Skip to content
PodcastsNewsThe Edition

The Edition

The Spectator
The Edition
Latest episode

411 episodes

  • The Edition

    Has Reform UK lost its magic? – and why Middlesbrough’s young men don’t care

    03/09/2026 | 34 mins.
    Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, columnist and journalist Melanie McDonagh, and the Daily Mail’s parliamentary sketchwriter Quentin Letts.
    This week: has Reform UK lost its magic? Ahead of the party’s conference, Tim reveals its plans for the first 100 days of a Reform government – and asks whether Nigel Farage can persuade voters that his party is ready to govern after a turbulent summer.
    Also: what is happening in Middlesbrough? The panel discuss rising gang violence, the decline of visible policing and a generation of young men who appear increasingly indifferent to the law. Is social breakdown to blame – or has Britain simply lost its respect for authority?
    Plus: what can Britain learn from Norway’s royals?
    Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson.
    Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

    For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

    Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Edition

    How the blob broke teaching – and can the Sussexes redeem themselves?

    27/08/2026 | 41 mins.
    Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, author and critic Philip Hensher, and comedian and co-host if the Triggernometry podcast Frances Foster.
    This week: are good teachers under siege? The panel discuss Michael Gove’s cover story on the education establishment, from collapsing classroom discipline to the ‘pathetically low ambition’ of those training Britain’s teachers.
    Also: have accusations of bullying become a weapon against demanding ministers? Michael Simmons comes to the defence of his former teacher, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, while Philip asks whether the real problem is that civil servants are simply too difficult to sack.
    Plus: Harry and Meghan are back in Britain. Has the public’s fascination with the Sussexes ever really gone away – and do they deserve a chance at redemption?
    Produced by Henry Lloyd, Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
    Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

    For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

    Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Edition

    Maureen Lipman on Britain’s anti-Semitism crisis – and has the West lost the will to defend itself?

    20/08/2026 | 44 mins.
    William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman, commissioning editor Tali Fraser and actress Maureen Lipman.
    This week: has the West lost the will to defend itself? The panel discuss the threats posed by China, Russia and Islamism – and whether Western societies have become too reluctant to defend their own values. Maureen also warns about the rise of antisemitism, arguing that universities are ‘grooming’ a generation of anti-Semites.
    Also: Tali reports back from a screening of Chris Packham’s People’s Emergency Briefing. Has environmental campaigning become too patronising – and are politicians forcing through policies they have failed to persuade the public to support?
    Plus: can James Bond survive modern Britain?

    Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons.
    Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

    For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

    Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Edition

    ‘It’s a cesspool!’ — What’s going wrong in Britain’s universities?

    13/08/2026 | 52 mins.
    William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s associate editor Toby Young, commissioning editor Lara Brown and newsletter editor and restaurant critic Angus Colwell.

    This week: What has gone wrong with British universities? Lara unpacks the wider academic crisis in the wake of the Jason Arday scandal, from ‘surviving the apocalypse’ courses at Warwick to maths departments promising to ‘decolonise’ the subject. Has the sector lost its nerve?

    Also: Balding. Toby explains why he’s trying to talk his three sons out of hair transplants, while Angus and Lara weigh in on whether men vastly overestimate the importance of their hair on the dating market.
    Plus: is Indian the best cuisine? Angus argues it’s surprisingly hard to find a truly great curry in London, while the the panel ask whethe Indian food is unfairly low-status because it’s too cheap.

    Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson.
    Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

    For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

    Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Edition

    The real Rod Liddle: Michael Gove, Toby Young & Freddy Gray on what it was like to know him

    07/08/2026 | 43 mins.
    For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove, deputy editor Freddy Gray, and associate editor Toby Young.

    This week the episode and magazine is dedicated to our beloved Rod Liddle, who died aged 66. The Spectator journalists reflect on some of their favourite memories of Rod, what his legacy will be and how is writing, wit and intelligence will be irreplaceable.
    Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

    For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

    Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More News podcasts
About The Edition
Lara Prendergast and William Moore host weekly conversations with Spectator writers and friends of the magazine. Over a glass of wine, they dissect the biggest stories across news, politics and culture – and how they are covered in that week’s edition of The Spectator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast website

Listen to The Edition, Gone By Lunchtime and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
The Edition: Podcasts in Family
  • Podcast Holy Smoke
    Holy Smoke
    Christianity, Philosophy, Religion, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture