On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Hugh Schofield asks why there is no campaign to free the novelist Boualem Sansal (1:26); The Spectator’s arts editor, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, reacts to the magazine’s campaign against frivolous funding and, continuing the campaign, Michael Simmons wonders if Britain is funding organisations that wish us harm (8:00); Lisa Haseldine reflects on whether the AfD’s rise could mean ‘Weimar 2.0’ for Germany (17:08); reviewing Thou Savage Woman: Female Killers in Early Modern Britain, by Blessin Adams, Alice Loxton explores the gruesome ways in which women killed (25:05); and, from Kenya, Aidan Hartley reflects on how a secret half-brother impacted his relationship with his father (35:13). 

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Simon Hart joins James Heale to talk about his new book Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip. Having stepped down at the 2024 election, Simon has become the first former Chief Whip to publish his diaries. What are his reflections on the Conservatives' time in office? Simon explains why his decision to resign under Boris Johnson was so difficult, why the Rwanda vote under Rishi Sunak was their finest hour, and why the Whips' office is really the government's HR department. Just how Ungovernable was the Tory Party?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

The subject of Ukraine shattered the unity of Eastern Orthodoxy long before Russia’s full-scale invasion began. In 2018 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from Moscow with the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In response, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow broke off all relations with Constantinople, creating arguably the greatest schism in Orthodoxy for 1,000 years.

There are now two main Ukrainian Orthodox Churches: one that supports independence and one still loyal to Moscow. As The Spectator’s Ukraine correspondent Svitlana Morenets points out, Ukrainians who previously didn’t care which church they attended now have to decide which to attend.

Meanwhile, Dr Yuri Stoyanov, a fellow at SOAS, describes the alarming escalation of apocalyptic rhetoric encouraged by Kirill, whose talk of a Holy War against the forces of Antichrist is popular with soldiers but means little to the average Russian. 

As we approach the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Svitlana and Yuri join host Damian Thompson to discuss the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in perpetuating the conflict. Has Holy War returned to Europe? And is it true that President Putin has secretly been taking part in bizarre quasi-shamanistic rituals? 

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

This week: the world needs a realist reset

Donald Trump’s presidency is the harbinger of many things, writes The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove, one of which is a return to a more pitiless world landscape. The ideal of a rules-based international order has proved to be a false hope. Britain must accept that if we are to earn the respect of others and the right to determine the future, we need a realist reset. What are the consequences of this new world order? And is the Trump administration reversing the tide of decline, or simply refusing to accept the inevitable?

Michael Gove joined the podcast alongside the geopolitical theorist Robert Kaplan, author of the new book Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis. Robert argues that the true understanding of realism has been corrupted, and that democracy ‘can easily become the tyranny of the majority’. (1:06)

Next: when does healthy scepticism over cholesterol become pseudoscience?

With ‘sky-high’ cholesterol, the journalist Paul Wood has gone down an internet rabbit-hole to improve his heart health. He declares ‘I was convinced by the cholesterol sceptics’. There was once a time when it felt like the front pages of newspapers had a story raising doubts about statins – a type of medication to control cholesterol – every week. Now, the internet is full of medical misinformation around high cholesterol, an issue that will affect over half of Britons. So, what is the truth behind cholesterol? And when does healthy scepticism tip over into pseudoscience? Paul joined the podcast alongside the cardiologist Dr Christopher Labos, author of Does coffee cause cancer? (25:24)

And finally: with a love of magic, is it any wonder Dickens could conjure up worlds full of surprises?

When people hear ‘the magic of Charles Dickens’ they undoubtedly think about the words - and the worlds - he created. Yet, many won’t realise that the great writer had a love of showmanship and stage magic himself. Peter Conrad says that Dickens could have even been an actor. What makes Dickens’s worlds so compelling? And how did his love of stagecraft influence his writing? Peter has authored a new book on the subject, Dickens the Enchanter: Inside the Explosive Imagination of the Great Storyteller, and joins the podcast. (37:10)

Presented by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the novelist and critic James Bradley whose new book is Deep Water: The World in the Ocean. He tells me how we need to rethink our relationship with the sea and the life it contains, why fish are much more intelligent than we are used to imagining, and why – amid planetary doom – there’s still room for hope.

Political commentator, and author of Troubled, Rob Henderson joins Freddy Gray from the ARC conference in London. They discuss the political reaction to the news that Elon Musk has allegedly had his 13th child – are there signs of a new, more permissive conservatism? They also discuss Trump’s administration so far – particularly his flurry of executive orders – with critics decrying them as the tactics of a populist, yet supporters approving of the speed of activity. What’s the psychology underpins these political viewpoints? Vice-President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich over the weekend has also left many European leaders reeling – but should they really have been surprised?

Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons.

In his new book Why We Believe: Finding Meaning in Uncertain Times, Prof Alister McGrath rejects the notion that belief is a relic of the past and takes aim at the ‘new atheists’ who attack religion without even knowing what it is.

Prof McGrath, emeritus Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University, has had a unique journey to religion. A former Marxist atheist with a doctorate in molecular biology, he’s now a world-renowned theologian and Anglican priest. 

In this lively discussion with Damian Thompson he talks about the boundary between science and religion, something poorly understood by aggressive atheists such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens. He suggests that, while we all look for meaning, the safety of science doesn’t provide the sense of belonging that we all crave. 

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale wonders what Margaret Thatcher would make of today’s Conservatives (1:28); Andrew Kenny analyses South Africa’s expropriation act (6:13); Lara Prendergast explores the mystery behind The Spectator’s man in the Middle East, John R Bradley (13:55); Ysenda Maxtone Graham looks at how radio invaded the home (30:13); and, Nina Power reviews two exhibitions looking at different kinds of rage (35:13). 

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

It is 50 years since Margaret Thatcher was elected Conservative leader, and at this week’s shadow cabinet meeting, Lord Forsyth was invited as a guest speaker to mark the occasion. He noted the similarities between 1975 and 2025. Back then, the party was broke, reeling from defeat and facing the fallout from a reorganisation of local government. But, despite threadbare resources, Thatcher managed to rebuild to win power four years later. ‘You have the potential to do the same,’ Forsyth told Kemi Badenoch.

However, when asked if a young Thatcher would have been drawn to the right’s insurgent Reform Party, Nigel Farage replied, ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.’ He even claimed that Thatcher had voted UKIP in 1999. ‘She believed in meritocracy, she put Jewish people in her cabinet, working-class people like Norman Tebbit. She would have hated wokery and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),’ said Farage. 

What would Mrs Thatcher have thought of the current state of the Conservative Party? Might Reform have appealed to her? 

James Heale speaks to Lord Forsyth.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Professor John Mearsheimer comes back on the Americano show with Freddy Gray to discuss how seriously we should take Trump's foreign policy. They cover the President's plans to rebuild Gaza, why Netanyahu and Trump won't agree on what to do with Iran and whether Trump can strike a deal with Putin.

This week: The Spectator launches SPAFF

The civil service does one thing right, writes The Spectator’s data editor Michael Simmons: spaffing money away. The advent of Elon Musk’s DOGE in the US has inspired The Spectator to launch our own war on wasteful spending – the Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding, or SPAFF. Examples of waste range from the comic to the tragic. The Department for Work and Pensions, Michael writes, ‘bought one Universal Credit claimant a £1,500 e-bike after he persuaded his MP it would help him find self-employment’. There’s money for a group trying to ‘decolonise’ pole dancing; for a ‘socially engaged’ practitioner to make a film about someone else getting an MBE; and for subscriptions to LinkedIn. Lord Agnew, who used to hold the ‘Pythonesque’ title of ‘minister of state for efficiency and transformation’, backs The Spectator’s new SPAFF campaign and says total reform is the only option. Michael and Theo joined the podcast to discuss. (1:04)

Next: is surrogacy a blessing or a sham?

Debates about surrogacy have raged again following the announcement that the actress Lily Collins has had a baby via surrogate. Mary Wakefield says that there is a ‘sadness’ behind surrogacy, and that babies could be affected by being separated from their birth mother. Surrogacy is illegal in many countries, such as Spain and Italy, and Mary worries about potential legal changes that would make it easier to pursue here in the UK. So, is surrogacy a lifeline for many couples looking to conceive, or is it a practice that we should be more concerned about? Mary joined the podcast to discuss alongside Sunshine Hanson. Sunshine is the president and co-founder of the US-based surrogacy agency Surrogacy Is, and has also been a gestational surrogate three times. (16:26)

And finally: is smoking sexy again?

Flora Watkins revels at the news that Generation Z are shedding their vapes and taking up ‘real’ smoking, saying that everyone looks ‘hotter with a fag in their mouth’. Disregarding familial disapproval, Flora says that smoking makes her feel cool, young and attractive. Does this mean that smoking is sexy again? And why is smoking proving more popular with younger generations? It appears that the proposed smoking ban, proposed by both the Conservatives and now Labour, is having the opposite effect. Flora joined the podcast - with a cigarette in hand - to discuss, alongside the writer Zak Asgard. (29:35) 

Presented by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.