Best of the Spectator

With Mark D'Arcy, the BBC's Today in Parliament correspondent, and Bobby Friedman, John Bercow's biographer.Presented by Katy Balls.Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Dominic Green, Life and Arts editor of Spectator USA.Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here to listen to previous episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, an election has officially been called – so what do the major parties need to do to win (00:55)? Plus, Trump goes back into Syria – we look at how pressures back home are shaping up his foreign policy (16:15). And last: does this video give you the shivers (28:00)?With Stephen Bush, Will Tanner, Sir Christopher Meyer, Sarah Elliott, Mary Wakefield and Dr Giulia Poerio.Presented by Lara Prendergast and Katy Balls.Produced by Cindy Yu.With special thanks to ASMRtists WhisperRed and SAS-ASMR. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Spectator Books, Sam talks to the award-winning historian Thomas Penn about his new book The Brothers York: An English Tragedy — in which he argues that the 'Wars of the Roses' weren’t determined by a struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster so much as by the catastrophic white-on-white conflict that cause the House of York to implode. He tells the story of three brothers — Edward IV; George, Duke of Clarence; and Richard III — and their extraordinary and ultimately disastrous relationship. How did Tudor history — including, of course, Shakespeare — distort the real story of those years? Who really drowned the Duke of Clarence in that butt of wine? And did anyone, like Sam, have their sense of this vital period in history shaped by, er, playing the board game Kingmaker?Spectator Books 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 of Spectator Books here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From outrage mobs to public shaming, our politics have never been angrier. But what's driving this new culture war - and how can we end the hysteria?The Spectator's Douglas Murray and Lionel Shriver spoke in front of a live audience in Westminster this week. Tune in for an enlightening discussion. See our other events at spectator.co.uk/events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With James Forsyth and Katy Balls, presented by Fraser Nelson.Join Fraser, James, Katy, Liam Halligan and Sam Gyimah for Coffee House Live at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on 12 November. Visit spectator.co.uk/liveshots for details.Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Isabel Oakeshott, journalist and commentator, and Katy Balls.Presented by Cindy Yu.Coffee House Shots is a series of podcasts on British politics from the Spectator's political team and special guests. Brought to you daily, click here to find more episodes that are not released on Spectator Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katharine is the headmistress of Michaela Community School, dubbed by some as 'Britain's strictest school'. She talks to Katy about why she regrets speaking at Conservative Party Conference, her school's 'tiger teacher' philosophy, and why she would ban smartphones for everyone under the age of 18.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.

This week, the government looks close to the finishing line – now all Boris needs is an election (00:40). And as months of grenade attacks blight Swedish neighbourhoods, we get to the bottom of why Sweden doesn’t want to talk about its rise in violent crime (17:40). And last, is there really a right way to speak English (27:30)?With James Forsyth, James Mills, Paulina Neuding, Amir Rostami, Mark Mason, and Sam Leith.Presented by Lara Prendergast and Katy Balls.Produced by Cindy Yu and Christy Cooney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spectator was delighted to host Charles Moore, author of an acclaimed three-part biography of the former prime minister, and John Humphrys, former presenter of Today, for a special conversation on recent history. They talk about politics from the fall of Margaret Thatcher to the Brexit era, the BBC's bias (or lack thereof), and much much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.