Best of the Spectator

Are we witnessing the death of the liberal ideal? (01:02) Next, what's behind the government U-turn on primary schools and what effect could it have on the poorest students? (20:14) And finally, Britain's ash trees are facing a pandemic of their own, with so-called ash dieback sweeping the nation. Can Britain's ash trees be saved? (30:12)With Douglas Murray; The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews; Coffee House contributor Melanie McDonagh; political editor James Forsyth; associate editor of the Evening Standard Julian Glover; and professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona Valerie Trouet. Presented by Katy Balls.Produced by Gus Carter and Matthew Taylor.Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray talks to the author and President of the National Association of Scholars Peter Wood about the prevalence of anger in modern America.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the biographer Adam Begley. Adam's work includes biographies of John Updike and the Belle Epoque photographer, cartoonist and aeronaut Felix Tournachon, aka Nadar. In his new book he turns his attention to the great escapologist Harry Houdini. I asked him what it was that made Houdini special, what challenges a lifelong myth-maker (aka inveterate liar) poses to the biographer, and how Adam tends to get on with his subjects. As Adam describes in our talk, you can watch a video of Houdini in action here.The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here.Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Brazil’s unknown death toll, Sweden’s cautious optimism for employment, the UK’s crawl out of lockdown restrictions, and the double standards uncovered in America’s lockdown rules. Kate Andrews is joined by Fredrik Erixon in Sweden, Nick Gillespie in New York City, and Mauricio Savarese in Brazil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this weekend as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, a statue of the slaver Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the city's docks. But are we now seeing a change in the government's response? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraser Nelson reads his cover piece campaigning for the British government to offer citizenship to the Hong Kong Chinese; Douglas Murray asks - why do the Black Lives Matter protestors get to be exempt from the lockdown? And Tanya Gold reviews: Monster Munch.Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunetra Gupta is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. An expert in the fight against infectious diseases, she is the lead scientist behind the Oxford study that disputed Imperial College's dire coronavirus predictions. She is also a novelist and translator. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her writing and how it was inspired by her intellectual father; her dispute with the mentor of Imperial College's Neil Ferguson; and how she has found being in the public eye.Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here.Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit spectator.co.uk/balls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As China looks to push through its national security law, is it time to offer Hong Kongers a way out? (01:00) And with the Black Lives Matter protests continuing to rage in America, can they unseat Donald Trump? (15:30) And last, do animals have culture? (29:10)With Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson; Hong Kong expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom; Spectator USA Editor Freddy Gray; our Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; writer and journalist Simon Barnes; and ecologist Carl Safina.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there life, as David Bowie wondered, on Mars? In this week's Book Club podcast my guest is the astrobiologist Kevin Peter Hand, author of a fascinating new book Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. Kevin explains how and where we're currently looking for extraterrestrial life in our own solar system - and why on the basis of sound science he's optimistic that we'll find it. He tells us about the brilliantly ingenious scientific deduction that has established that there exist oceans of liquid water deep under the icy shells of moons of Saturn and Jupiter, why it's quite possible to suppose that aliens might be living in those oceans - and how we can even speculate about what those aliens might look like. And if Kevin's old schoolmate Elon Musk is listening, he has a favour to ask...Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger here.The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rhik Samadder is an actor and columnist for the Guardian, where his column Wellness or Hellness? reviews kitchen gadgets and life hacks. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about his mother's adventurous dinner table, his teenage battles with anorexia, and the worst kitchen gadgets he ever reviewed (including a mug which had a biscuit compartment). Click here to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger.Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.