Best of the Spectator

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by The Times columnist James Marriott, whose new book is The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-literate Society.
Are we witnessing the end of the reading age? James explains why literacy has shaped not just our culture but the way we think – and why its decline could have profound consequences for politics, democracy and public life. They discuss how television, TikTok and short-form video have transformed our attention spans, whether AI will further erode the status of writing, and why the readers of the future may become a new cognitive elite.

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Kemi Badenoch has kicked off the new political term with a major reshuffle of her top team. Michael and Maddie ask what the changes tell us about the direction of the Conservative party, whether Andrew Griffith can sharpen its economic offer – and whether Badenoch is already preparing for an early election.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham returns to the Commons after a relatively comfortable summer. Has the Prime Minister been governing on ‘easy mode’ so far, and is his brand of politics simply the ‘cheesy side of Blairism’ without the substance?

Also: ahead of Reform’s party conference, is Nigel Farage building a credible government-in-waiting – or is the party still fighting a battle for its soul?

Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson.

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Gus Carter is joined by Owen Matthews, the Spectator's Russia writer, to discuss John Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Moscow, where the CIA director met Russia's foreign intelligence chief but not Putin.

Owen runs through the possible reasons: Iran, a suspected Russian provocation against NATO, and the stalled peace process. They also discuss the sabotage campaign across Europe and the sanctions bill that could hurt Russia more than anything Trump has tried.

Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monetary-Metals.com/Americano

Produced by Henry Lloyd.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Simon Sebag Montefiore explains how his ancestor dealt with antisemitism; Vanessa Feltz says she is coming for Piers Morgan; Sophia Money-Coutts argues we should cut the price of stamps to save the Christmas card; and finally, Angus Colwell takes on the Cornish culinary mafia.

Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

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Why are young women suddenly fascinated by nuns? From ‘nun girl summer’ on TikTok to a wider ‘quiet revival’ of Christianity among Generation Z, the religious life appears to be enjoying an unexpected cultural moment. But is the attraction genuinely spiritual – or are young women simply drawn to the aesthetics, certainty and tranquillity of convent life?

This week on Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson is joined by the Spectator's US assistant editor Margaret Mitchell and the Daily Mail’s Mimi Yates to discuss the unlikely appeal of nuns to Gen Z. They explore the joy and ‘slow living’ of convent life, the exhaustion of the attention economy and whether retreating into an all-female religious community offers an escape from modern dating and the 'manosphere'. Are young people merely borrowing the Catholic aesthetic or is there something deeper behind this trend?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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