Best William F Thomas Podcasts (2025)

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Holy Smoke: it’s time for Pope Leo XIV to make some tough decisions 12:50

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8h ago12:50

12:50

Nearly everyone loves Robert Prevost, the unassuming baseball fan from Chicago who unexpectedly became Pope Leo XIV this year. But as he prepares to spend his summer in Castel Gandolfo he has some difficult decisions to make. Is he prepared to clear up all the doctrinal confusion created by his predecessor Pope Francis? And will he allow liberal bi…

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Table Talk: Thomasina Miers, co-founder of Wahaca 17:54

12h ago17:54

17:54

Thomasina Miers is a chef, writer and restaurateur who co-founded Wahaca – the award-winning restaurant group that brought bold, sustainable Mexican street food to the UK. Her new book, Mexican Table, is out in August. On the podcast, Thomasina tells Lara about early memories of stirring onion with her mother, why she moved her family across the wo…

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Coffee House Shots: does Starmer still want to be PM? 12:41

1d ago12:41

12:41

There have been a number of navel-gazing interviews with the Prime Minister over the weekend. Across thousands and thousands of words, he seems to be saying – if you read between the lines – that he doesn’t particularly enjoy being PM. In better news, Labour seems to have quelled the welfare rebellion. Liz Kendall is making a statement in the Commo…

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NEW: Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers 41:00

1d ago41:00

41:00

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Caroline Fraser joins "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss her new book "Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers." The work explores the provocative premise that environmental toxins may have led men living in the Pacific Northwest to become serial killers. Could a…

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BONUS: Silent Witness: Ashley Spence and DNA Justice Project 40:06

3d ago40:06

40:06

Author and advocate Ashley Spence joins "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss her new book "Silent Witness: How DNA Uncovered the Truth and Empowered My Healing." Ashley, a sexual assault survivor herself, founded the DNA Justice Project to advocate how forensic DNA can change lives, transform justice and prevent cri…

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Coffee House Shots: Steve Baker on how to organise a successful rebellion 24:28

4d ago24:28

24:28

As Labour rebels appear to have forced concessions from Keir Starmer over welfare this week, former Conservative MP Steve Baker joins James Heale to reflect on his own time as a rebel, and to provide some advice to Labour MPs. Steve, an MP for 14 years and a minister under Theresa May, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, tells James about the different rebe…

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Spectator Out Loud: Peter Frankopan, Tim Shipman, Francis Pike, Hermione Eyre and George Young 42:08

4d ago42:08

42:08

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Peter Frankopan argues that Israel’s attack on Iran has been planned for years (2:00); just how bad are things for Kemi Badenoch, asks Tim Shipman (13:34); Francis Pike says there are plenty of reasons to believe in ghosts (21:49); Hermione Eyre, wife of Alex Burghart MP, reviews Sarah Vine’s book How Not To Be a …

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Americano: how did Zohran Mamdani win? 23:52

5d ago23:52

23:52

Against all odds, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman and proud 'Muslim democratic socialist' won as as the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. Aidan McLaughlin wrote about this for Spectator World. On this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks to Aidan about how Mamdani defeated the favourite Andrew Cuomo, whether his succ…

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The Edition: war and peace, why restaurants are going halal & the great brown furniture transfer 42:04

6d ago42:04

42:04

This week: war and peace Despite initial concerns, the ‘Complete and Total CEASEFIRE’ – according to Donald Trump – appears to be holding. Tom Gross writes this week’s cover piece and argues that a weakened Iran offers hope for the whole Middle East. But how? He joined the podcast to discuss further, alongside Gregg Carlstrom, the Economist’s Middl…

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The Book Club: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe 44:03

7d ago44:03

44:03

My guest on this week’s Book Club podcast is science writer Carl Zimmer, whose new book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe explores the invisible world of the aerobiome – the trillions of microbes and particles we inhale every day. He tells me how Louis Pasteur's glacier experiments kicked off a forgotten scientific journey; how C…

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Coffee House Shots: 'what the f***' is going on in Iran? 13:26

7d ago13:26

13:26

It is rare to see the President so visibly frustrated (see The Apprentice, circa 2004), but after Iran and Israel seemingly ignored his ceasefire announcement – and his plea on Truth Social, ‘PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!’ – Donald Trump has come down hard on both sides. In a clip taken this afternoon he exclaimed: ‘These are countries who have been fi…

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NEW: Junk Science and the American Justice System 46:18

8d ago46:18

46:18

"Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley are joined by Chris Fabricant of the Innocence Project to discuss his new edition of his book, "Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System." Chris describes the shocking story of how discredited scientific forensics have been used in thousands of wrongful convictions across the Unit…

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Holy Smoke: why are young Christians returning to tradition? 41:18

10d ago41:18

41:18

Today’s Holy Smoke is a curtain-raiser for ‘Recovering the Sacred’, a Spectator event at St Bartholow-the-Great in the City of London in which a panel of experts will explore the rediscovery of traditional worship and theology by young Anglicans and Catholics. The event will be held on Tuesday 8th July; for more details, and to book tickets, go to:…

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Coffee House Shots: Jeremy Hunt on Trump, Budgets and Welsh whisky 17:24

11d ago17:24

17:24

On this week’s special Saturday edition of Coffee House Shots, James Heale sits down with Jeremy Hunt to discuss his new book, Can We Be Great Again?. The former chancellor and foreign secretary argues that Britain remains one of the world’s most influential nations – but is in danger of losing its nerve. He reflects on working in the Foreign Offic…

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The Edition: Starmer at sea, Iran on the brink & the importance of shame 45:57

12d ago45:57

45:57

Starmer’s war zone: the Prime Minister’s perilous position This week, our new political editor Tim Shipman takes the helm and, in his cover piece, examines how Keir Starmer can no longer find political refuge in foreign affairs. After a period of globe-trotting in which the Prime Minister was dubbed ‘never-here Keir’, Starmer’s handling of internat…

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BONUS: The Sinners All Bow with Kate Winkler Dawson 49:29

12d ago49:29

49:29

Author and podcaster Kate Winkler Dawson joins "Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss her new book, "The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder and the Real Hester Prynne." We also touch on "Buried Bones," her historical true crime podcast with investigator Paul Holes. This bonus episode of "Mind Over Murder" originall…

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The Book Club: William Dalrymple 49:01

14d 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.…

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Table Talk: Nadine Dorries 15:08

15d 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…

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

15d 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 …

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NEW: The D B Cooper Vortex (Part 4) 37:42

15d ago37:42

37:42

"Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley discuss the mysterious case of D B Cooper with Darren Schaefer, the host of "The Cooper Vortex" podcast. Dan "DB" Cooper, who successfully hijacked a Northwest Airlines passenger jet and parachuted into the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest. He was never caught, although a small amount of …

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

17d 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 …

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

18d 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…

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BONUS: L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood 42:30

18d ago42:30

42:30

Join "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley as they meet award winning author and historian Anne Soon Choi to discuss her new book "L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood," which tells the story of one of America's most prominent medical examiners. Dr. Noguchi's outstanding and sometimes controversial work earned hi…

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

19d 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…

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

20d 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…

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The Book Club: Lucy Mangan 34:02

21d 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.…

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Holy Smoke: a Jewish guide to arguing 51:50

21d 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…

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

22d 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 …

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NEW: The D B Cooper Vortex (Part 3) 41:54

23d ago41:54

41:54

"Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley discuss the mysterious case of D B Cooper with Darren Schaefer, the host of "The Cooper Vortex" podcast. Dan "DB" Cooper, who successfully hijacked a Northwest Airlines passenger jet and parachuted into the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest. He was never caught, although a small amount of …

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

24d 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…

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

25d 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…

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

25d 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 …

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BONUS: Shaken Baby Syndrome: Controversial Diagnosis May Be Wrong 56:02

25d ago56:02

56:02

Join "Mind Over Murder" podcast hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley as we discuss the New York Times Magazine article by Pamela Colloff: "He Dialed 911 to Save His Baby. Then His Children Were Taken Away. The controversial medical diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome can send parents to jail. What if the symptoms are caused by something else?" This b…

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

25d 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…

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

26d 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…

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The Book Club: Alice Loxton 37:09

28d 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…

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Table Talk: Jun Tanaka 22:25

29d 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,…

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NEW: Skyjacked with D B Cooper (Part 2) 29:33

30d ago29:33

29:33

"Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley discuss the mysterious case of D B Cooper, who successfully hijacked a Northwest Airlines passenger jet and parachuted into the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest. He was never caught, although a small amount of the $200,000 ransom was later recovered. This is Part 2 of 4 parts on the Dan "…

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Americano: America's white guilt hangover 35:43

30d 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?

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Holy Smoke: is God an Englishman? 31:52

1M 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…

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

1M 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…

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

1M 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’…

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

1M 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…

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BONUS: McMillions: The Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History 53:14

1M ago53:14

53:14

James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, writer/producers of "McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How and Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History" join "Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley for a great discussion of their true crime series, book and podcasts. This bonus episode of…

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Americano: what does Sam Altman want? 28:05

1M 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.

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Book Club: Robert Macfarlane 40:41

1M 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…

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

1M 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…

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NEW: Skyjacked with D B Cooper (Part 1) 47:00

1M ago47:00

47:00

"Mind Over Murder" hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley discuss the mysterious case of D B Cooper, who successfully hijacked a Northwest Airlines passenger jet and parachuted into the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest. He was never caught, although a small amount of the $200,000 ransom was later recovered. This is Part 1 of 3 parts on the Dan "…

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

1M 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…

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

1M 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…