Best Ian Sands Podcasts (2025)

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

2h 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

44m 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

2d 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

1d 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

2d 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

4d 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
Holy Smoke: Does Pope Leo XIV represent continuity or change? 19:45

4d ago19:45

19:45

From Rome Fr Benedict Kiely and Damian Thompson react to the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the successor to Pope Francis. The first American Pope, Prevost is also a citizen of Peru, having spent years working as first a parish pastor and teacher, and later as a bishop. The 267th Bishop of Rome is also the first native English-speaking pope…

1
The Edition: Scuzz Nation, the death of English literature & are you a bad house guest? 40:39

5d ago40:39

40:39

Scuzz Nation: Britain’s slow and grubby decline If you want to understand why voters flocked to Reform last week, Gus Carter says, look no further than Goat Man. In one ward in Runcorn, ‘residents found that no one would listen when a neighbour filled his derelict house with goats and burned the animals’ manure in his garden’. This embodies Scuzz N…

1
The Book Club: The Making of William Shakespeare 50:09

7d ago50:09

50:09

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is Daniel Swift. Daniel’s new book, The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare, tells the fascinating story of a theatrical innovation that transformed Elizabethan drama – and set the stage, as it were, for the rise of our greatest playwright.…

1
Table Talk: Mary-Ellen McTague 24:45

7d ago24:45

24:45

Mary-Ellen McTague is a chef based in Manchester. She is the culinary driving force behind Aunbury, 4244, the Creameries and her newest venture, Pip at the Treehouse Hotel. Mary-Ellen is also the co-founder of Eat Well MCR, which has delivered almost 100,000 meals across Greater Manchester since 2020 to those sidelined by poverty. On the podcast, s…

1
A compilation of Chinese Whispers: understanding China 1:37:57

8d ago1:37:57

1:37:57

As Chinese Whispers comes to an end, here is a compilation of some of the best discussions Cindy Yu has had across the podcast to understand modern China and President Xi. On this episode you can hear from: journalist Bill Hayton on what it means to be Chinese (1:10); writer and actor Mark Kitto and author Alex Ash on being foreign in China (13:07)…

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

12d 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

13d 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
Spectator Out Loud: Ian Williams, Philip Patrick, Guy Stagg, Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Mark Mason and Catriona Olding 36:50

14d 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

14d 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

15d 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

16d 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

17d 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

18d 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

19d 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

20d 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

21d 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

22d 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

23d 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
Bitcoin = Home: The Mortgage Revolution No One Saw Coming with Josip Rupena of Milo 23:44

23d ago23:44

23:44

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d say: you can buy a house with your Bitcoin — without ever selling it. That’s the financial revolution Josip Rupena is building. He’s the founder and CEO of Milo, the fintech startup that’s already issued over $60 million in crypto mortgages — loans backed by your Bitcoin, not your bank account. And here’s the k…

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

24d 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

24d 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

25d 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

25d 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
Crypto, AI Agents, and the Future of Decentralized Infrastructure with Chris “Jinx” Jenkins 17:32

25d ago17:32

17:32

My buddy Chris Jenkins just got back from ETHDenver, and he’s buzzing about the convergence of crypto and AI. He’s the head of operations at the Pocket Network Foundation, and right now, they’re gearing up for their biggest protocol upgrade ever: Shannon. What they’re doing is wild — opening up full permissionless access to decentralized data, from…

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

26d 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

27d 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
Spectator Out Loud: Paul Wood, Katy Balls, Olivia Potts, Benedict Allen, Cosmo Landesman and Aidan Hartley 40:06

28d 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
Silk Road to Satoshi: Digging Up Bitcoin’s Buried Past with Pete Rizzo 45:03

29d ago45:03

45:03

Pete Rizzo Thinks We're Losing Bitcoin's History. I'm Helping Him Fix That. Pete Rizzo’s been called Bitcoin’s historian — and after this conversation, you’ll understand why. He’s spent the past few years diving deep into the stories, people, and drama that built Bitcoin from nothing into a global force. We talk about that work — the threads, the a…

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

29d 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
Computer Arbitrage, Inefficient Markets, Tariffs, and Monetizing Stranded Energy with Sopris Capital’s Head of Special Situations Dan Wedman 24:33

30d ago24:33

24:33

Welcome back, everyone! I sat down with my new friend Daniel Wedman, the head of special situations at Sopris Capital. We delved into a variety of topics, focusing on the dynamic world of Bitcoin and crypto investments, and the evolving landscape of capital markets. Daniel's Career Journey Daniel shared his fascinating career trajectory, starting f…

1
Book Club: Philippe Sands 57:48

30d 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

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

1M 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…

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Ian Sands Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen