Best Sean Osborne Podcasts (2025)

1
Holy Smoke: who is likely to succeed Francis? 40:39

1h ago40:39

40:39

The papal conclave is due to begin on Wednesday 7 May to elect a successor to Pope Francis. As host Damian Thompson says, Rome – and the entire Church – is in a state of ‘fevered excitement’. While this is to be expected, most commentators agree that this conclave will be one of the most consequential elections for centuries. At stake are both the …

1
Coffee House Shots: is Reform unstoppable? 15:33

14h ago15:33

15:33

The word ‘unprecedented’ is often overused in politics, but these local elections have proved to be just that. The headline is: sweeping success for Reform. Nigel Farage's 'teal tsunami' comes at the expense of the main parties – turning the two-party consensus on its head. The recriminations for Labour and the Tories have already begun. On the lef…

1
Ep. 71 ~ Sean Jain of Last Ditch Effort 58:18

1d ago58:18

58:18

For this episode I chat with Sean Jain, guitarist in San Jose based punk band Last Ditch Effort. We cover a lot of ground including how he got into music, how the band came together, their latest EP titled Twenty-25, some politics, and reflect on the glory of the Punk-O-Rama compilation CD days. Enjoy!…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Ian Williams, Philip Patrick, Guy Stagg, Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Mark Mason and Catriona Olding 36:50

1d ago36:50

36:50

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Ian Williams looks at Chinese influence in the UK (1:39); Philip Patrick interviews Japan’s last ninja (9:35); Guy Stagg reviews Damian Le Bas and explores the myths behind the city of Atlantis (18:23); Ysenda Maxtone Graham reviews an exhibition on school dinners at the Food Museum in Stowmarket (23:38); Mark Mas…

1
Ian Williams, Philip Patrick, Guy Stagg, Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Mark Mason and Catriona Olding 36:50

1d ago36:50

36:50

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Ian Williams looks at Chinese influence in the UK (1:39); Philip Patrick interviews Japan’s last ninja (9:35); Guy Stagg reviews Damian Le Bas and explores the myths behind the city of Atlantis (18:23); Ysenda Maxtone Graham reviews an exhibition on school dinners at the Food Museum in Stowmarket (23:38); Mark Mas…

1
Americano: Victor Davis Hanson on DEI, counter revolutions and why Trump is a 'tragic hero' 48:44

1d ago48:44

48:44

Victor Davis Hanson joins Spectator TV to talk about the first 101 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency, describing it as a bold counterrevolution against decades of cultural, political, and economic drift. He discusses Trump’s sweeping agenda—from closing the border and challenging DEI initiatives to confronting foreign policy orthodoxy and tr…

1
The Edition: Chambers of horrors, the ‘Dubai-ification’ of London & the enduring obsession with Diana 36:44

2d ago36:44

36:44

This week: the left-wing radicalism of Garden Court Garden Court Chambers has a ‘reassuringly traditional’ facade befitting the historic Lincoln’s Inn Fields in the heart of London’s legal district. Yet, writes Ross Clark in the cover article this week, ‘the facade is just that. For behind the pedimented Georgian windows there operates the most rad…

1
The Book Club: The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz 37:09

3d ago37:09

37:09

My guest on this week’s podcast is the historian Anne Sebba. In her new book The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival, Anne tells the story of how a ragtag group of women musicians formed in the shadow of Auschwitz’s crematoria. She tells me about the moral trade-offs, the friendships and enmities that formed, and what it meant to tr…

1
Coffee House Shots: Revenge of the centrists – Carney wins in Canada 13:03

4d ago13:03

13:03

Mark Carney has won the Canadian election, leading the Liberal Party to a fourth term. Having only been Prime Minister for 6 weeks, succeeding Justin Trudeau, this is an impressive achievement when you consider that Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives were over 20 percentage points ahead in the polls earlier this year. Trump’s rhetoric against Canada …

1
Women With Balls: Kirsty Wark 29:12

5d ago29:12

29:12

Kirsty Wark has worked for the BBC for almost 50 years and is one of the UK’s most recognisable broadcasters. In 1976 she joined BBC Radio Scotland as a graduate researcher. Having produced and presented several shows across radio including The World At One and PM, she switched to television, and went on to present shows such as Breakfast Timeand T…

1
Holy Smoke: What can we expect from the papal conclave? 53:22

6d ago53:22

53:22

Earlier this year Dr Kurt Martens, Professor of Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, joined Damian Thompson on Holy Smoke to unpack what happens during a papal conclave. There was heightened interest in the process due to the film Conclave, which swept the awards season, but also because Pope Francis was hospitalised at the time. Despit…

1
Coffee House Shots: John Curtice on the local elections 20:35

7d ago20:35

20:35

Legendary pollster Prof Sir John Curtice joins the Spectator’s deputy political editor James Heale to look ahead to next week’s local elections. The actual number of seats may be small, as John points out, but the political significance could be much greater. If polling is correct, Reform could win a ‘fresh’ by-election for the first time, the mayo…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Owen Matthews, Matthew Parris, Marcus Nevitt, Angus Colwell and Sean Thomas 30:46

8d ago30:46

30:46

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Owen Matthews reads his letter from Rome (1:21); Matthew Parris travels the Channel Islands (7:53); Reviewing Minoo Dinshaw, Marcus Nevitt looks at Bulstrode Whitelocke and Edward Hyde, once close colleagues who fell out during the English civil war (15:19); Angus Colwell discusses his Marco Pierre White obsession…

1
Owen Matthews, Matthew Parris, Marcus Nevitt, Angus Colwell and Sean Thomas 30:46

8d ago30:46

30:46

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Owen Matthews reads his letter from Rome (1:21); Matthew Parris travels the Channel Islands (7:53); Reviewing Minoo Dinshaw, Marcus Nevitt looks at Bulstrode Whitelocke and Edward Hyde, once close colleagues who fell out during the English civil war (15:19); Angus Colwell discusses his Marco Pierre White obsession…

1
The Edition: See change, A.I. ghouls & long live the long lunch! 37:43

9d ago37:43

37:43

This week: the many crises awaiting the next pope ‘Francis was a charismatic pope loved by most of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics’ writes Damian Thompson in the cover article this week. But few of them ‘grasp the scale of the crisis in the Church… The next Vicar of Christ, liberal or conservative’ faces ‘challenges that dwarf those that confront…

1
The Book Club: why are Gen Z turning to Christianity? 40:13

10d ago40:13

40:13

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is Lamorna Ash, author of Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion. She describes to me how a magazine piece about some young friends who made a dramatic conversion to Christianity turned into an investigation into the rise in faith among a generation that many assumed would b…

1
Ep. 70 ~ Karen Bona from the Pieces to Wellness podcast 54:51

11d ago54:51

54:51

In this episode I'm joined by Karen Bona from the fantastic mental health centered podcast Pieces to Wellness! We chat a little about our podcasts (of course), but we also talk about some of the anxiety and stress we experience in our lives, how it makes us feel, and what has helped us cope with it. Enjoy! Beer of the episode: Speckled Pig Brewing …

1
Table Talk: Roger Pizey, Head of Pastry at Fortnum and Mason 20:14

11d ago20:14

20:14

Roger Pizey is a baker, chef and one of the most influential pâtissiers in the UK. He started his culinary journey as an apprentice at La Gavroche under Albert Roux before taking on the role of head of pastry at Marco Pierre White’s Harveys, during the time it achieved three Michelin stars. He has since worked at a number of London institutions and…

1
Women With Balls: Deborah Mattinson 28:50

11d ago28:50

28:50

Deborah Mattinson joined the House of Lords as a Labour peer in February. Her involvement in politics began when she worked alongside Peter Mandelson and Philip Gould to create Labour’s Shadow Communications Agency for Neil Kinnock. In 1992 she co-founded Opinion Leader Research, and she went on to advise Tony Blair ahead of the 1997 election and l…

1
Holy Smoke: Pope Francis dies – what will his legacy be? 29:09

12d ago29:09

29:09

Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has died. The Argentinian, the first Latin American – and the first Jesuit – to lead the Church, has been the head of the Holy See for 12 years, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI who resigned in 2013. Francis presided over the funeral of his predecessor, who died in 2022 – a first in modern history. B…

1
Coffee House Shots: How the Liberal Democrats conquered Middle England 16:46

12d ago16:46

16:46

The Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller, elected as the new MP for Bicester and Woodstock last year, joins James Heale to talk about the ambitions of the party that became the largest third party in Parliament in 100 years at the 2024 general election. They want to overtake the Conservatives to be the second party in local …

1
Holy Smoke Easter special: in praise of faithful dissent, a conversation with Nigel Biggar and Mary Wakefield 23:46

13d ago23:46

23:46

The Easter issue of the Spectator includes two provocative articles exploring aspects of Christianity. Nigel Biggar, Regius professor emeritus of moral theology at Oxford University, now a Conservative peer, celebrates the heroic ‘faithful dissent’ of Christian heroes such as Thomas More and Helmuth von Moltke, who lost their lives rather than defe…

1
Coffee House Shots: 10 years of politics as Balls bows out 21:05

14d ago21:05

21:05

Katy Balls joins Coffee House Shots for the last time as the Spectator’s political editor. Having joined the magazine ten years ago – or six prime ministers in Downing St years – what are her reflections on British politics? Katy’s lobby lunch partner from the Financial Times Stephen Bush joins Katy and Patrick Gibbons to try and make sense of a tu…

1
Paul Wood, Katy Balls, Olivia Potts, Benedict Allen, Cosmo Landesman and Aidan Hartley 40:06

15d ago40:06

40:06

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Would Trump really bomb Iran, asks Paul Wood (1:38); Katy Balls interviews Health Secretary Wes Streeting on NHS reform, Blairism and Game of Thrones (8:38); Olivia Potts examines the history – and decline – of the Easter staple, roast lamb (18:25); the explorer Benedict Allen says Erling Kagge and Neil Shubin wer…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Paul Wood, Katy Balls, Olivia Potts, Benedict Allen, Cosmo Landesman and Aidan Hartley 40:06

15d ago40:06

40:06

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Would Trump really bomb Iran, asks Paul Wood (1:38); Katy Balls interviews Health Secretary Wes Streeting on NHS reform, Blairism and Game of Thrones (8:38); Olivia Potts examines the history – and decline – of the Easter staple, roast lamb (18:25); the explorer Benedict Allen says Erling Kagge and Neil Shubin wer…

1
The Edition: Easter special – assisted dying, ‘bunny ebola’ & how do you eat your creme egg? 34:08

16d ago34:08

34:08

This week: should the assisted dying bill be killed off? Six months after Kim Leadbeater MP launched the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a group of Labour MPs have pronounced it ‘irredeemably flawed and not fit to become law’. They say the most basic aspects of the bill – having gone through its committee stage – do not hold up to scrutin…

1
Book Club: Philippe Sands 57:48

17d ago57:48

57:48

Sam Leith’s guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is the lawyer and writer Philippe Sands, whose new book 38 Londres Street describes the legal and diplomatic tussle over the potential extradition of the former Chilean dictator General Pinochet. Philippe tells Sam why the case was such an important one in legal history, and presents new evidence s…

1
Americano: Trump v Harvard 23:20

18d ago23:20

23:20

Freddy Gray speaks to Peter Wood who is the President of the National Association of Scholars about Trump's decision to block Harvard funding after the university denied the President's DEI demands.By The Spectator

1
Women With Balls: Lindsey Hilsum 34:08

21d ago34:08

34:08

Lindsey Hilsum is the International Editor for Channel 4 News, where she has worked for over 25 years. Having started her career as an aid worker in Latin America, she transitioned to journalism, and she has now reported from six continents for over three decades. She has covered many major conflicts including Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and acros…

1
Holy Smoke: Was Simeon of Jerusalem the first Christian in recorded history? 27:55

21d ago27:55

27:55

In Luke's Gospel, an ancient inhabitant of Jerusalem named Simeon meets Mary and Joseph when they bring Jesus to be presented at the Temple on the 40th day after his birth. He has been promised that he will not die until he has seen Christ, and as he takes the baby into his arms he utters the words, 'Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, acco…

1
Coffee House Shots: Tariff turmoil – the end of globalisation or a blip in history? 16:56

22d ago16:56

16:56

Globalisation's obituary has been written many times before but, with the turmoil caused over the past few weeks with Donald Trump's various announcements on tariffs, could this mark the beginning of the end for the economic order as we know it? Tej Parikh from the Financial Times and Kate Andrews, The Spectator's deputy US editor, join economics e…

1
Petroc Trelawny, Gareth Roberts, Tom Lee, Leyla Sanai and Iram Ramzan 28:07

24d ago28:07

28:07

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Petroc Trelawny reads his diary for the week (1:14); Gareth Roberts wants us to make book jackets nasty again (6:22); Tom Lee writes in defence of benzodiazepines (13:44); Leyla Sanai reflects on unethical practices within psychiatry, as she reviews Jon Stock’s The Sleep Room (19:41); and, Iram Ramzan provides her…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Petroc Trelawny, Gareth Roberts, Tom Lee, Leyla Sanai and Iram Ramzan 28:07

24d ago28:07

28:07

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Petroc Trelawny reads his diary for the week (1:14); Gareth Roberts wants us to make book jackets nasty again (6:22); Tom Lee writes in defence of benzodiazepines (13:44); Leyla Sanai reflects on unethical practices within psychiatry, as she reviews Jon Stock’s The Sleep Room (19:41); and, Iram Ramzan provides her…

1
The Edition: Trump shock, cousin marriage & would you steal from a restaurant? 38:44

25d ago38:44

38:44

This week: Trump’s tariffs – madness or mastermind? ‘Shock tactics’ is the headline of our cover article this week, as deputy editor Freddy Gray reflects on a week that has seen the US President upend the global economic order, with back and forth announcements on reciprocal and retaliatory tariffs. At the time of writing, a baseline 10% on imports…

1
The Book Club: What Is Free Speech? 44:28

25d ago44:28

44:28

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is Fara Dabhoiwala, whose new book What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea looks not just at the origins of free speech as an idea, but also its uses and misuses. Fara tells me the bizarre story of how he found himself ‘cancelled’, gives us the scoop on who actually invented free speech and exp…

1
Americano: has trump stopped the oligarchy? 20:45

26d ago20:45

20:45

Global financial markets are experiencing significant declines following the announcement of new tariffs by President Trump. These tariffs led to widespread panic among investors and sparked debates about their potential impact on the economy. In this episode of Americano, host Freddy Gray is joined by Joe Weisenthal, co-host of Bloomberg’s Odd Lo…

1
Table Talk: Gok Wan 25:29

26d ago25:29

25:29

Gok Wan is a renowned stylist and television presenter. Over the years, Gok has transformed the way we think about style and body image with his much-loved series How to Look Good Naked and Gok’s Fashion Fix – his focus on body positivity was the antidote to the crash-dieting fads which dominated the 2000s. Later in his career, Gok drew upon his Ch…

1
Chinese Whispers: what does it take to be an 'old friend of the Chinese people'? 37:44

26d ago37:44

37:44

** Chinese Whispers is coming to an end. Later this year, Cindy Yu will be joining The Times and The Sunday Times to write a regular column on China. To stay abreast of her latest work, subscribe to her free Substack at chinesewhispers.substack.com ** The term ‘old friend of the Chinese people’ might seem a colloquial, almost sentimental, phrase to…

1
Women With Balls: Katie Lam 28:45

27d ago28:45

28:45

Katie Lam was elected as a new Conservative MP, for Weald of Kent, at the 2024 election. While studying at Cambridge she was president of the Cambridge Union and chairman of the Conservative Association, and she was later a special advisor – first under Boris Johnson in the business unit at Number 10, and then later working on counterterrorism with…

1
Spectator Out Loud: Gavin Mortimer, Colin Freeman, Lawrence Osborne, Lionel Shriver and Anthony Cummins 34:10

28d ago34:10

34:10

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Gavin Mortimer looks at how the French right can still win (1:48); Colin Freeman interviews Americans who have fought in Ukraine and feel betrayed by Trump (11:01); Lawrence Osborne details his experience of last week’s earthquake, as he reads his diary from Bangkok (18:38); Lionel Shriver defends traditional, mon…

1
Coffee House Shots: Marine Le Pen – justice or lawfare? 14:04

29d ago14:04

14:04

Marine Le Pen, president of Rassemblement National (National Rally) was found guilty this week of embezzling EU funds to boost her party’s finances. The guilty verdict was widely expected, however her sentence was far harsher than even her strongest critics expected – part of which saw her banned from standing for office for five years, with immedi…

1
Gavin Mortimer, Colin Freeman, Lawrence Osborne, Lionel Shriver and Anthony Cummins 34:10

1M ago34:10

34:10

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Gavin Mortimer looks at how the French right can still win (1:48); Colin Freeman interviews Americans who have fought in Ukraine and feel betrayed by Trump (11:01); Lawrence Osborne details his experience of last week’s earthquake, as he reads his diary from Bangkok (18:38); Lionel Shriver defends traditional, mon…

1
Americano: Trump's tariffs – madman or mastermind? 28:51

29d ago28:51

28:51

President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs, including a 10 per cent duty on all UK exports to the United States, as part of his 'Reciprocal Tariffs' plan aimed at addressing trade imbalances and bolstering American manufacturing. This move is expected to impact approximately £60 billion worth of UK exports, with sectors such as autom…

1
Dr. Nitesh Paryani – Radiation Oncologist & Expert in Low-Dose Radiation Therapy 24:47

1M ago24:47

24:47

Dr. Nitesh Paryani – Radiation Oncologist & Expert in Low-Dose Radiation Therapy Dr. Nitesh Paryani is a distinguished radiation oncologist with a passion for pioneering innovative treatments in cancer care and beyond. As a third-generation oncologist, he carries forward a legacy of excellence in radiation therapy while pushing the boundaries of it…

1
The Edition: Cruel Labour, the decline of sacred spaces & Clandon Park’s controversial restoration 50:51

1M ago50:51

50:51

This week: Starmerism’s moral vacuum ‘Governments need a mission, or they descend into reactive incoherence’ writes Michael Gove in this week’s cover piece. A Labour government, he argues, ‘cannot survive’ without a sense of purpose. The ‘failure of this government to make social justice its mission’ has led to a Spring Statement ‘that was at once …

1
Americano: will Trump’s tariffs unravel the neoliberal global order? 32:55

1M ago32:55

32:55

Freddy is joined by James Fishback – writer, investor and chief executive of investment firm Azoria – on ‘Liberation Day’, when Donald Trump is set to announce a raft of new tariffs (at 9 p.m. UK time). They discuss the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the market, whether this marks the upending of the neoliberal economic world order, or if Donald Trum…

1
The Book Club: Joe Dunthorne 39:35

1M ago39:35

39:35

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the poet and novelist Joe Dunthorne, who is here to talk about his new non-fiction book Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance. In it, he describes how he criss-crossed Europe in search of the truth about his great-grandfather, a Jewish scientist who found himself working on chemical weapons for the Na…

1
Holy Smoke: the tin ear of Justin Welby 28:47

1M ago28:47

28:47

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is back in the news following his interview this week with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg. The interview – his first since he resigned last November – was clearly Welby's attempt to draw a line under the abuse scandal that cost him his job. The 2024 Makin report concluded that the Church of England mis…

1
Americano: Douglas Murray on JFK, Covid-19 & conspiracy culture 27:18

1M ago27:18

27:18

The Spectator's columnist Douglas Murray joins Freddy Gray to discuss his recent column on why the JFK conspiracies just won't die. They also discuss the moon landing, the emergence of American self-hatred, and the return of the post-truth era.By The Spectator

1
Women With Balls: Kim Leadbeater 35:45

1M ago35:45

35:45

Kim Leadbeater has been an MP since winning the Batley & Spen by-election for Labour in 2021. She was elected to the constituency that her sister, Jo Cox, had served until she was murdered during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign. Having pursued a career in health and fitness, Kim hadn’t initially intended on a life in politics, but she went on t…

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