Best Matthew Byrne Podcasts (2025)

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

3h 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

6h 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

1d 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

1d 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

2d 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
Chris Curtis, Alex Wilson, Naomi Smith & Angela Epstein 52:28

4d ago52:28

52:28

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Chris Curtis, Reform UK London Assembly member Alex Wilson, Naomi Smith from the campaign group Best for Britain and commentator Angela Epstein.By LBC

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

3d 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio…

1
Book Club: Robert Macfarlane 40:41

3d 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
David Aaronovitch, Lucy Frazer, Oli Dugmore & Emma Sinclair 54:22

5d ago54:22

54:22

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are broadcaster David Aaronovitch, former Conservative culture secretary Lucy Frazer, journalist Oli Dugmore and entrepreneur Emma Sinclair.By LBC

1
Not All Leads Are Equal: The KPI You’re Missing with Francois Fournier from DTN 31:15

5d ago31:15

31:15

What if your best event ROI isn’t in the lead list, but in a breakfast conversation? Event leaders today face an overwhelming challenge: prove event value, defend the budget, and deliver real business impact, all while expectations rise and resources shrink. If you’re still measuring success by foot traffic or lead scans, this episode will change t…

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

4d 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

5d 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

7d 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

8d 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

7d 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

9d 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

10d 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
Dorothy Byrne, Saqib Bhatti, Steve Race & Jamila Robertson 53:29

11d ago53:29

53:29

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Channel 4 News boss Dorothy Byrne, shadow culture minister and Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti, Labour MP Steve Race and City AM columnist Jamila Robertson.By LBC

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

11d 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

11d 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

11d 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
Stephen Flynn, Dr Luke Evans, Rachel Cunliffe & Charlie Downes 53:50

12d ago53:50

53:50

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, shadow health minister and Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, Rachel Cunliffe from the New Statesman and political commentator Charlie Downes.By LBC

1
From WOW to ROI: How To Create Events That Mean Business with Isabelle Camp 36:19

12d ago36:19

36:19

In this episode of Production Value Matters, host Matthew Byrne is joined by Isabelle Camp, Global Head of Events at Cohere, to break down what it really takes to design events that deliver measurable business impact. From strategic planning to post-event automation, Isabelle shares the systems, team alignment strategies, and data practices that tr…

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

12d 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
Mark Ferguson, Richard Holden, Victoria Collins & Matthew Syed 54:11

13d ago54:11

54:11

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Mark Ferguson, Conservative MP and shadow paymaster general Richard Holden, Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins and Times columnist Matthew Syed.By LBC

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

13d 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…

23d 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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Matthew Byrne Podcasts

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