Best of the Spectator

James Dreyfus is an actor, best known for his roles in TV sitcoms The Thin Blue Line and Gimme Gimme Gimme. James also appeared in the film Nottinghill and has a long and distinguished stage career. On the podcast, James talks about his early memories of food living between France and America; some of the catering throughout his acting career and how that's changed over the years; and his time on Hell's Kitchen at the mercy of Gordon Ramsay.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray speaks to Inez Stepman, a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute who was last on Americano to discuss the overturning of Roe vs Wade last year. As seen in the November midterms, could this be a winning issue for the Democrats who are gearing up for the general election? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Spectator Out Loud features Katy Balls on the new divisions within the Labour Party and what Jeremy Corbyn might run for next (01.08); Peter Hitchens describes the joys of cycling and his dislike of e-bikes and scooters (07.40); and Anthony Horowitz joins us from Crete where he ponders the end of the world, becoming a grandfather and travel limitations after Brexit (13.11) Produced and presented by Linden Kemkaran Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray is joined by Spectator columnist Lionel Shriver and Rob Henderson to discuss Putin’s view of the western world and ask – does he have a point? Also on the show... William Moore takes aim at the covert 'lawfare' crushing countryside field sports; Ben Schreckinger talks about the Hunter Biden trial; Peter Hitchens and Henry Mance debate the menace of e-bikes and Julie Bindel explains why she’s fed up with sourdough bread.To watch Spectator TV click here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: It’s a special episode of the Edition podcast because our very own William Moore writes The Spectator’s cover piece, on how rural pursuits are being threatened by lawfare from countryside groups. Jonathan Roberts, who leads the external affairs team at the Country Land and Business Association, joins us to discuss whether disillusioned rural Tories could look to Labour at the next election. Also this week: In his piece in The Spectator, journalist Andrew Kenny writes about the rise of Julius Malema and his Economic Freedom Fighters. He warns that South Africans should beware its new rising political star and joins the podcast alongside Ernst Roets, author of Kill the Boer: Government Complicity in South Africa’s Brutal Farm Murders.And finally: Could testosterone be the missing piece in HRT treatments for menopause symptoms? This is what The Spectator’s Linden Kemkaran investigates in the magazine and she joins us alongside Dr Sarah Ball, GP and Menopause Specialist.Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the journalist and author Celia Brayfield whose new book Writing Black Beauty: Anna Sewell and the story of animal rights, takes us back to the 19th century. Celia describes how Anna Sewell's writing of the Black Beauty book ultimately led to the kinder treatment of horses, and we both recall fondly the popular TV adaptation with its soaringly emotive theme tune. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Dodsworth is a photographer, artist and author. In her most recent book Free Your Mind: The New World of Manipulation and How to Resist it, Laura draws on the Nudge Unit, behavioural psychology and fact checking services to analyse the range of ways in which our minds are manipulated. On the podcast, Laura talks about the government propaganda machine and how this all relates back to issues such as climate catastrophe, the pandemic and free speech.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of last year, some thought that the Chinese economic recovery after three years of zero Covid could happen just as fast as zero Covid itself ended being government policy. I admit, that included me.And yet, more than halfway into 2023, that recovery looks increasingly elusive. The Chinese economy has failed to shake off its own long Covid while other structural problems have reared their heads.What does the future hold for the Chinese economy? Is this the new normal? And if so, is that really a problem?I’m joined on this episode by the economist Keyu Jin, author of The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism. Keyu is an associate professor at the London School of Economics and advised and consulted for the World Bank and the IMF.Keyu has divided opinion. Unlike some other English-language economists, she is sympathetic to the Chinese political and economic structure, arguing, as you’ll hear, that Chinese state intervention can often virtuous; that the Chinese people value stability more than liberty. On the episode, I challenge these views as we discuss what the macro data tells us about the health of the Chinese economy, and whether there are reasons to be optimistic for China's politics and economy in the years to come.Produced by Cindy Yu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Spectator Out Loud features Professor Robert Tombs on Canada's willingness to believe anything bad about its own history (00:55); the farmer Jamie Blackett on the harms of wild camping (12:10); and Tanya Gold on the reopening of Claridge's Restaurant.Presented and produced by Cindy Yu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US government is apparently hiding a programme to capture and reverse-engineer UFOs. At a congressional hearing last week, David Grusch, a former intelligence official who worked with a Pentagon team looking into UFOs, said 'non-human' objects had been recovered by the government. Are they finding aliens, or Chinese and Russian drones? What's behind the American obsession with extraterrestrials? And is the government making up sightings to justify higher defence spending?Freddy Gray is joined by Spectator contributor Sean Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.