus, how does oil complicate the pandemic in Russia (14:50)? And last, why weddings will be over-subscribed in 2021 (26:55). With James Forsyth, Adrian Wooldridge, Owen Matthews, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Katy Balls and Katrina Otter. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

In this week's books podcast I'm joined from across the Atlantic by the eminent Shakespearean James Shapiro to talk about his new book Shakespeare in a Divided America, which discusses the myriad ways in which America has taken Britain's national playwright up as its own; and then used him as a lightning-rod for the deepest issues about its own national identity - issues of masculinity, race relations, immigration and assassination. Jim talks about why a country founded by theatre-hating, Brit-hating Puritans fell in love with a British playwright; how Lincoln was the greatest reader of Shakespeare in American history; about whether America is the purest repository of Shakespeare's language; about how a beef between two Shakespeare actors once led to light artillery being deployed in downtown Manhattan - and how Ulysses S Grant may have been the greatest Desdemona the theatre never quite had. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club) .

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world each select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows. In this episode, we take a look at Italy's route to freedom, Boris's return to work, intergenerational tensions in New York, and Hong Kong's non-Covid patients. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine. Presented by Kate Andrews. Read the articles discussed here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/italy-coronavirus-phase-ii-may-4/2020/04/23/3bb47b52-84ae-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bearer-of-good-coronavirus-news-11587746176 https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1522723-20200425.htm https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/26/boris-johnson-could-ease-lockdown-may-7-deadline/

Ryan Riley is a chef and entrepreneur, whose organisation Life Kitchen gives free cookery classes to people with cancer. On the podcast, he talks about his own mother's struggle with cancer, how the best ideas always come on Tuesday nights (and with a drink), and why umami is the key to cooking for people with taste. Ryan's cookbook with favourite recipes from Life Kitchen is out now (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Kitchen-Ryan-Riley/dp/1526612291/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=life+kitchen+cookery+book&qid=1581434695&sr=8-1) . Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

It's the 10,000th edition. This week's episode features historian Tom Holland on the Spectator's winning recipe; Douglas Murray on why he loves journalists; Mary Wakefield on coronavirus uncertainty; and Tanya Gold on what it's like to be the magazine's restaurant critic.

Ruby Wax is an actress, comedian, and mental health campaigner, for which she received an OBE. On the podcast, she tells Katy about her difficult upbringing which put Carrie Fisher's to shame, the moment she realised she couldn't act, and her campaigning work, especially during these stressful times. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

This week, the Spectator celebrates it's 10,00th edition - we discuss the magazine's history of the last two centuries (26:15). Also on the podcast, we discuss Boris's difficult decision on lockdown (00:40) and the pandemic reaching Africa (12:15). With James Forsyth, Craig Oliver, Aidan Hartley, Ama Fenny, David Butterfield, and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

‘Things that would have seemed utterly improbable now happen on a daily basis’, Sir Salman Rushdie said to Sam when they spoke in an interview for the Spectator's 10,000th edition. Sam met Salman in New York a few weeks ago, before coronavirus struck down the city. This episode is a recording of that interview, where they discuss everything from his latest book Quichotte, to his relationship with his father, who we learn made up the surname 'Rushdie', and how he feels about The Satanic Verses now. Sam's full interview is out in this Thursday's issue. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows. This episode, we take a look at Italy's cautious reopening, the political blame game stateside, and Hong Kong's second wave worries. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine. Presented by Kate Andrews.

With Eitan Hersh, political scientist and author of Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

This week's Audio Reads are from Matthew Parris, who writes (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/we-re-all-guilty-of-recruiting-this-virus-to-our-cause) about using coronavirus to support your own ideological cause; Isabel Hardman, who reveals (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/domestic-abuse-sufferers-are-the-hidden-victims-of-lockdown) the extent of domestic abuse during the crisis; and Toby Young, who is bonding (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/our-puppy-has-no-respect-for-the-two-metre-rule) with his new puppy.

On the podcast this week: the geopolitics of coronavirus (00:55), Conservatism after the crisis (19:30), and the new class divide between the have-gardens and the have-not-gardens (35:25). With Niall Ferguson, Gerard Baker, James Forsyth, Jeremy Hunt, Melanie McDonagh and Freddy Gray. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls.

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam talks to the reporter Toby Muse about the vast, blood-soaked and nihilistic shadow economy that links a banker's 'cheeky little line of coke' to the poorest peasants in Colombia. Toby's new book Kilo: Life and Death inside the Cocaine Cartels traces cocaine's journey from that unremarkable-looking shrub to its entry into a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise, interviews farmers, prostitutes, pious assassins and cartel capos - and along the way describes how it has transformed Colombia's whole politics and way of life. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows. With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine. Presented by Kate Andrews.

The Spectator is meant for sharing. But in the age of coronavirus, that might not be possible. This new podcast will feature a few of our columnists reading out their articles from the issue each week, so that you don't miss out. It's a new format, so tell us what you think at podcast@spectator.co.uk. Toby Young on why Britain needs Boris; Douglas Murray on what he finds heartening about the national response to coronavirus; and Melissa Kite's Real Life column.

Domestic abuse services are braced for an avalanche of new cases as a result of social distancing. Of these cases, not all have or will be physically violent - instead, Women's Aid reports a significant proportion of cases in which access to money was used as a form of control. In the government's Domestic Abuse Bill, economic abuse will be for the first time recognised as a form of coercive control. So how can it be identified, and how can the women and men who are its victims be helped?  Katy Balls speaks to Jess Phillips, Labour MP and domestic abuse campaigner; Olivia Robey, a safeguarding and vulnerability advisor and former SpAd at the Home Office; and Fiona Cannon OBE, Responsible Business, Sustainability and Inclusion Director at Lloyds Banking Group. This podcast is sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.

This is an Easter like no other - so what happens to Christianity when Christians can't go to church (1:00)? We also hear reports from the New York frontline (12:20), and discuss just why humour is so important in dark times (29:40). With Luke Coppen, Tom Holland, Qanta Ahmed, John Rick MacArthur, and Jonathan Waterlow. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

My guest in this week's podcast is the multi-talented satirist Craig Brown, whose new book One Two Three Four: The Beatles In Time is, I feel confident in guessing, the most entertaining book about the Fab Four ever written. Craig joins me to talk about how he goes about his jackdaw work picking out the most curious and striking details from the mass of information in his research, what attracts him to his subjects, and why Paul McCartney has always been his favourite Beatle. Plus: a flabbergasting cameo for our own Stephen Bayley. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

This week's Book Club podcast features one of the great wise men of the literary world: Professor John Carey - emeritus Merton Professor of English at Oxford, author of authoritative books on Milton, Donne and Dickens as well as the subject-transforming broadside The Intellectuals and the Masses. (He's also lead book reviewer for a publication we shall call only the S****y T***s, but we pass over that.) In his new book, A Little History of Poetry, he sweeps us with his usual elan from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the backyard of Les Murray. I asked him (among other things) what constitutes poetry, why 'Goosey Goosey Gander' has it all, what he discovered in his researches, and why the so-called New Criticism got old. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Freddy Gray talks to author and professor Frank Buckley about the divisions in American society. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

The Spectator is meant for sharing. But in the age of coronavirus, that might not be possible. This new podcast will feature a few of our columnists reading out their articles from the issue each week, so that you don't miss out. It's a new format, so tell us what you think at podcast@spectator.co.uk. Matthew Parris warns against comparing coronavirus to the war, Lionel Shriver fears the economic repercussions, and Isabel Hardman explains why stockpiling hens isn't such a good idea.

Harry Mount, the editor of The Oldie, is appalled that thanks to the coronavirus regulations, he can't seek spiritual comfort in any of Britain's glorious churches. And he's not a religious believer.  In this week's Holy Smoke podcast, Harry tells me why the ban on even entering a church is so pointless: he describes it as a giant exercise in 'our old friend, virtue-signalling' by the Anglican and Catholic hierarchies. I couldn't agree more. It was the bishops, not the Government, who came up with the idea of a total lockdown. One minute they're opening their cathedrals to helter-skelters and crazy golf; the next they're grossly exaggerating the health risks of solitary and well-regulated visits to churches. (No one disputes that a temporary ban on public liturgies is necessary.) But this episode is about much more than the current outbreak of control-freakery from their Lordships. Harry Mount is an agnostic; why does he feel the need to visit churches? His answer to this question is fascinating and uplifting. Holy Smoke is hosted by Damian Thompson, who dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

On the podcast this week, we take a look at the exceptional nature of 'coronomics' and what comes after (00:55), how the Swedish are dealing with coronavirus differently (18:50), and lessons in solitude from a polar explorer (31:15). With Kate Andrews, Lionel Barber, Fredrik Erixon, Yascha Mounk and Geoff Wilson. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

On the latest episode, Andy and Benedict talk to comedian and author Andrew Doyle, the brains behind the Twitter persona 'Titania McGrath'. Andrew explains just why he's so suited to self-isolation, the politicisation of coronavirus, and which quarantined celebrities he feels most sorry for. That's Life is a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Presented by Spectator Life’s satirist Andy Shaw and political commentator Benedict Spence. Find previous episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/5010935) .

On this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam is joined by Blake Gopnik — the author of a monumental new biography of Andy Warhol. Blake tells Sam how everything — fame, money, and other human beings — were 'art supplies' to Warhol, but that underneath a succession of contrived personae Warhol could be warm, generous and even romantic; that the affectlessness of his art was not the expression of an affectless man; and that if he’d lived on, Gopnik thinks, he could have produced something equal to the late work of Titian. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

This week's Holy Smoke podcast is a celebration of what must surely be the most inspiring piece of music ever written by a sick man recovering from illness – the slow movement of Beethoven's String Quartet, Op. 132, which he entitled 'A Song of Thanksgiving to the Deity by a Convalescent'.  The relevance of this sublime music hardly needs spelling out. But what makes this episode particularly special is that, when they learned of the plans for the podcast, a brilliant young string quartet based in Kansas City, which calls itself The Opus 76 String Quartet, offered to record it for us. And that's what they did, without charging a fee, in the lovely acoustic of Visitation Parish Church just before it closed its doors because of the virus. They made a video of their luminous performance, which you can find on the Spectator's website, and there are two short extracts in the episode.  My guest is the leader of the quartet, Keith Stanfield, who must be the only classical chamber musician in history to have played football in a World Cup qualifying match, for his mother's country, Western Samoa. I couldn't resist asking him about that.  He and his colleagues went to heroic lengths to play Beethoven's 'Song of Thanksgiving' for Holy Smoke. Do tune in. Holy Smoke is hosted by Damian Thompson, who dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

The Spectator is meant for sharing. But in the age of coronavirus, that might not be possible. This new podcast will feature a few of our columnists reading out their articles from the issue each week, so that you don't miss out. It's a new format, so tell us what you think at podcast@spectator.co.uk. Douglas Murray asks, where do we find purpose? Tanya Gold writes on the Cornish revolt against second-home owners, and Mark Mason's gives tips from history on working from home.

Lisa Nandy is the Labour MP for Wigan and former shadow energy secretary. She is one of the remaining three contenders for Labour leader. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her childhood ambitions, cross-party friendships, and the worst advice she's ever been given. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

How prepared is the NHS for the coming battle with coronavirus (1:20)? Plus, what will Britain look like after the epidemic (12:20)? And last, just how are children so good at make-believe (29:25)? With Dr Max Pemberton, Dr Kieran Mullan, James Forsyth, William Hague, Mary Wakefield and Piers Torday. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

With Joe Biden taking a commanding lead in the Democratic race for the presidency, Freddy Gray asks Dave Weigel of the Washington Post who he might choose for his running mate.  Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Sam's guest in this episode is the poet Don Paterson — whose new book Zonal finds him accessing a new, confessional mode, a longer line and a childhood interest in the spooky TV show The Twilight Zone. Don talks about the relationship between poetry and jazz, the split between 'page poetry' and spoken-word material, the shortcomings of Rupi Kaur, whether poems should include 'spoiler alerts', and lifts the lid on his vicious feud with the man he calls 'Alan Jacket'. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Michael Auslin, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of Asia's New Geopolitics. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Emily Thornberry is the shadow Foreign Secretary and former contender for the Labour leadership. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her challenging childhood, what practising law taught her about politics, and her bid to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

It's the first few days of a national lockdown, so have humans been hubristic in not expecting something like this to happen (1:10)? Over in France, is President Macron dealing with this any better (11:05)? Last, is there any point in being a historical novelist in the age of Hilary Mantel (19:10)? With James Forsyth, Dr Elisabetta Groppelli, Jonathan Miller, Katy Lee, Antonia Senior and Mark Lawson. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

Do you sense that something is missing in the churches' response to the coronavirus? In this week's Holy Smoke episode, Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the Queen, argues that the bishop's attitude of 'wash your hands and be nice' reflects the churches' polite surrender to secularisation – but suggests that ordinary believers now have the opportunity to show the public what Christianity really looks like. The coronavirus, dreadful though it is, could mark a turning point – one that leads to a religious revival in which the old breed of bishop-bureaucrat gives way to more inspiring leadership. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

With Amber Athey, Washington Editor of Spectator USA. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

In this week’s Book Club, Sam's guest is the writer Hadley Freeman, whose new book House of Glass tells the story of 20th century jewry through the hidden history of her own family. The four Glahs siblings — one of them the writer’s grandmother — grew up in a Polish shtetl just a few miles from what was to become Auschwitz. They fled the postwar pogroms to Paris; and then had to contend with the rise of a new and still more dangerous antisemitism under the Vichy regime. Hadley traced their story through two wars and across continents, and tells Sam how the story reflects both on Jewish history and on urgent concerns of the present day. And she even offers an intriguing cameo of the teenage Donald Trump… The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest and a columnist for Spectator USA. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

This week kicked off with an incredible fall in oil prices globally, so what on earth happened (00:50)? We also talk about the Budget, where Rishi Sunak set out in more detail how the government's 'levelling up' agenda will look (10:20). Finally, should we be doing more science research for curiosity's sake (23:05)? With Kate Andrews, Owen Matthews, James Forsyth, Polly Mackenzie, Thomas Fink and Dallas Campbell. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

With Deroy Murdock, a Fox News contributor and contributing editor of the National Review online. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam's guest is the veteran foreign correspondent Christina Lamb. Christina’s new book, Our Bodies Their Battlefield: What War Does To Women is a deeply reported survey of rape as a weapon of war, described in the Spectator's pages (https://beta.spectator.co.uk/article/-the-most-powerful-and-disturbing-book-that-i-have-ever-read-) by Antony Beevor as the most powerful and disturbing book he has ever read. From the fates of Yazidi and Rohingya woman at the hands of IS and the Burmese military, to the German victims of the Red Army and the Disappeared of the Argentinian Junta, Christina looks at the past and present of this phenomenon and talks to me about why it’s so little reported or discussed, let alone prosecuted, how it happens, what it means — and why it’s seemingly on the increase even as wealthy western liberals congratulate themselves on the success of the #metoo movement. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Ed Condon, Washington bureau chief of the Catholic News Agency. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

Prue Leith is a restaurateur, Bake Off judge, and advisor to the government's review on hospital food. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about growing up in apartheid South Africa, how she got her first Michelin star, and having breakfast with Boris Johnson in Downing St. Prue Leith will be live in conversation with her nephew Sam Leith (the Spectator's Books Editor) and her niece Peta Leith on the 24th March. Get tickets here (https://events.spectator.co.uk/events/2020-03-an-evening-with-prue-leith) . Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

As the coronavirus sweeps across the globe, it's causing businesses, consumers, and governments to rethink their globalised lives. Is this a tipping point for hyper-globalisation (1:00)? Plus, is the government slimming down its Budget plans (13:40)? And last, is it harder to be eco-friendly if you are a woman (26:35)? With Kate Andrews, Gideon Rachman, James Forsyth, Sarah Longlands, Laura Freeman and Sian Sutherland. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

With Bill Barnard, former chair of Democrats Abroad UK and American history. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Chris Atkins is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, whose work on the tabloid media led him to give evidence in the Leveson Inquiry. In 2016, he was sentenced to five years in prison for tax offences. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about food in prison - why it was doomed to taste bad, how tuna was used as a barter currency, and cooking curry in a kettle. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Don’t Panic! Next month marks the 42nd anniversary of the first radio broadcast of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Joining Sam on this week’s podcast to discuss the genesis, genius and legacy of the show and the books it spawned are the literary scholar and science fiction writer Adam Roberts, and John Lloyd, the founder of QI and a close collaborator and lifelong friend of Douglas Adams. Do they let slip the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything? Nearly. The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Kate Andrews, Economics Correspondent of the Spectator. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

As the UK and the EU both set out what they want to get in the upcoming trade negotiations, are they heading for an almighty Brexit showdown (00:40)? We also have a look at the constitutional reforms proposed by Guinea's president Alpha Condé, and how he has succumbed to 'African Strongman Syndrome' (18:05). Plus, are dog owners treating their pets like babies (30:15)? With James Forsyth, Peter Foster, Colin Freeman, Alex Vines, Melissa Kite and Stuart Simons. Presented by Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

There are now a million undocumented - or ‘illegal’ - immigrants in Britain, many of them settled here with families. When Boris Johnson edited The Spectator, he argued that an amnesty should be offered to those who have been here for a long time. He retained the policy as London Mayor. Is it now time for him to implement it? Would such an amnesty be a bold expression of liberal conservatism - or a dangerous weakening of Britain’s borders and security? Hear Fraser Nelson and Kate Andrews, the Spectator's Economics Correspondent, debate David Goodhart, head of immigration at Policy Exchange, and Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK. Moderated by Katy Balls.

The dust has still not settled after Pope Francis unexpectedly – and very pointedly – ignored pleas (https://spectator.us/pope-rebuffs-liberal-supporters-rejecting-married-priests/) from liberal Catholics to ordain married men as priests. They had a fully worked-out plan in place, but the Pope had pressed the 'delete' button. So what happened? With Vatican expert Dr Ed Condon, Washington bureau chief of the Catholic News Agency and a canon lawyer. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

With Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Presented by Cindy Yu. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

Jon Atashroo is Head Chef at the Tate Modern, whose culinary career began with proving dough on a radiator at university. His latest creation is a tasting menu inspired by the Tate's upcoming Andy Warhol exhibition, featuring dishes such as Coca Cola Jelly and Tuna Fish Disaster. On the podcast, he talks to Olivia and Lara about his Persian sweet tooth, how a degree in economics influenced his culinary career, and bringing artists like Picasso and Olafur Eliasson to the Tate restaurant menu. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Thérèse Coffey is the MP for Suffolk Coastal and the work and pensions secretary. On the podcast, she talks about her famous karaoke parties, the importance of her Catholic faith to her, and that (https://twitter.com/Emmabarnett/status/616969918483955712?s=20) picture from one Spectator party. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

This week, has Mike Bloomberg blown his presidential hopes with a disastrous TV debate (00:50)? Plus, has the BBC really gone downhill (12:05)? And last, Toby Young reveals all about his first stand up comedy gig (26:30). With Freddy Gray, Bill Barnard, Douglas Murray, Claire Fox, Toby Young, and Andy Shaw. Presented by Cindy Yu.

This week Sam's guest on the Book Club podcast is the journalist Ed West, whose new book Small Men On The Wrong Side of History (published next month by Constable) asks whether the long and honourable history of conservative thought is doomed. Have liberals won the day? Why are their guys cooler than our guys? And how conservative is the current government anyway? The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Julia Hartley-Brewer is a journalist and TalkRadio host. On the podcast, she talks to Benedict and Andy about Philip Schofield, British things, and why the Democrats just can't get rid of Trump. That's Life is a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Presented by Spectator Life’s satirist Andy Shaw and political commentator Benedict Spence. Find previous episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/5010935) .

With Stephen Bush, Political Editor at the New Statesman, and Katy Balls. Presented by Cindy Yu. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

This week, as Sinn Fein enters coalition talks with Fianna Fail, is Ireland’s election result a sign of a European trend (00:40)? Plus, No 10 is going to war over the deportation of a number of Jamaican detainees – so is citizenship a privilege, or a right (15:40)? And last, what makes South Korea’s pop culture quite so successful (29:15)? With Fraser Nelson, Anne McElvoy, Bella Sankey, Mercy Muroki, Rana Mitter and Andrew Heskins. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

Sam's guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Olivia Fane — who argues in her new book Why Sex Doesn’t Matter that, well, sex doesn’t matter. She says that the idea that sex and love are related is a damaging twentieth-century invention, and that if we could just recognise that sex was no more significant than scratching an itch we’d all be wiser and happier. They talk about how she reaches that conclusion — and what, if she’s right, we ought to do about it. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor.

With Amber Athey, Spectator USA's Washington Editor, and Matt McDonald, Spectator USA's Managing Editor. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

Skye Gyngell is an Australian chef best known for her work as food editor for Vogue and for winning a Michelin star at the Petersham Nurseries Cafe. She is now the founder of Spring at Somerset House and the culinary director of Heckfield Place. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Livvy about being subjected to a 'macro-biotic' diet as a child, how winning a Michelin star wasn't such a blessing for Petersham Nurseries, and how a 20th century Austrian philosopher influences her work now. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

In February 1945, the Allies, led by Sir Arthur Harris and Bomber Command, destroyed the historic city of Dresden, killing 25,000, most of them civilians. For the 75th anniversary, Sinclair McKay, author of the newly released Dresden: The Fire and The Darkness, talks to A.N. Wilson on whether it should be regarded as a war crime. The full conversation is here - and you can read an edited version in the magazine this week. Presented by William Moore.

Ayesha Hazarika is a journalist and comedian, and a former Labour advisor to Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband. On the podcast, she talks about growing up in Glasgow, vetting Ed Miliband for Prime Minister's Questions, and the stand-up jokes that bombed the most. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

In the aftermath of the Streatham attack, we take a look at how our prisons became finishing schools for extremists (00:40). Plus, what on earth happened in the Iowa caucus (11:25)? And last, is there anything true in the stories about Calamity Jane (22:50)? With James Forsyth, Haras Rafiq, Freddy Gray, Karin Robinson, and Karen R Jones. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Cindy Yu. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

This week's Book Club stars the food historian and broadcaster Annie Gray, whose new book Victory In The Kitchen excavates the life and world of Georgina Landemare - Winston Churchill's cook. From the shifting roles of household servants, and the insane food of the Edwardian rich - everything jellied and moulded and forced through sieves - to the inventive ways that haute cuisine responded to rationing, Georgina's is a story that gives a fascinating new insight into 20th century culture and society. Annie makes the case that without Georgina's cooking, Churchill might never have achieved the political success he did. Hear what Andrew Roberts got wrong, how Churchill simultaneously saved his cook's life and ruined pudding, and what's wrong with Woolton Pie. Allergy warning: contains jellied consomme, plover's eggs, roast beef and stilton. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

The UK’s aviation industry has today pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But how can it achieve this goal, while also matching Britain’s post-Brexit ambitions on connectivity and trade? One major reform could be the modernisation of British airspace, to make flight routes more fuel-efficient. On this podcast, Kate Andrews talks to a panel of experts on what modernisation means, the pitfalls along the way, and its impact on climate change and trade. With Mark Swan, Head of the Airspace Change Organising Group, Conor Burns, Minister of State for International Trade; and David Learmount, veteran aviation journalist. Sponsored by Our Future Skies.

With James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Katy Balls and Fraser Nelson. Presented by John Connolly. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Michael Tracey, journalist and contributor to Spectator USA. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

It’s finally Brexit day. So has the country’s healing process begun (00:55)? Plus, what does the coronavirus tell us about modern China (11:35)? And last, is it time we start talking about death (20:50)? With Rod Liddle, Stefanie Bolzen, Cindy Yu, Alex Colville, Kate Chisholm and Sharon Young. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

In this week’s podcast, Sam is joined by two writers to talk about the perennially fraught issue of race. There’s a wide consensus that discrimination on the basis of race is wrong; but what actually *is* race? Does it map onto a meaningful genetic or scientific taxonomy? Does it map onto a lived reality - is it possible to generalise, say, about 'black' experience? And can we or should we opt out of or ignore it? Adam Rutherford and Thomas Chatterton Williams approach these issues from very different angles: the former, in How To Argue With A Racist, brings genetic science to bear on the myths and realities of population differences; while the latter describes in Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race how after half a lifetime strongly attached to the idea of his own blackness, the arrival of his blonde haired and blue eyed daughter made him rethink his worldview. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Russian-British comedian Konstantin Kisin joins journalist Benedict Spence and comedy club founder Andy Shaw on the latest episode of That’s Life - a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Andy and Benedict talk to Konstantin about whether we’re witnessing the end of woke-ism and the many foxes that have hit the headlines recently - from Laurence Fox to the unfortunate fox in Jo Maugham’s garden.    Konstantin made headlines of his own in 2018 when he refused to sign a university ‘behavioural agreement’ form before a gig requiring his humour be ‘respectful and kind’. He has been named Jewish comic of the year and is a regular contributor to the BBC, ITV and Radio 5 Live.

With Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Policy Exchange's David Goodhart, author of The Road to Somewhere, and Kate Andrews. Presented by Katy Balls.

Joanna Cherry is the SNP's Justice and Home Affairs Spokesperson and a prolific QC, known for her successful legal challenge against the government over its decision to prorogue parliament. In the end, Boris Johnson's prorogation was declared unlawful. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her Scottish Labour days, the misogyny she identifies in the current debate over trans rights, and taking the Prime Minister to court. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

As France enters its 62nd weekend of protests, President Macron’s honeymoon is well and truly over. But has he found a new friend in Boris Johnson (00:45)? Plus, what is the problem with the Labour leadership race (12:35)? And last, what’s killing Britain’s wild salmon (25:20)? With Jonathan Miller, Charles Grant, James Forsyth, Gloria de Piero, Mike Daunt and Dylan Roberts. Presented by Isabel Hardman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam's guest is the novelist Samantha Harvey, whose new book — The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping — is an extraordinarily written, funny and terrifying account of her experience with insomnia. She talks to Sam about the strange contortions that the mind makes when the boundaries between conscious and unconscious thought start to fray, and how writing — as she sees it — saved her from madness. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Sarah Langford is a barrister and author of the best-selling In Your Defence, which follows 11 real-life cases in the criminal and family courts. On the podcast, Sarah tells Lara and Livvy about her family's background in farming, the vending machine diet of a barrister, and how MeToo killed the drinking culture in chambers. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

With James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Tom Tugendhat MP and Robin Pagnamenta, Head of Technology at the Telegraph. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Kate Andrews, Economics Correspondent at the Spectator. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

This week, ‘Megxit’ has divided the nation – but could slimming down the monarchy actually be a good idea (00:50)? Plus, Ireland goes to the polls next month – how could the next Taoiseach impact Brexit talks (16:35)? And last, what if charity work isn’t quite the rewarding experience you expect (27:40)? With Tim Stanley, Katie Nicholl, Liam Halligan, Tony Connelly, Cosmo Landesman and Mary Wakefield. Presented by Isabel Hardman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

Sam's guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is Francesca Wade, whose fascinating first book Square Haunting tells the intersecting stories of five eminent women who lived during the years of and between the world wars in London’s Mecklenburgh Square: Virginia Woolf, Hilda Doolittle, Dorothy L Sayers, Eileen Power and Jane Harrison. In each case, their years in Bloomsbury marked a moment of professional self-invention or reinvention — and of personal trial. Together, they tell the story of a changing way of being for women in the world, and the exhilaration and sometimes painful cost of achieving 'a room of one’s own'. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth.  Presented by Isabel Hardman. 

What is the role of intelligence in defence? Knowing your enemy has always been vital in traditional warfare, but with the dawn of digital technology and social media, defence seems to have taken on a different character - one where information is not just vital to war and peace, but its defining characteristic. To win in this new age of defence, Britain must establish what some have called 'information advantage'. So how well equipped are we? With Professor Peter Roberts, Director of Military Sciences at RUSI; Dominic Nicholls, the Telegraph’s Defence and Security Correspondent; and Simon Fovargue, the UK and Europe chief executive of Leidos. Presented by Katy Balls. Sponsored by Leidos.

Just before Christmas, Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former Chaplain to the Queen, converted to Catholicism. In this episode, he deplores the Church of England’s surrender to secularism under Archbishop Justin Welby, who won’t enjoy his former colleague’s assessment of his talents... Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

Mark Diacono, food writer, farmer and photographer, who is the founder of Otter Farm in East Devon. The author of seven books, his latest, 'Sour', is out now. He talks to Lara and Livvy about what inspired him to start growing food, how to turn 17 acres of land into a farm producing Szechuan peppers, mulberries, and many things in between, and his love for all things sour. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

It’s been a week since Qassem Soleimani was assassinated. In this episode, we ask – has Trump’s decision actually united the Middle East (00:30)? Plus, as the Labour leadership contest gets underway – do any of the candidates actually scare the Tories (15:40)? And last, is the piggybank a thing of childhoods past (28:30)? With Sir John Jenkins, Oz Katerji, Katy Balls, James Mills, Laurie Graham, and Iona Bain. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, we’re talking about the life and loves of the greatest poet of the twentieth century. Professor John Haffenden joins Sam to discuss the impact of the opening of an archive of more than 1,000 of Eliot’s letters to Emily Hale — his Harvard sweetheart and the woman who for fifteen years he believed to have been the love of his life. Was he really in love with her or, as he later claimed, simply imagining it? What does he mean when he says that marriage to Emily would have killed him as a poet? And what light does it shed on his poetry? John — who as the editor of T. S. Eliot’s collected letters is one of the first people to have had access to this trove — says that it’s an 'astonishing' haul, and shows Eliot opening up as never before.  The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Jacob Heilbrunn, contributor to Spectator USA and editor of the National Interest. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

With James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Presented by Katy Balls.

With Spectator USA's Paul Wood. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

In the last few years, climate change has risen to the top of the agenda for consumers, voters, politicians, and journalists alike. But as well as cutting down emissions and using less plastic, could we also be rethinking the way we use energy at home? Here’s where smart meters come in – a smart meter is a fully digital electric or gas meter, which shows the consumer exactly how much energy they’re using. Proponents say that they can save the environment and save you money; but full rollout was meant to have happened next year – 2020 – a target that, this year, has been delayed for four years. So what exactly is so smart about smart meters, what’s holding them up, and what would a 'smart' world look like?  In this podcast, Katy Balls speaks Dhara Vyas, Head of Future Energy Services at Citizens Advice Bureau, Adam John, a reporter at Utility Week, and Robert Cheesewright, Director of Corporate Affairs at Smart Energy GB, the government-backed campaign for national smart meter upgrades. Sponsored by Smart Energy GB.

How do you and your family spend Christmas? In the Christmas issue of the Spectator, broadcaster and author Gyles Brandreth writes about the generations old traditions in his family of playing games and reciting poetry. In this episode of the Edition at Christmas, the Spectator’s Features Editor and resident board games fanatic Will Moore speaks to Gyles and Mark Mason, author of the Importance of Being Trivial, about their favourite Christmas traditions.

It’s been a protest unlike any other that China has seen. Since June, hundreds of thousands – by some estimates millions – of Hong Kongers have protested against the government. What was sparked by opposition to an extradition bill that would allow Hong Kongers to face trial in the mainland, has now turned into a six month long pro-democracy movement. So how significant are these protests, and have they got any closer to their goal?  With Professor Kerry Brown and Isabella Steger. Presented by Cindy Yu.

At the start of the year, Trump was locked in a fight with the Democrats over the funding for his wall, leading to a weeks long government shutdown. As Trump faces impeachment this week, has much changed in 2019? With Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA, and John Rick MacArthur, President of Harpers Magazine. Presented by Cindy Yu.

At the start of the year, Theresa May had just survived a no confidence motion from her own party, but she was barely clinging on. Cross-party MPs, aided by John Bercow, defeated the government in vote after vote. There was a real chance that Brexit might have been reversed. Things are pretty different now. So what were the main events of 2019? With James Forsyth, Katy Balls, and Jacqui Smith. Presented by Isabel Hardman. Produced by Cindy Yu and Matt Taylor.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam talks to the 'demon dog' of American letters, James Ellroy — whose latest book is This Storm. In a wide-ranging and somewhat NSFW conversation, they talk about misquoting Auden, why Ellroy hates Orson Welles, how he maps out the byzantine plots of his novels, why as a recovering addict he fills his books with pill-poppers and juice heads, why he thinks he's the best crime writer living — and what his dad’s '20-inch wang' had to do with Rita Hayworth. The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Kate Young is a food writer and chef, whose cookbooks take recipe inspiration from literary classics, recreating favourite dishes of Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, and more. She runs a catering company with Olivia Potts and, on the podcast, tells all about an Australian's idea of Britain, why she left the theatre to go into cooking, and, from personal experience, which dishes only work in fiction. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

With Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

This week, politics becomes a little less volatile as Boris Johnson achieves the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher. So what happened in this election, and what next (00:50)? Plus, China has interned over a million Uyghur Muslims in so-called ‘re-education’ camps – what is going on in Xinjiang (17:55)? And last, what are the rewards of mudlarking (31:25)? With Fraser Nelson, Steve Richards, Harald Maass, Rachel Harris and Lara Maiklem. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu.

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth. Presented by Isabel Hardman.

In this week’s Book Club, Sam's guest is the children’s writer Piers Torday, author of the Last Wild trilogy and, most recently, The Frozen Sea. Why is winter such a powerful thing in children’s writing? How come children’s books are such a booming publishing sector when so many people thought that screens would all but kill them off? Why do so many children’s writers have catastrophic personal lives? And how do the stories of today repurpose and live in the stories of the past? The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Presented by Cindy Yu.

With James Ball, journalist and the author of Post-Truth, and Katy Balls. Presented by Cindy Yu. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With just a week to go until polling day, we take a look at what Corbyn’s Britain would look like (00:45). Plus, is planting more trees the panacea to climate change (16:15)? And last, how young is too young to have political opinions (28:15)? With Liam Halligan, Michael Jacobs, Jamie Blackett, Will Skeaping, Andrew Watts, Freddy Gray, Gus Gray and Mary Wakefield. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu, Matt Taylor and Gus Carter.

In this week's Book Club, Sam's guest is the historian Tom Holland, author of the new book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. The book, though as Tom remarks, you might not know it from the cover, is essentially a history of Christianity -- and an account of the myriad ways, many of them invisible to us, that it has shaped and continues to shape Western culture. It's a book and an argument that takes us from Ancient Babylon to Harvey Weinstein's hotel room, draws in the Beatles and the Nazis, and orbits around two giant figures: St Paul and Nietzsche. Is there a single discernible, distinctive Christian way of thinking? Is secularism Christianity by other means? And are our modern-day culture wars between alt-righters and woke progressives a post-Christian phenomenon or, as Tom argues, essentially a civil war between two Christian sects? The Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Max Pemberton is a Daily Mail columnist and medical doctor specialising in mental health and eating disorders. On the podcast, he talks about his milkman father and activist mother and what family mealtimes were like, remembering to eat on shifts as a junior doctor, and dissuading patients with serious eating disorders of the 'clean eating' religion. Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181) .

Why would any woman want to be an MP in this general election? In recent years, parliament has been plagued by horror stories of abuse against MPs, especially female ones, with a number of them leaving the job before their time. So does parliament have a woman problem? Katy Balls speaks to a series of guests, especially a handful of the young women who are looking to join parliament this election. With Paul Goodman, Isabel Hardman, Inaya Folarin Iman, Rebecca Smith, Danielle Rowley and Claire Coutinho. Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit http://spectator.co.uk/balls.

With two weeks to go until the election, the latest polling shows a majority of 68 for the Conservative party. So can anything still trip Boris Johnson up (00:50)? One of those events could be Trump’s visit next week – so how high are the stakes there (17:10)? And last, what led to the failure of the Israeli kibbutz (28:35)? With James Forsyth, Paul Goodman, Sir Christopher Meyer, Kate Andrews and Johan Norberg. Presented by Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu and Matt Taylor.

Comedian Geoff Norcott joins journalist Benedict Spence and comedy club founder Andy Shaw on the new podcast from Spectator Life. ‘That’s Life’ is a sideways look at the events, people, words and ideas that shape the news agenda. Andy and Benedict talk to Geoff about self-partnering, Pizza Express and what it’s like to come out as a right-wing comic.  Geoff is the token Leave-voter on the BBC show ‘The Mash Report’ and he's currently embarking on a national tour of his latest show 'Taking Liberties'. He's written for The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and Spiked. To hear more episodes, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/5010935) .

Sam's guest in this week’s Book Club is the rock musician, writer and sometime Faber editor Pete Townshend. Pete has just published his first novel The Age of Anxiety, an ambitious work jointly conceived as an opera. They talk about madness and creativity, Who lyrics popping up in the fiction, how he settled on an Aristotelian plot, and the unusual way his psychic second wife sends him off to sleep. The Spectator Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

Cement, steel, and other industrial companies produce a third of greenhouse gases in the world today; and nearly a quarter of British emissions. There is no reaching Net Zero without decarbonising these sectors, or at least cutting their emissions. So how can it be done, and done in an egalitarian way that doesn't threaten jobs or consumers? Fraser Nelson talks to Magnus Hall, CEO of Swedish energy company Vattenfall, that thinks it might have the answers; Gareth Stace, head of UK Steel; and Nadhim Zahawi, minister for Business and Industry at BEIS. Sponsored by Vattenfall.

With James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Katy Balls.

This week, as the Tories continue to lead in the polls, Lara speaks to Alastair Campbell about what Remainers can do to turn things around (00:45). Plus, Venice is holding an independence referendum – but will that help with the city’s problems (19:10)? And last, is Instagram the future of poetry (28:35)? With James Forsyth, Alastair Campbell, Anna Somers Cocks, Ferdinando Giugliano, Thomas W Hodgkinson and Sam Leith. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Cindy Yu and Matt Taylor.

Sam is joined from beyond the grave on this week’s Spectator Book Club by the late Laurie Lee — to talk about Gloucestershire’s Slad Valley, the landscape that made him a writer. Acting as medium, so to speak, is David Parker — whose 1990s interviews with Lee before his death provide the material for the new book Down In The Valley: A Writer’s Landscape — and who’s here to talk about the pleasures and difficulties of coaxing reminiscences out of this laureate of English rural life. Essential listening for anyone for whom Cider With Rosie and As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning formed part of a literary education. The Spectator Book Club, what used to be known as Spectator Books, is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

With Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor of the National Interest and contributor to Spectator USA. Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/americano) to listen to previous episodes.

With Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

With Grace Blakeley, author of Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation, and Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, a centre-right thinktank. Presented by Katy Balls. Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905581) to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio.

We're all sick of celebrities making a meal of their mental health problems – but that doesn't mean that we aren't facing a potential crisis. The unique strains of living in the technology-driven 21st century are taking their toll on people who, in an earlier era, would have been psychologically robust. Many of us are affected by anxiety, depression, addiction and eating disorders; all sorts of compulsive behaviour are flourishing as never before. And the mainstream churches have got nothing useful to say about it. Many bishops seem content to blame it on Brexit. Damian Thompson talks to Professor Stephen Bullivant, Britain's foremost expert on patterns of religious belief. Both talk frankly – 'bravely', as they say of celebrities – about their struggles with mental illness. Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here (https://audioboom.com/channel/holy-smoke) to find previous episodes.

The Conservatives like to say that their road to electoral victory is steep and narrow, but has Nigel Farage broadened out that path this week (00:50)? Plus, is it time to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants (13:50)? And last, should baby boomers apologise for crimes against young people (26:55)? With James Forsyth, Marcus Roberts, Fraser Nelson, David Goodhart, Cosmo Landesman, and Charlie Nash. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Katy Balls. Produced by Cindy Yu.