Best of the Spectator

The Edition: Porn Britannia, Xi’s absence & no more lonely hearts?

Jun 12, 2025

Louise Perry, a writer covering OnlyFans, dives into the complexities of this profitable platform. She reveals that while OnlyFans generates massive revenue, most creators earn very little, raising concerns about exploitation. The allure of validation and money is enticing for many young women, yet Perry warns of its darker implications. The conversation also touches on geopolitical shifts, particularly the mystery surrounding Xi Jinping's unusual absence and what it might mean for China's future leadership.

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INSIGHT

OnlyFans' Compulsive Girlfriend Experience

OnlyFans offers a "girlfriend experience" with personal interaction combined with explicit content.
This creates a compulsive appeal that can deeply affect both creators and male consumers.

INSIGHT

Illusory Personal Connection Exploited

Many OnlyFans conversations are outsourced to call center workers, not the creators themselves.
Consumers often realize this but continue paying, showing the value they place on the illusion of connection.

INSIGHT

OnlyFans: A Billion-Dollar British Success

OnlyFans is a massive British tech success with around $5 billion revenue in 2023.
It pays significant UK corporation tax, providing large sums to the Treasury monthly.

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OnlyFans is giving the Treasury what it wants – but should we be concerned?

‘OnlyFans,’ writes Louise Perry, ‘is the most profitable content subscription service in the world.’ Yet ‘the vast majority of its content creators make very little from it’. So why are around 4 per cent of young British women selling their wares on the site? ‘Imitating Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips – currently locked in a competition to have sex with the most men in a day – isn’t pleasant.’ OnlyFans gives women ‘the sexual attention and money of hundreds and even thousands of men’. The result is ‘a cascade of depravity’ that Perry wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.

In business terms, however, OnlyFans is a ‘staggering success’, according to economics editor Michael Simmons. ‘Britain’s sex industry brings in far more to the economy than politicians are comfortable admitting’; OnlyFans might just be Britain’s most profitable tech start-up. ‘If we are going to wage a moral war on porn,’ Simmons argues, ‘we should at least be honest about what we’re sacrificing.’ Louise and Michael joined the podcast to discuss further (1:21).

Next: could Xi Jinping’s time be up?

Historian Francis Pike writes about the unusual absence of China’s President Xi. China-watchers have detected some subtle differences from the norm in Chinese media, from fewer official references to Xi to changes in routine politburo meetings. So, could Xi Jinping be forced to step down? And if so, who is on manoeuvres and why?

Francis joined the podcast alongside former diplomat Kerry Brown, professor of China Studies at King’s College London (22:31).

And finally: is the era of the lonely hearts ad coming to an end?

Tony Whitehead provides his notes on lonely hearts columns this week, writing about how, 330 years after they first appeared in print in Britain, they may soon disappear. Francesca Beauman – who literally wrote the book on the subject, Shapely Ankle Preferr’d – and Mark Mason join the podcast to provide their favourite examples, from the serious to the humorous (35:13).

Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.