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Best of the Spectator

Best of the Spectator

By: The Spectator
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About this listen

 Home to the Spectator's best podcasts on everything from politics to religion, literature to food and drink, and more. A new podcast every day from writers worth listening to.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

343517 Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Spectator Out Loud: James Heale, Robert Hardman, Francis Pike, Henrietta Harding & Mary Wakefield

    Spectator Out Loud: James Heale, Robert Hardman, Francis Pike, Henrietta Harding & Mary Wakefield
    Sep 15 2025

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


    Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    31 mins
  • Americano: what’s driving political violence?

    Americano: what’s driving political violence?
    Sep 15 2025
    Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from south-west Utah, has been detained over the shooting of Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of Donald Trump. Author and anthropologist Max Horder joins Freddy Gray to discuss the cocktail of online hate and tribal divisions that's fuelling America's new era of political violence.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    18 mins
  • Holy Smoke: the next Archbishop of Canterbury

    Holy Smoke: the next Archbishop of Canterbury
    Sep 14 2025

    It is 10 months since the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury. Now, finally, the Crown Nominations Commission is believed to have drawn up a shortlist of candidates, and a successor to Welby could be approved by October.


    Theologian and author Andrew Graystone joins Damian Thompson to talk through what he calls ‘a weak list’ of potential candidates – weak because there are no obvious frontrunners and the Commission is choosing between ‘half a dozen equals’.


    These range from the more talked-about Michael Beasley (Bath and Wells), Guli France-Dehqani (Chelmsford) and Rose Hudson-Wilson (Dover) [all pictured in the thumbnail] to the ‘others’: Stephen Lake (Salisbury), Martyn Snow (Leicester), Joanne Grenfell (St Edmundsbury and Ipswich), Sarah Mullallay (London), Rachel Treweek (Gloucester) and Ruth Worsely (interim bishop of Liverpool).


    As Andrew tells Damian, factors dividing the candidates include their age, their views on LGBT inclusion and, crucially, their records on safeguarding issues. Also, note the presence of six women on this list. Could the Church be about to appoint the first female Primate of All England? And could this lead to disastrous controversy within the Anglican Communion – or is that body already so fractured that the Church of England will ignore its objections?


    Anyone wondering why the process has taken so long – especially compared to the 17 days it took the Catholic Church to elect a new Pope this year – should check out our previous episode with Andrew here.


    Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    22 mins
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