Best Bryan Atkinson Podcasts (2025)

1
The Book Club: William Dalrymple 49:01

17h ago49:01

49:01

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is the historian William Dalrymple, whose bestselling account of ancient India’s cultural and economic influence, The Golden Road, is newly out in paperback. He tells me why the ‘Silk Road’ is a myth, how Arabic numerals are really Indian – and how he responds to being Narendra Modi’s new favourite author.…

1
Table Talk: Nadine Dorries 15:08

12h ago15:08

15:08

Nadine Dorries is one of the most recognisable Conservative politicians from the past two decades. Elected as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire in 2005, she notably clashed with David Cameron and George Osborne (who she called ‘two arrogant posh boys’) and lost the whip in 2012 when she took part in the reality show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. L…

1
Americano: will Trump get dragged into the Israel-Iran conflict? 32:03

2d ago32:03

32:03

Relations between Iran and Israel are deteriorating rapidly, with comparisons being drawn to Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be advocating for regime change in Tehran, reportedly encouraging the United States to take military action. Donald Trump, who previously came close …

1
Book Club, from the archives: Frederick Forsyth 30:24

3d ago30:24

30:24

In honour of the author Frederick Forsyth, who died early this week, please enjoy this episode of the Book Club podcast, from the archives, in which he joined Sam Leith in 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic thriller The Day of the Jackal. On the podcast Frederick tells Sam about banging it out in a few weeks on a typewriter with …

1
Coffee House Shots: why is Britain's economy so unhealthy? 19:36

5d ago19:36

19:36

The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons is joined by the outgoing boss of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Paul Johnson and the CEO of the Resolution Foundation Ruth Curtice to understand why Britain’s economy is in such a bad place. Given it feels like we are often in a doom loop of discussion about tax rises, does this point to a structu…

1
Sean Thomas, John Power, Susie Mesure, Olivia Potts and Rory Sutherland 22:12

6d ago22:12

22:12

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Sean Thomas reflects on the era of lads mags (1:07); John Power reveals those unfairly gaming the social housing system (6:15); Susie Moss reviews Ripeness by Sarah Moss (11:31); Olivia Potts explains the importance of sausage rolls (14:21); and, Rory Sutherland speaks in defence of the Trump playbook (18:09). Pro…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Sean Thomas, John Power, Susie Mesure, Olivia Potts and Rory Sutherland 22:12

6d ago22:12

22:12

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Sean Thomas reflects on the era of lads mags (1:07); John Power reveals those unfairly gaming the social housing system (6:15); Susie Moss reviews Ripeness by Sarah Moss (11:31); Olivia Potts explains the importance of sausage rolls (14:21); and, Rory Sutherland speaks in defence of the Trump playbook (18:09). Pro…

1
The Edition: Porn Britannia, Xi’s absence & no more lonely hearts? 46:49

7d ago46:49

46:49

OnlyFans is giving the Treasury what it wants – but should we be concerned? ‘OnlyFans,’ writes Louise Perry, ‘is the most profitable content subscription service in the world.’ Yet ‘the vast majority of its content creators make very little from it’. So why are around 4 per cent of young British women selling their wares on the site? ‘Imitating Bon…

1
The Book Club: Lucy Mangan 34:02

7d ago34:02

34:02

In this week’s Book Club podcast I am joined by Lucy Mangan, author of Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives. She tells me what teenagers did before they had Young Adult books to read, the bizarre demise of the author of Goodnight Moon, and the wisdom of forsaking the busy world for an armchair and a good book.…

1
Holy Smoke: a Jewish guide to arguing 51:50

7d ago51:50

51:50

Daniel Taub, former Israeli Ambassador to the UK, joins Damian Thompson to talk about his new book Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish art of constructive disagreement. In a fast-moving interview, Daniel explains how the art of arguing has shaped Jewish humour and scholarship, and Damian asks him about keeping kosher, life after death – and th…

1
Americano: left-wing violence is being normalised 18:39

8d ago18:39

18:39

In the new edition of Spectator World, author and anthropologist Max Horder argues that the US is experiencing a change in its psyche, and left-wing violence is being normalised. He joins Freddy Gray on the Americano podcast to discuss the various examples attached to this, and what the dereliction of democratic disagreement means for us all. This …

1
Holy Smoke: finding spiritual treasure in César Franck 36:20

11d ago36:20

36:20

The Belgian composer César Franck – unfairly associated with kitsch and sentimentality by certain cultural sophisticates – wrote some of the most spiritually inspiring music of the late 19th century. In this episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson talks to the British-Israeli pianist Ariel Lanyi, who has just recorded Franck’s late masterpiece Prélu…

1
Rupert Lowe on Reform turmoil, Chagos ‘treason’ and taking the Tory whip 48:37

12d ago48:37

48:37

The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove and assistant editor Madeline Grant interview Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth and notorious Westminster provocateur. Earlier this year, Lowe was suspended from the Reform party amid claims of threats towards the party’s then-chairman Zia Yusuf, and a souring relationship with Nigel Farage. Following his politi…

1
Americano: did the swamp drain Elon Musk? 22:41

11d ago22:41

22:41

Billionaire Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump have had a very public falling out. Musk, whose time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came to an end last month, publicly criticised Trump’s spending bill (the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’). The row then erupted onto social media with Trump expressing his disappointment with …

1
Max Jeffery, Tanya Gold, Madeline Grant, Matthew Parris and Calvin Po 28:49

12d ago28:49

28:49

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery tracks down the Cambridge bike bandit (1:10); Tanya Gold says that selling bathwater is an easy way to exploit a sad male fetish (5:38); Madeline Grant examines the decline of period dramas (10:16); a visit to Lyon has Matthew Parris pondering what history doesn’t tell us (15:49); and, Calvin Po visits…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery, Tanya Gold, Madeline Grant, Matthew Parris and Calvin Po 28:49

12d ago28:49

28:49

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Max Jeffery tracks down the Cambridge bike bandit (1:10); Tanya Gold says that selling bathwater is an easy way to exploit a sad male fetish (5:38); Madeline Grant examines the decline of period dramas (10:16); a visit to Lyon has Matthew Parris pondering what history doesn’t tell us (15:49); and, Calvin Po visits…

1
The Edition: Nigel wants YOU, secularism vs spirituality & how novel is experimental fiction? 51:41

13d ago51:41

51:41

How Reform plans to win Just a year ago, Nigel Farage ended his self-imposed exile from politics and returned to lead Reform. Since then, Reform have won more MPs than the Green Party, two new mayoralties, a parliamentary by-election, and numerous councils. Now the party leads in every poll and, as our deputy political editor James Heale reveals in…

1
The Book Club: Alice Loxton 37:09

14d ago37:09

37:09

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is the historian Alice Loxton, whose new book Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives is just out in paperback. In it, she tells the story of the early lives of individuals as disparate as the Venerable Bede and Vivienne Westwood. On the podcast, Alice tells me about Geoffrey Chaucer’s racy past, w…

1
Table Talk: Jun Tanaka 22:25

15d ago22:25

22:25

Jun Tanaka is a Japanese-British chef with over 30 years’ experience in some of London’s most famous restaurants, including La Gavroche, Restaurant Marco Pierre White and The Square. In 2016 he opened the Ninth, which was awarded a Michelin star two years later. On the podcast, Jun tells Lara why the smell of baking brings back early food memories,…

1
Americano: America's white guilt hangover 35:43

16d ago35:43

35:43

From the decline of meritocracy to the rise of anti-Western ideology, author Heather Mac Donald joins Freddy Gray to discuss race, merit, and victim hierarchy. Why is the West so desperate to self-cancel? And is now a moment of reckoning considering we're five years on from the BLM protests?

1
Holy Smoke: is God an Englishman? 31:52

18d ago31:52

31:52

Bijan Omrani joins Damian Thompson to talk about his new book God is an Englishman: Christianity and the Creation of England. They discuss the spiritual and cultural debt the country owes to Christianity. The central question of Bijan’s book is ‘does it matter that Christianity is dying in England?’. The faith has historically played a disproportio…

1
Coffee House Shots: should cannabis be decriminalised? 20:55

19d ago20:55

20:55

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has called for possession of small amounts of cannabis to be decriminalised following a report by the London Drugs Commission. The report has made 42 recommendations, which include removing natural cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act. Former cabinet minister, now Labour peer, Charlie Falconer and Tory MP Dr Neil Shastr…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Arabella Byrne, Sean Thomas, Mathew Lyons, Bryan Appleyard & Chas Newkey-Burden 28:07

19d ago28:07

28:07

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Arabella Byrne on the social minefield of private swimming pools (1:13); Sean Thomas says that not knowing where you are is one of the joys of travel (5:34); reviewing Helen Carr’s Sceptred Isle: A New History of the 14th Century, Mathew Lyons looks at the reality of a vivid century (11:34); reviewing Tim Gregory’…

1
Arabella Byrne, Sean Thomas, Mathew Lyons, Bryan Appleyard & Chas Newkey-Burden 28:07

19d ago28:07

28:07

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Arabella Byrne on the social minefield of private swimming pools (1:13); Sean Thomas says that not knowing where you are is one of the joys of travel (5:34); reviewing Helen Carr’s Sceptred Isle: A New History of the 14th Century, Mathew Lyons looks at the reality of a vivid century (11:34); reviewing Tim Gregory’…

1
The Edition: end of the rainbow, rising illiteracy & swimming pool etiquette 49:51

20d ago49:51

49:51

End of the rainbow: Pride’s fall What ‘started half a century ago as an afternoon’s little march for lesbians and gay men’, argues Gareth Roberts, became ‘a jamboree not only of boring homosexuality’ but ‘anything else that its purveyors consider unconventional’. Yet now Reform-led councils are taking down Pride flags, Pride events are being cancel…

1
Americano: what does Sam Altman want? 28:05

21d ago28:05

28:05

Freddy Gray speaks to writer and author Karen Hao, whose new book Empire of AI looks at a new, ominous age of empire with OpenAI. On the podcast they discuss the impacts of artificial intelligence on society and democracy and how Open AI founder Sam Altman has become a controversial figure.

1
Book Club: Robert Macfarlane 40:41

22d ago40:41

40:41

Sam Leith's guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is Robert Macfarlane. In his new book Is A River Alive? he travels from the cloud forests of Ecuador to the pollution-choked rivers of Chennai and the threatened waterways of eastern Canada. He tells Sam what he learned along the journey – and why we need to reconceptualise our relationship with th…

1
Holy Smoke: the mystifying process – and problems – behind choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury 38:54

23d ago38:54

38:54

After Pope Francis died, it took the Roman Catholic Church just 17 days to choose a successor in Pope Leo XIV. It has been well over 6 months since Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned and we are only just making sense of those chosen to sit on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), that will recommend his successor. Even then, it’s unli…

1
Coffee House Shots: why is antisemitism so pervasive? Irving v Lipstadt 25 years on 30:28

24d ago30:28

30:28

This spring marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark judgment in the infamous Irving v Lipstadt Holocaust denial case. David Irving sued American academic Deborah Lipstadt after she had described him as a Holocaust denier in her 1994 book, for his claims that Jews had not been systematically exterminated by the Nazis. Given the burden of proof in…

1
Spectator Out Loud: James Heale, Angus Colwell, Alice Loxton, Lloyd Evans, Richard Bratby, Christopher Howse and Catriona Olding 37:41

25d ago37:41

37:41

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale analyses the splits in Labour over direction and policy (1:27); Angus Colwell asks if the ‘lanyard class’ are the new enemy (6:21); Alice Loxton explains why bize-sized histories have big appeal (9:58); Lloyd Evans reports on how Butlin’s is cashing in on nostalgia (15:00); Richard Bratby on Retrospect…

1
Women With Balls, from the archives: Jo Coburn 33:48

26d ago33:48

33:48

Broadcaster Jo Coburn stepped down from Politics Live this week and has left the BBC after 28 years. To mark the occasion, here’s a special edition of Women With Balls – from the archives – where Jo joined the Spectator's former political editor Katy Balls in 2019, shortly after launching Politics Live. On the podcast, Jo tells Katy about starting …

1
James Heale, Angus Colwell, Alice Loxton, Lloyd Evans, Richard Bratby, Christopher Howse and Catriona Olding 37:41

26d ago37:41

37:41

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale analyses the splits in Labour over direction and policy (1:27); Angus Colwell asks if the ‘lanyard class’ are the new enemy (6:21); Alice Loxton explains why bize-sized histories have big appeal (9:58); Lloyd Evans reports on how Butlin’s is cashing in on nostalgia (15:00); Richard Bratby on Retrospect…

1
Coffee House Shots: David Gauke on prisons, probation & the political reaction to his review 17:41

26d ago17:41

17:41

Former Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor David Gauke joins James Heale to talk about his review into prison sentencing. The former Tory minister was appointed by the current Labour Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, but says there is a clear centre-right argument for prison reform. He talks James through his policy proposals and the political r…

1
The Edition: the real Brexit betrayal, bite-sized history & is being a bridesmaid brutal? 43:58

27d ago43:58

43:58

The real Brexit betrayal: Starmer vs the workers ‘This week Starmer fell… into the embrace of Ursula von der Leyen’ writes Michael Gove in our cover article this week. He writes that this week’s agreement with the EU perpetuates the failure to understand Brexit’s opportunities, and that Labour ‘doesn’t, or at least shouldn’t exist to make the lives…

1
The Book Club: Geoff Dyer, the Proust of prog rock and Airfix 38:35

28d ago38:35

38:35

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Geoff Dyer, who’s talking about his memoir Homework, in which he describes growing up as an only child in suburban Cheltenham, and how the eleven-plus and the postwar settlement irrevocably changed his life – propelling him away from the timid and unfulfilled world of his working-class parents. Geoff, in…

1
Low Life: The Spectator columns of Jeremy Clarke 28:14

29d ago28:14

28:14

To mark the second anniversary of the death of Jeremy Clarke – one of the Spectator’s most loved writers – we’ve compiled some of his Low Life columns, as read by Jeremy in 2016, for this special episode of Spectator Out Loud. Included in this compilation are: New Man (00:42); Virgin (5:16); Debauchery Competition (9:32); Buddhism (14:12); The Beac…

1
Low Life: The Spectator columns of Jeremy Clarke 28:14

29d ago28:14

28:14

To mark the second anniversary of the death of Jeremy Clarke – one of the Spectator’s most loved writers – we’ve compiled some of his Low Life columns, as read by Jeremy in 2016, for this special episode of Spectator Out Loud. Included in this compilation are: New Man (00:42); Virgin (5:16); Debauchery Competition (9:32); Buddhism (14:12); The Beac…

1
Table Talk: Daria Lavelle, author of 'Aftertaste' 32:26

30d ago32:26

32:26

Daria Lavelle was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in New York. Her work explores themes of identity and belonging and her short stories have appeared in The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and elsewhere. Daria is the author of the critically acclaimed new novel Aftertaste which explores food, grief and the uncanny. On the podcast she tells Liv about he…

1
Americano: was Zbigniew Brzezinski a Cold War prophet? 30:00

1M ago30:00

30:00

Polish émigré Zbigniew Brzezinski – known as ‘Zbig’ – rose to prominence in America during the Cold War as a key intellectual architect of US foreign policy. He was National Security Advisor to President Carter and was a trusted advisor to many US presidents from John F Kennedy onwards. Yet, despite helping to shape American foreign policy during c…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Michael Gove, Max Jeffery, Paul Wood, Susannah Jowitt and Leyla Sanai 37:26

1M ago37:26

37:26

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Gove interviews Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood (1:17; Max Jeffery shadows the police as they search for the parents of three abandoned babies (14:41); Paul Wood asks if this is really the end of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (20:57); Susannah Jowitt reports that death has come to the Chelsea Flo…

1
Coffee House Shots: should Kemi Badenoch go? 30:36

1M ago30:36

30:36

Kemi Badenoch has come in for criticism since becoming leader of the opposition – for her energy, her performances at PMQs and her inability to galvanise her shadow cabinet. On this podcast, James Heale hosts the trial of Kemi Badenoch and asks whether someone else might be better placed to take the Tories into the next election and – more importan…

1
Michael Gove, Max Jeffery, Paul Wood, Susannah Jowitt and Leyla Sanai 37:26

1M ago37:26

37:26

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Gove interviews Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood (1:17; Max Jeffery shadows the police as they search for the parents of three abandoned babies (14:41); Paul Wood asks if this is really the end of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (20:57); Susannah Jowitt reports that death has come to the Chelsea Flo…

1
Americano: what is Trump doing in the Middle East? 28:33

1M ago28:33

28:33

President Trump is an America Firster, but he has an undeniable affinity for the Arab world. He would have made a good sheik: he doesn’t drink, he loves developing flashy properties to show off his power and wealth, and he’s brutally realistic about the role of oil (and other commodities) in world politics. On his tour of the Middle East, he signed…

1
The Edition: Britain's billionaire exodus, Michael Gove interviews Shabana Mahmood & Hampstead's 'terf war' 41:53

1M ago41:53

41:53

The great escape: why the rich are fleeing Britain Keir Starmer worries about who is coming into Britain but, our economics editor Michael Simmons writes in the magazine this week, he should have ‘sleepless nights’ thinking about those leaving. Since 2016, nearly 30,000 millionaires have left – ‘an outflow unmatched in the developed world’. Tax cha…

1
The Book Club: Julie Bindel 47:59

1M ago47:59

47:59

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is the writer, activist and Spectator contributor Julie Bindel. In her new book Lesbians: Where Are We Now?, Julie asks why lesbian liberation seems – as she sees it – to have taken one step forward and two steps back. She traces the history of lesbian activism, explains why we’re wrong to assume that lesbi…

1
Americano: how to revive the American mind 32:39

1M ago32:39

32:39

Freddy Gray speaks to Spectator World's Editor-at-Large Ben Domenech about this month's issue, the Reviving of the American Mind, and Ben's interview with Christopher Rufo.By The Spectator

1
Americano: is the trade deal a coup for Starmer? 26:20

1M ago26:20

26:20

Trump has announced a beautiful new deal with the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and President shared a phone call to congratulate one another. It is the first trade deal agreed after Mr Trump began his second presidential term in January, and after he imposed strict tariffs on countries around the world in April. Freddy Gray speaks to Sarah El…

1
Olenka Hamilton, Melanie McDonagh, Hannah Moore, James Delingpole and William Atkinson 30:24

1M ago30:24

30:24

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Olenka Hamilton ponders whether Poland’s revival is a mirage (1:24); Melanie McDonagh asks who killed the postal service (9:52); Hannah Moore argues that family cars aren’t built for families any more (14:35); James Delingpole reviews Careme from Apple TV and Chef’s Table from Netflix (21:15); and, William Atkinso…

1
Coffee House Shots Live: Zia Yusuf and Jacob Rees-Mogg 1:27:40

1M ago1:27:40

1:27:40

The post-mortem has begun on a historic set of local elections – but where does each party go from here? Is Reform unstoppable? Is Kemi the one to lead the Conservative rebuild? Do Labour really ‘get it’? Michael Gove, James Heale and Lucy Dunn are joined by special guests Zia Yusuf and Jacob Rees-Mogg to unpack these questions – as well as the bro…

1
Olenka Hamilton, Melanie McDonagh, Hannah Moore, James Delingpole and William Atkinson 30:24

1M ago30:24

30:24

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Olenka Hamilton ponders whether Poland’s revival is a mirage (1:24); Melanie McDonagh asks who killed the postal service (9:52); Hannah Moore argues that family cars aren’t built for families any more (14:35); James Delingpole reviews Careme from Apple TV and Chef’s Table from Netflix (21:15); and, William Atkinso…

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