Best of the Spectator

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 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 to find previous episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 to listen to previous episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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 and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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 and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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.Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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