Best of the Spectator

In this week’s episode:Can Russia turn off Germany’s gas?Wolfgang Münchau and Katja Hoyer discuss Germany’s looming energy crisis (0.51).Also this week:What are relations like between Boris Johnson and Prince Charles? The Spectator’s diary editor, James Heale talks with Camilla Tominey from the Telegraph talk about the growing tensions between the Prime Minister and future King (19.56).And finally:   Are sex parties becoming a cliché?Emma Sayle, CEO of Killing Kittens and James Innes-Smith, talk about the rise of sex parties and why they’ve become an open secret. (27.48)Hosted by Lara Prendergast & William MooreProduced by Natasha FerozeSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher: www.spectator.co.uk/voucher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest in this week’s book club podcast is Simon Jenkins. His new book The Celts: A Sceptical History tells the story of a race of people who, contrary to what many of us were taught in school, never existed at all. He tells me how and why “Celts” were invented, what it has meant and continues to mean for the nations of the Union, and where he thinks we need to go next… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably wouldn’t expect to see the Cultural Revolution in Chinese films, or the Great Leap Forward, or the Tiananmen Square protests. But for a certain generation and a certain corner of the Chinese film industry, these were actually common themes to deal with. Their films weren’t always welcome to the censors, but they weren’t always banned, either. Cindy Yu recently wrote a column for The Spectator on Chinese cinema, and the golden age it experienced just after the end of the Cultural Revolution. You’d be surprised at the amazing political – and social – subversiveness of directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou. On this episode, Cindy talks about that golden age and also about what has come after, where, depressingly, it’s now films like Wolf Warrior 2 that dominate the box office.Joining her is Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies at Kings College London who specialises in Chinese cinema. They talk about how their trauma of living through the Cultural Revolution drove the so-called 'Fifth Generation' directors; the bold portrayal of queer characters which got them into trouble with the censors; and how commercialisation has changed the landscape for Chinese directors who are now dictated by the box office. Pictured here is Leslie Cheung in Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine, where Cheung portrays a queer Beijing opera singer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode: Melvyn Bragg on the continuing genius of Paul McCartney and what makes the BBC great (0:55). Svitlana Morenets, a Ukrainian refugee now working at The Spectator on why her country will never accept a peace deal with Putin (06:00). Matthew Parris says we're being unfair on Carrie Johnson (15:43), and Lionel Shriver reads her column on the madness of the central bankers (22.18). Presented by Angus Colwell.Produced by Angus Colwell and Cindy Yu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inez Stepman returns to talk to Freddy Gray about the overturning of the 1973 Roe v Wade decision by the Supreme Court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘We can talk about sanctions all we want, but the West is still very much funding Putin's war chest.’ – Kate AndrewsThe economist Julian Jessop joins Kate to discuss what else the West can do to put pressure on Russia. On the rest of the show, oncologist Professor Karol Sikora and science journalist Matt Ridley discuss the viability of a vaccine for cancer, Spectator intern and Ukrainian refugee Svitlana Morenets explains why Ukrainians want to keep fighting, Jonathan Miller champions the budget airline Ryanair and The Spectator's home political team, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman, update on the political ramifications of this week's rail strikes.00:00 – Welcome from Katy Balls02:15 – Politics update with James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman12:05 – Are sanctions backfiring? Kate Andrews discusses with Julian Jessop27:15 – Svitlana Morenets on why Ukraine wants to keep fighting34:45 – Can we find a vaccine for cancer? With Matt Ridley and Professor Karol Sikora51:15 – Is Ryanair in fact the best airline of all? Jonathan Miller makes the case// SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPECTATORGet 12 issues for £12, plus a free £20 Amazon voucherhttps://www.spectator.co.uk/tvoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode:Are Russian sanctions backfiring?The Spectator’s economics editor, Kate Andrews and Elisabeth Braw from American Enterprise Institute discuss why sanctions against Russia may be playing into Putin’s hands. (0.57)Also this week:Does Carrie Johnson get a hard time from the British public? Spectator columnist, Matthew Parris talks with the Daily Mail columnist about the role of a Prime Minister’s wife and why they are given such a bad time. (13.56)And finally:What’s so special about our cars?Juliet Nicolson & Tanya Gold, a Spectator contributor chat about their shared love for cars. (24.06)Hosted by Lara Prendergast & William MooreProduced by Natasha FerozeSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher: www.spectator.co.uk/voucher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, my guest is the historian Philip Mansel. We talk about his new biography King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV. He tells me what really drove the great megalomaniac, whether he was a feminist avant la lettre, how his depredations in the Rhineland anticipated Putin’s in Ukraine – and why, if he hadn’t revoked the Edict of Nantes, the first man on the moon might have been speaking French. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a slightly different episode of Table Talk, chef and food writer, Olia Hercules joins Olivia Potts for a second time on the podcast to talk about #CookForUkraine. Created with Russian friend and food writer Alissa Timoshkina, #CookForUkraine encourages people to post and share Ukrainian recipes and celebrate the comfort of food during this difficult time. On the podcast, Olia tells Olivia Potts about the personal cost of the war on her and her family, how she grappled with guilt when cooking at the start of the war, and the ways we can offer support to the besieged cities in Ukraine.For more information about Olia, visit her Patreon account here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode: Mary Wakefield asks why no one's mentioning the cult Tom Cruise belongs to (00:54), John R. MacArthur asks if Macron should be scared by an ascendant Jean-Luc Mélenchon (06:58), and Daisy Dunn orients herself after listening to the Gucci Podcast (17:57). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.