Best of the Spectator

The Edition: has Reform UK lost its magic? | with Quentin Letts

Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, columnist and journalist Melanie McDonagh, and the Daily Mail’s parliamentary sketchwriter Que

The Book Club: James Marriott

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by The Times columnist James Marriott, whose new book is The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Pos

Quite right!: Why the Tories are preparing for an early election

Kemi Badenoch has kicked off the new political term with a major reshuffle of her top team. Michael and Maddie ask what the changes tell us about the direction of the Con

Americano: why did the CIA director fly to Moscow?

Gus Carter is joined by Owen Matthews, the Spectator's Russia writer, to discuss John Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Moscow, where the CIA director met Russia's foreign

Spectator Out Loud: Simon Sebag Montefiore, Vanessa Feltz, Sophia Money-Coutts & Angus Colwell

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Simon Sebag Montefiore explains how his ancestor dealt with antisemitism; Vanessa Feltz says she is coming for Piers Morgan; Sophia Mon

Holy Smoke: are you having a 'nun girl summer'?

Why are young women suddenly fascinated by nuns? From ‘nun girl summer’ on TikTok to a wider ‘quiet revival’ of Christianity among Generation Z, the religious life appear

Coffee House Shots: why I quit government | Al Carns

Former veterans minister Al Carns joins James Heale to discuss the government’s handling of Northern Ireland legacy cases – and why the issue helped drive him to resign.

The Edition: how the blob broke teaching | with Francis Foster

Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, author and critic Philip Hensher, and comedian and co-host if the Triggernometry podcast F

Reality Check: the ADHD debate we’re not allowed to have

The backlash to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth has reignited a fierce debate over how we diagnose ADHD – and whether that debate itself is becoming impossible to have.

The Book Club: Simon Sebag Montefiore – The Cauldron

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is Simon Sebag Montefiore, the author of a number of fantastic books, including The Cauldron, which released this week. Simon an

Americano: Just how bad are polls for the Republicans?

Freddy Gray is joined by James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, on why the midterms are looking increasingly grim for the Republicans. Trump's approval is trending dow

Spectator Out Loud: Madeline Grant, Harry Mount, Freddie Heffer & Toby Young

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Madeline Grant argues that the debate about the direction of James Bond mirrors Britain’s decline; Harry Mount makes the case for scrap

Holy Smoke: why Quentin Letts fears for the parish church

Is the Church of England slowly abolishing the parish priest? A new model of ‘oversight ministry’ promises team-based leadership and a greater role for lay volunteers – b

Coffee House Shots: Andy's report card | with Baroness Debbonaire

One month on from Andy Burnham entering Downing Street and a lot has changed at the top of government. Starmer's old guard have been reshuffled or replaced, and Burnham's

The Edition: has the West lost the will to defend itself? | with Maureen Lipman

William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, commissioning editor Tali Fraser and actress Maureen Lipman. This week: has the West lost the wi

Reality check: the truth about Britain’s water crisis – and what it means for net zero

Britain is in the grip of another hot, dry summer, with hosepipe bans in force and fears growing about the country’s water supply. But are we really running out of water?

Coffee House Shots: Reform suspends Tim Montgomerie after Spectator interview

After saying that Zia Yusuf needed to 'become a team player' in an interview on Coffee House yesterday, Reform UK responded, and decided that they would rather Tim Montgo

Holy Smoke: Wandering bishops, rival popes & schismatic churches

What happens when a bishop breaks with Rome but still claims apostolic succession? Damian Thompson is joined by historian Magnus Lundberg, Professor of Church and Mission

Reality Check: Britain's AI problem isn't data centres – it's electricity

Britain wants to become an AI superpower – but does it have the electricity to power one? Data centres underpin everything from online banking and streaming to artificial

Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman, Arabella Byrne, Alex Burghart & Lloyd Evans

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Tim Shipman argues that politicians’ contempt for the press is really contempt for the public; Arabella Byrne asks if you have old mone