Best of the Spectator

Sam talks to the incomparable Sara Paretsky about her latest V. I. Warshawski novel Shell Game — which pits the original feminist gumshoe against art thieves, Russian mobsters and her fink of an ex-husband. They talk about keeping Vic young (skincare doesn’t come into it), chiming with MeToo and immigration anxieties in Trump’s America, whether she feels rivalrous with other female crime writers, spotting her own writerly tics, and making friends with Obama.Presented by Sam Leith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Brexit negotiations grind to a halt again as Brussels and the UK draw mutually exclusive red lines on the Irish border problem. We talk to James Forsyth and Dan Hannan on what next for Brexit (00:45). We also look a little deeper into the methods and mission of Bellingcat, the investigators that unveiled the true identities of the Salisbury suspects (13:25). And last, we investigate a sex industry that is trying to become more ethical (25:25).With James Forsyth, Dan Hannan, Owen Matthews, Mary Dejevsky, Cosmo Landesman, and Renée Denyer.Presented by Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu and Alastair Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain could be about to acquire a new ethnicity - Sikhs. The 2021 census could have an ethnicity tick box for the community. But isn't Sikhism a religion that anyone - of any ethnicity - can follow? Hardeep Singh thinks so - and he explains why categorising his religion as an ethnicity will be dangerous for the community and multicultural Britain.Presented by Damian Thompson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth.Presented by Lara Prendergast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Green talks to Jamie Kirchick, journalist and author, on the culture wars raging in American universities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared at his country's consulate in Istanbul, with reports emerging of his brutal murder. But who was Jamal Khashoggi, why did this happen to him and what should happen next (00:38)? Also on this podcast, the Irish may harbour more anti-EU opinion than commonly thought. Is there the prospect of an 'Irexit' (12:48)? And finally, with three top public schools scrapping the common entrance exam, should we lament the demise of the eccentric admissions test for schoolchildren (22:54)?With Bill Law, Akbar Shahid Ahmed, John Waters, Brendan O'Neill and Harry Mount.Presented by Lara Prendergast.Produced by Alastair Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With James Forsyth and Katy Balls.Presented by Lara Prendergast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's books podcast, Sam talks to Andrew Roberts in front of an audience about his new biography on Winston Churchill. It charts the leader's powerful sense of personal destiny, his ambition and bravery as a soldier and a leader. The book interprets the events that defined Churchill, from the Dardanelles disaster of 1915, his years in the political wilderness, and his summoning to save his country in 1940. Sam and Andrew discuss Churchill's belief that he was 'walking with destiny', his prophesies of European disaster in the 1930s, as well as his drinking habits, the racist charges against him, and his singular ability to deliver some of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century.Presented by Sam Leith at Daunt Books, Marylebone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With James Fosyth and Isabel Hardman.Presented by Katy Balls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Green talks to the poet Alicia Stallings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.