The Spectator Podcast

Martin Vander Weyer, the Spectator’s Business Editor, hosts a series of podcasts discussing the entrepreneurs who are disrupting their respective industries.Sponsored by Julius Baer.

With Joe Twyman, Director of Deltapoll, and Fraser Nelson.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.

Kavi and Shamil Thakrar are cousins, and they're also the co-founders of restaurant chain, Dishoom, inspired by the cafes of early 20th century Bombay. They join Lara and Livvy to celebrate the launch of their first cookbook, and chat Bombay street food, the risks of profit-maximising, and the great British curry house.Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here.

A cross-party remain alliance successfully tied Boris Johnson’s hands in parliament last week, but with a general election looming, will this unlikely coalition last (00:30)? We also find out about ‘study drugs’ – what are the little blue pills that American students are turning to (17:35)? And last, is Boris Johnson anything like his classical heroes (31:00)?With Katy Balls, Polly Mackenzie, Madeleine Kearns, Dr Barbara Sahakian, Harry Mount, and Daisy Dunn.Presented by Cindy Yu and Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu and Adam Cherry.

This week's books podcast was recorded live at a Spectator event in Central London. Sam's guest is the distinguished historian Frank Dikötter, whose new book - expanding from his award-winning trilogy on Chairman Mao - considers the nature of tyranny. How To Be A Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century looks at what unites and what divides the regimes of dictators from Mussolini to Mengistu. They talk about how these dictators were able to exert control, and what made them vulnerable; about how communists differed (or didn't) from fascists; about whether dictatorship in the age of the internet would be different from the 20th-century sort; about the psychology of the tyrant; and about whether Boris Johnson's creative approach to constitutional norms was something we should be worrying about. 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 Edi

With Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor of the National Interest.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.

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth.Presented by Isabel Hardman.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.

The new episode of Holy Smoke is about the persecution of Christians. That's a familiar concept, even if we don't read much about it in the media. Damian is joined on the podcast by a fearless campaigner on behalf of the suffering Church, Fr Benedict Kiely, founder of the charity Nasrean.Org. Tune in to what he has to say about the Vatican's cynical deal with China – and Britain's wretched Department for International Development.Holy Smoke is a series of podcasts where Damian Thompson dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click here to find previous episodes.

With Joe Walsh, a conservative talk radio host who is challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.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.

Katy talks to Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, about walking in Theresa May's shoes, No 10's SpAd jihad, and the government's whip withdrawal for the 21 Tory rebels this week.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.

This week, Boris Johnson decided to seek a general election. But will his gamble pay off (00:20)? Plus is trophy hunting really as immoral as Carrie Symonds says it is (18:25)?With James Forsyth, Antoinette Sandbach MP, Joe Twyman, Patrick Galbraith, and Dr Mark Jones.Presented by Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu and Christy Cooney.

Eighty years on from the start of the Second World War, Sam's guest in this week’s podcast is Ian Sansom — who’s talking about 'September 1, 1939', the Auden poem that marked the beginning of that war. Ian’s new book is a 'biography' of the poem, and he talks about how it showcases all that is both best and worst in Auden’s work, how Auden first rewrote and then disowned it, and how Auden’s posthumous reputation has had some unlikely boosters in Richard Curtis and Osama Bin Laden.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.

In this special episode of Coffee House Shots, James Forsyth talks to Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia. They discuss Britain's Brexit showdown, what an Anglo-Australian trade deal could look like, and the geopolitical threat of China in a post-Brexit world.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.

With Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth.Presented by Katy Balls.Click here for Isabel Hardman's chart of possible outcomes this week.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.

With columnist and BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster, Emma Barnett. Katy talks to Emma about stepping in for Andrew Marr, interviewing the Prime Minister, and how her granddad is her most loyal fan.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.

This week, has Boris lost sight of the 'Global Brexit' we were promised (00:35)? We hear from one EU national caught up in Britain's messy departure (13:15). Plus, how worried should we be about fires in the Amazon (19:40)? And finally, what really causes homelessness, and what can be done to solve it (32:15)?With Fraser Nelson, Sunder Katwala, Anna Amato, Toby McGrath, Camilla Costa, Adam Holloway MP, and Lorna NolanPresented by Lara PrendergastProduced by Matt Lee and Gabriel Radonich

My guest on this week’s Books Podcast is the poet and playwright Lemn Sissay. Lemn’s new memoir My Name Is Why describes his early life — given up for fostering in the late 1960s as the son of an unmarried Ethiopian mother — and his progress, when his foster family gave him up, through the care system and out the other side. It’s a powerfully affecting story, and Lemn joins me to fill in some of the gaps. How does he feel towards his foster parents now? Do the racism and institutional cruelty he experienced belong to a vanished age? And… what did Errol Brown need with an afro comb?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.

With James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.Presented by John Connolly.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.

Jose Pizarro is a Spanish chef, writer, and restauranteur. He came to London in 2000 and opened a series of well-loved Spanish restaurants, including Jose's Tapas Bar. He is the author of five cookbooks. In this episode, he talks to Lara and Livvy about growing up on a farm in Spain, why he loves sherry, and bringing tapas to Britain.Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes here.

With Dominic Green, host of 'The Green Room' podcast and Life and Arts Editor of Spectator USA.Presented by Freddy Gray.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.