Best of the Spectator

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: James Heale tells all about his trip to Plymouth with Reform party leader Nigel Farage; Lionel Shriver asks what the destruction in France has actually achieved; Toby Young talks us through his recent trip to Islay and wonders if we’re in a whisky recession; and our executive editor Lara Prendergast reflects on her experiences giving blood.Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

Who was the real Sherlock Holmes? In this episode Sam Leith is joined by medical historian and author Lindsey Fitzharris to discuss her new book, Sleuth Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes.Fitzharris tells the extraordinary story of Joseph Bell, the Edinburgh surgeon whose powers of observation inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective. How did Bell learn to read the human body like a crime scene, and what role did he play in the emergence of modern forensic science? From Victorian murder cases to the Ripper investigations, Bell’s work helped bring medical evidence into the courtroom – while his real-life achievements were often overshadowed by his fictional counterpart.Plus: why did Conan Doyle want to kill off Sherlock Holmes, and how did Bell react to becoming the inspiration for one of literature’s most famous characters?Produced by Abigail Brierley.

For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by the Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, writer Louis Sarkozy and broadcaster Sir Loyd Grossman.This week: is France heading for revolution? As protests and unrest grip the country, Louis argues that France faces overlapping political, economic, demographic and security crises – and warns that the turmoil is likely to have consequences for next year’s presidential election. Is Macron losing control? Could Marine Le Pen finally take power? And to what extent are the violent riots uniquely French, or part of a wider European unrest? Also: why does Napoleon still loom so large over French politics and culture? Louis discusses the emperor’s obsessive reading habits, while Loyd asks whether today’s politics are once again being shaped by 'great men' rather than institutions.Plus: here in the UK, what should we expect from John Healey’s first Budget? Michael explains why ministers want it to be seen as a small and boring Budget – while warning that tax rises could still be on the way. And, as Peter Hitchens argues against letting generals dictate foreign policy, the panel debate defence, patriotism and whether the young would still fight for their country.Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Abigail Brierley.

Andy Burnham’s first Budget as Prime Minister is approaching – but higher borrowing costs have already made the sums more difficult. Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane joins Michael Simmons to warn that Britain has little room left to borrow more.For this episode of Reality Check, Andy tells Michael what could be in next week’s Budget, why devolution alone is not a growth strategy and why he appears to have praised Kemi Badenoch’s economic policies this week. Plus: they discuss the Bank of England’s record on inflation – with Haldane arguing the Bank has not 'learnt its lesson’. What would he have done differently?Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Henry Lloyd.

France is burning. Over the weekend, students protesting about school conditions were joined by rural voters angry at fuel prices and a violent hard-left fringe. Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain should be worried. Do the same fault lines run through our own society, and is the Burnham government doing anything about them? They also discuss what Emmanuel Macron will be remembered for, and whether anyone can stop Marine Le Pen.Also: Sally Rooney’s books are leaving British shelves over her support for Palestine Action. Is this censorship, or performance art?Produced by Henry Lloyd.

Freddy Gray speaks with Spectator columnist Christopher Caldwell about the ten-year legacy of Donald Trump since his 2016 election victory, assessing his second administration's high-water marks alongside the recent political and personal controversies that Caldwell argues have eroded voter trust, unraveled his populist appeal, and raised sharp questions about the future of the conservative movement.

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Jacob Rees-Mogg talks all things Tory Conference and Tucker Carlson; Lara Brown explores the growing rebellion against screens in schools; Matthew Parris reflects on what will survive us when we’re gone; and William Atkinson wonders if Altai the tiger be spared.Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

Pope Leo XIV is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, with doctors removing the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says his recovery is progressing normally, but questions remain over how his illness could affect a pontificate that is still in its early stages.What does the Pope’s diagnosis mean for the Catholic Church? The Pillar’s Ed Condon joins Damian Thompson to consider how illness could reshape Leo’s papacy and whether his health could speed up the process of senior appointments – and ultimately revive the debate over papal succession.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

For this week’s Edition, William Moore is joined by the Spectator’s commissioning editor Lara Brown, Financial Times columnist and peer Camilla Cavendish and broadcaster and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero.This week: are screens creating a new education divide? Lara examines the growing backlash against technology in schools. What began as an attempt to create a generation of ‘digital natives’ has left children as young as four doing reading and maths on gamified apps – despite little evidence that they improve learning. State schools are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on 'EdTech', while some of Britain’s leading private schools are moving back towards books, handwriting and screen-free classrooms. Are we creating a two-tier education system – books for the rich and screens for everyone else?Also: why aren’t young people having children? Camilla discusses her new book Generation Maybe, which investigates falling birth rates around the world. She argues that the problem isn’t simply that women are choosing careers over motherhood: millions of people would like children but cannot find someone to have them with. Are we living through a ‘relationship recession’? Have men failed to keep up with women or have expectations changed? And can governments actually do anything about it? Finally: why are we so nostalgic for the 1990s? The panel look back at Tony Blair, boozy lunches, and the millennium bug – a world before smartphones took over.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.