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Alas Vine & Hitchens

Alas Vine & Hitchens

83 episodes — Page 1 of 2

AI’s Evolution and Has Alastair Campbell Seen The Light?

Sep 14, 202642 min

Vive de Gaulle and Russia and Germany’s Hybrid War

Sep 7, 202638 min

Lime Bikes and the Idiot Box

Aug 31, 202635 min

Harry’s Game and History Repeating

Aug 24, 202641 min

Jason Arday and the Rise and Fall of Farage

Aug 17, 202636 min

The Plight of Graham Phillips and Cinematic Snafus

Aug 11, 202638 min

A Listener Writes…

Aug 3, 202647 min

Disintegrating Donald and is AI Coming for Us All?

Jul 27, 202642 min

Burnham Begins and the Swinging Seventies

Jul 20, 202647 min

The Fall of Farage and Gin and Toast

Jul 13, 202632 min

Iran Impasse and Living On an Island

Jul 6, 202644 min

The Price of Education and Harry’s Game

Jun 29, 202648 min

Kier Curtailed and A Voyage Round My Father

Jun 22, 202641 min

Banned Books and Past-It Politicians

Jun 15, 202629 min

An Iron Dome for the UK and Allaying the Blame

Jun 10, 202635 min

Abolish the Police and Return of the Blair Creature

Jun 3, 202644 min

Crime And (No) Punishment and Phew! What a Scorcher!

May 27, 202645 min

Prawn Again, Bombs and Displaced People

May 20, 202633 min

Voting for Beginners and the End of the PM

May 13, 202640 min

2000 Days of Lucy Letby and the Badenoch Bounce

May 6, 202632 min

The Recurring Assassin and Falkland Sovereignty

Apr 29, 202642 min

Risible Renters’ Act and Disguised Privilege

Apr 22, 202640 min

The Madness of King Donald

Apr 15, 202648 min

S1 Ep 59Driverless Cars and Unused Trains

On this week’s episode, Sarah’s wondering if it really is a good idea to introduce driverless cars to London’s streets, and sticking with transport, Peter would like to know why a new 40-mile train line, and brand spanking new station, are yet to see one single passenger train.And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to talk about Crispin Blunt’s assertion that he should have been acquitted over his use of controlled substances as charges for drugs should not exist at all. The best Adam Curtis' documentaries to watch and which four people from history that Peter would like to sit in total silence with.On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Trauma Zone - Dir: Adam Curtis·      Station: A journey through 20th and 21st century railway architecture and design – Christopher Beanland ·      Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car—And How it Will Reshape Our World - Lawrence D. Burns & Christopher ShulganPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 8, 202631 min

S1 Ep 58The King’s State Visit and Visibility Day

On this week’s episode, Peter will be asking why the King and Queen have decided to go visit Donald Trump at the White House after his series of insults aimed at our country. And Sarah is asking do we really need a visibility day? And why are there so many of them?And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to talk about the role of Christianity and why this modern version might be waning. The allure of ghost stories, the less appealing driverless cars, and the state of modern Italian TV. Bellissimo!On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Ghost Stories of an Antiquary – M.R. James·      The Great God Pan – Arthur Machen·      Gomorrah - Dir: Matteo Garrone·      The Wizard of The Kremlin - Giuliano da EmpoliPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 1, 202638 min

S1 Ep 57Burning Down of the BBC and Illegal Assassins

On this week’s episode, Peter would like to know why we suddenly think it’s okay to assassinate people again and Sarah is asking why would anyone want to clasp the poisoned chalice that is DG of the BBC? And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to talk about the unblinking horror of war, the justice system and Lucy Letby and dead guests at dinner parties (don’t hold your breath waiting on an invitation from Peter, no-one’s getting in his house).On our reading and watch list this week: ·      A Variety of Lives: Biography of Sir Hugh Greene - Michael Tracey·      Rogue Male - Geoffrey Household·      Black Lamb and Grey Falcon - Rebecca West·      Orderly and Humane: The Expulsion of the Germans After the Second World War – R.M. Douglas ·      A Woman In Berlin – Marta HillersPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 25, 202635 min

S1 Ep 56British Bombs and Student Bodies

On this week’s episode, Peter’s getting behind Ed Davey’s call for an independent British nuclear bomb. And Sarah wants to know why some university students don’t want to share accommodation with their Jewish counterparts. And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to talk foreign plug sockets – electricity may or may not be green in communist countries, it’s not an exact science – the scourge of sourdough and the demise of the classic loaf, acts of faith and Peter’s quickfire quiz! On our reading and watch list this week: ·               The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri·               Zoolander – Dir: Ben Stiller·               The Power Game: How Washington Works – Hedrik Smith·               The Epistle of JamesPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 18, 202654 min

S1 Ep 55Labour’s Thought Police and the Case for Capital Punishment

On this week’s episode, Sarah wonders if Labour’s plans to change the definition of Islamophobia is actually a threat to free speech? And, in light of Ian Huntley’s death, Peter would like to ask whether the death penalty might be better than unofficial execution by another criminal? And the pair pore over our mailbag to mull over the case for paying MPs more (there’s no accord there), who’s to blame for The Irish Potato Famine? Who would call a military operation 'Epic fury'? And we return to the perennial subject of Peter’s borrowed leather biker jacket.On our reading and watch list this week: ·               Beyond Evil - Inside the Twisted Mind of Ian Huntley – Nathan Yates·               Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design – Rin Tanaka·               Escape From New York – Dir: John CarpenterPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 11, 202638 min

S1 Ep 54Terror in Tehran: The End of an Era

On this week’s episode, Sarah, and Peter clash over what the future of Iran should be after the extraordinary aerial assault by the US and Israel has plunged the territory in to war. And, on a much lighter note, the pair discuss tribal loyalties in contemporary politics, what do we think of our Australian countries and in motorcycle news (we have some!), why the cost of a motorbike might be boosting the popularity of the e-bike and why Peter should invest in a Honda Valkyrie when he reaches eighty and gets back on a bike.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      A Hymn to Life: The Secret War with Iran: The 30-year Covert Struggle for Control of a Rogue State Paperback – Ronen Bergman·      Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House - Michael Wolff·      Easy Rider – Dir: Dennis Hopper Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 4, 202637 min

S1 Ep 53Gisele Pelicot and Performative Policing

On this week’s episode, Sarah is asking if the horrendous case of Gisele Pelicot is more than just an isolated incident and Peter wants to know why our boys in blue have settled on performative policing. Plus, why has it taken Sarah over a year to realise she’s been wearing her contact lenses in the wrong eyes? The parlous state of children’s fiction in the modern age and why Peter will be getting a motorbike (and leather biker jacket) as soon as he reaches eighty. On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               A Hymn to Life: Shame Has To Change Sides - Gisele Pelicot·               Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell·               The Bonfire Of The Vanities – Tom Wolfe·               Never Trust Dragons – Sheila K. McCullagh Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 25, 202634 min

S1 Ep 52End E-Bikes and Anti-Vaxxers

On this week’s episode, Peter will be asking when new legislation to curb the plague of e-bikes on our streets will finally come into effect. And Sarah wants to know why parents are opting NOT to vaccinate their children against measles. Plus, how being bullied in school can change you for ever. Football and flag flying, something neither of our presenters can really get behind. The right to bear arms in the UK, or maybe not. And the joys of driving a steam train, sadly, this is not yet Peter’s story.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               Heathers – Dir: Michael Lehmann·               The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle·               A Brief History Of Crime - Peter Hitchens·               Clueless – Dir: Amy Heckerling Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 18, 202644 min

S1 Ep 51The UK’s Risible Reading Age and Bloody Books

On this week’s episode, Sarah is asking is the English literature curriculum really being dumbed down or are we simply not reading as a country anymore or simply shifting our allegiance to audiobooks? And Peter, as if to prove otherwise, will be bandying a copy of Lord of the Flies around and poring over the latest BBC adaptation. Plus, why was Stephen Fry stalking Peter at a memorial for his late brother? Why we should eat even if the Queen has done with her meal, royal protocol be damned! Why neither wants a coat of arms, divorce etiquette and why the Suez Crisis reminds Peter of his father getting on his bike.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster·               Lord Of The Flies – William Golding·               A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess·               The Box Of Delights - John Masefield·               Our Man in Havana – Graham Greene·               Heart Of Darkness – Joseph ConradPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 11, 202642 min

S1 Ep 50Ducking KGB Bullets and Inside the Epstein Files

On this week’s episode Peter will be going back 35 years to a moment in time where he stood and watched the KGB murdering people in Vilnius. And I’ll be asking why did Sarah Ferguson take her children to see Jeffrey Epstein just days after he was released from prison? Plus, we find out the truth about magnetised train tracks (all lies!), why both 1976 and 1979 are vying for the best of all possible years for two of our listeners, the rise of the extreme right wing and the night the Queen wore rhinestone. On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh ·               Eyeless in Gaza – Aldous Huxley·               Hamlet – William Shakespeare·               Short Breaks In Mordor – Peter Hitchens Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 4, 202659 min

S1 Ep 49Pitiful Policing and Ballroom Beckham

On this week’s episode, Sarah is asking what can Brooklyn Beckham possibly mean when he accuses his mother of dancing ‘on him’ at his wedding? Both Sarah and Peter have a few wedding horror stories of their own to share too. Also, Peter wants to know if proposed mega police forces will just mean more constabulary cockups? His guess is yes.Plus, what do the pair make of the new ‘super’ Chinese Embassy in London? Was Peter really in a secret MI5 file? Annoying train announcements and remembering Tony Benn.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               A Small Town In Germany – John Le Carre·               Tony Benn: A Biography - Jad Adams·               The House of Beckham: Money, Sex and Power - Tom Bower Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Alex GrahamProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 28, 202632 min

S1 Ep 48Team America and Ten Years After

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah are asking what were you doing ten years and why is social media suddenly transfixed by 2016? And why has America decided to turn into the world’s bully? Plus, why is Australia’s economy at such a low ebb? What the hell’s happened to civility? Why does Sarah’s fridge keep shouting at her? And when it comes to transporting coal, what’s better, the canal barge or railway track? You can guess which side Peter landed on…On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               North By Northwest – Dir: Alfred Hitchcock·               Going South: Why Britain will have a Third World Economy by 2014 – L. Elliott & D. Atkinson·               Brothel In Pimlico – Roy Brooks Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Alex GrahamProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 21, 202639 min

S1 Ep 47Kissing Cousins and an Iranian Uprising

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah Welcome are asking why is Sir Kier Starmer choosing not to condemn marriage between first cousins in some cultures? And what it might take for the Iranian people to be heard as civil unrest and revolution spread throughout the country?  Plus, why America is ruining the English language, the idea that Russia is a military world power is complete piffle, Trump’s Golden Fleet, Heated Rivalry (no, really) and the food that neither Peter or Sarah will eat. On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               Rules For Radicals – Saul Alinsky·               The White Cliffs - Alice Duer Miller·               Dictionary Of Modern American Usage – Bryan A. GarnerPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Alex GrahamProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 14, 202641 min

S1 Ep 46Why Are We Firing Up the UK’s War Machine?

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah look to the year ahead, as Peter wonders why this nation’s leaders and heads of the armed forces are rattling their sabres as they attempt to put the country on a war footing. Plus, our duo on Conservatism (just what is it?) Christianity, the legacy of John Smith MP, the superiority of Japanese trains - any trains in comparison to our dilapidated ted rail network, and Custard Creams; all the colours of the rainbow.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·               The Phoney Victory – Peter Hitchens·               Winnie -The-Pooh – A. A. Milne·               John Smith: Life and Soul of the Party - Gordon Brown & James Naughtie·               Tokyo Express - Seicho Matsumoto Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 7, 202638 min

S1 Ep 45An American Powerplay and the Freedom of the Press

On this week’s episode, Peter is poring over the latest US national security strategy and being rather surprised by what he finds there. While Sarah is looking at why some people are calling for a resumption of the cancelled Lord Leveson Inquiry and therefore suggesting we blinker the free press.  Plus, our duo on the Arkansas Razorbacks (again), the legacy of Roy Jenkins, what happened to independent newspapers in Kazakhstan and what it feels like to move your family across the Atlantic Ocean.On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Dangerous estate: The anatomy of newspapers – Francis Williams·      Roy Jenkins: A Well-Rounded Life - John Campbell·      The Godfather-in-law: the Real Documentation – Rakhat Aliyev  Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 17, 202538 min

S1 Ep 44Tony Blair Trotskyist and Stop Stupid Smartphones

On this week’s episode, Peter wonders if it ever matters that Kier Starmer and Tony Blair were once Trotskyists? As well as addressing some recent, stinging criticism from a fellow Mail columnist… And Sarah ruminates on the Australian government’s ban on social media for children, and asks is it enough, or should we just wrestle the smartphones from their hands completely? Plus, our duo on the best custard creams money can buy, where they’d settle if they were still young and free and what exactly is left of the BBC’s monopoly. On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      French Connection II – Dir: John Frankenheimer·      The Well-Dressed Revolutionary: The Odyssey of Michel Pablo – Hall Greenland·      The Cameron Delusion – Peter Hitchens  Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 10, 202538 min

S1 Ep 43Loss of Hair, Life and Liberty

On this week’s episode, Sarah Vine addresses her thinning pate and loss of hair that has plagued her most of her adult life and why she’s now finally decided to cast her wig aside! Meanwhile, Peter looks at the incredible story of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, the woman held hostage by the same Iranian forces who took his friend prisoner too. Plus, Peter and Sarah ruminate on dual nationalities, Sarah’s Spotify wrap thinking she’s aged 75, if identity politics has damaged progress for the working class and, remarkably, the listener who suggest that Peter puts him in mind of Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun. Well, he is a maverick in some ways.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      Top Gun – Dir: Tony Scott·      Top Gun: Maverick – Dir: Joseph Kosinski ·      Breaking the Silence on Women's Hair Loss: A Proactive Guide to Finding Help – Candace Hoffman·      Prisoner 951 – Dir: Philippa Lowthorpe Please do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 5, 202531 min

S1 Ep 42An Audience with Vine & Hitchens at St Peter’s College, Oxford

On this week’s episode, Sarah and Peter travel to St Peter's College, Oxford, where Peter ruminates on an increasingly unlikely peace deal in Ukraine, and Sarah begins by asking why Christmas starts earlier each year before regaling the student audience with tales of Christmas past more woeful that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Plus, Peter and Sarah take on all comers, and each other, with questions from the floor including the evolution of women’s role in the workplace (which goes off like a cheap firework), what they both really think of President Donald Trump and Peter’s Moscow goose (it’s not a cocktail). On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      In The Wet – Nevil Shute·      When Women Lead – Julia Boorstin·      Moscow Christmas: A Diary. December 1966 – Peter Pears, Benjamin Britten·      Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn WaughPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 3, 202552 min

S1 Ep 41Puberty Blockers, Save Our Juries and Tea with the DG

On this week’s episode, Sarah and Peter are asking why new trials for puberty blocking drugs in children have been announced after a government decided to ban it last year? And they’d really like to know why David Lammy would like to take our juries away from certain cases after once tweeting that the jury was the one of the pillars of our judicial system.  Plus, which countries did Covid well? Why did the former BBC DG go around Sarah’s house once to ask about the future of the corporation and then totally ignore her advice? And would either consider turning vegetarian? You can probably guess the answer to that one.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      12 Angry Men – Dir: Sidney Lumet·      Rumpole Of The Bailey – John Mortimer·      The Abolition Of Liberty – Peter Hitchens·      A Man For All Seasons – Fred ZinnemannPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected] you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 26, 202539 min

S1 Ep 40Piggy, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and the late Leon Trotsky

On this week’s episode, Peter, once described as ‘godless Trotskyist’ by The Guardian, will be ruminating on the legacy of one Leon Trotsky while Sarah will be asking if it’s ever okay to call someone piggy, no matter if you are the leader of the free world or a so-called alternative comedian with a national newspaper column. Plus, debating Ann Coulter, Welsh authors you must read and why Peter’s literary avatar is Mr Badger while Sarah leans more towards Alice drifting through Wonderland.On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      The Man Who Loved Dogs - Leonardo Padura·      Bronshtein in the Bronx - Robert Littell·      The Revolution Betrayed – Leon Trotsky·      The Great God Pan – Arthur Machen·      The Devil Rides Out – Dennis Wheatley·      Mr Burton – Dir: Marc EvansPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.  Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  To get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 19, 202539 min

S1 Ep 39Cancel Culture and Something Rotten at the BBC

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah ask why crazed ideologies seem to have taken root at the heart of both the BBC and the publishing world as we examine the corporation’s latest missteps and the scandalous case of author Kate Clanchy’s cancellation.  Plus, being berated on social media over shots of your bookshelf, trying to take the train to Glasgow on a Sunday (a schoolgirl error) and why novels need more vivid descriptions of food and drink. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me – Kate Clanchy·      The War Game – Dir: Peter Watkins·      Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime 1919-1924 – Richard Pipes·      The Death Of Faith – Donna LeonPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 12, 202549 min

S1 Ep 38(Prince) Andrew, Useless Architects and Awful Airport Security

On this week’s episode, Peter wants to know if the government really going to strip Andrew of his Falkland campaign medals and, in the light of this week’s attack, Sarah will be asking what kind of security do our transport systems need to make us feel safe?Plus, don’t get them started on parking permit portals, underwired bras, and the awfulness of some architects, but do ask them what historical biographies you should read. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Elysium – Dir: Neill Blomkamp·      The Deluge – Adam Tooze·      All The King’s Men – Robert Penn Warren·      Young Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore·      Scum Of The Earth - Arthur KoestlePlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 5, 202542 min

S1 Ep 37The Hopeless Home Office and A Cosmic Car Crash

On this week’s episode, Peter will be asking why Britain’s infrastructure is so very awful and why are we concreting over so much over the countryside and then sticking ugly new buildings all over it. While Sarah is dumbfounded by the fact that the Home Office costs £23billion and spends it time blundering from one debacle to another.Plus, Sarah reveals what ministers really fight over. And the pair really can’t find any common ground when it comes to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Pink Floyd – The Wall (Dir: Alan Parker)·      Peter Hitchens - The Rage Against God·      Christian Wolmar - On the Wrong Line: How Ideology and Incompetence Wrecked Britain's Railways·      Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Micah ClarkePlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 29, 202540 min

S1 Ep 36The Covid Legacy and Now Is Not The Time

On this week’s episode, Peter is rejoicing in the news that the clocks revert to true time on Sunday, whatever that might mean, and Sarah is asking why the hell we closed down schools during the Covid 19 pandemic and what long-term damage it’s done to our kids.Plus, why does Sarah think politics in its current form is beyond saving, and why her dad had many, many accents. While Peter wonders if we’re seeing the monarchy’s endgame. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      P.G. Wodehouse – Big Money·      Peter Hitchens – Now Is Not The Time·      Edmund Burke – The Evils Of RevolutionPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Philip WildingProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 22, 202542 min

S1 Ep 35The End of Prince Andrew and What Did Thatcher Ever Do for Us?

On this week’s episode, on what would have been Margaret Thatcher’s hundredth birthday, Peter and Sarah tussle over the former PM’s legacy, charisma and what she did or did not do for this country. Elsewhere, Sarah asks why should King Charles solve the problem that is Prince Andrew when the King’s brother should admit he’s a liability and retire from the public eye? Plus, where do our hosts like to holiday (Peter is not a beach bum for those who were curious)? What was Peter doing with the paparazzi staring at Princess Di? And why we should think long and hard about the repeal of the Corn Laws.On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Donna Leon – Death at La Fenice·      Don’t Look Now – Director: Nicolas Roeg·      Robert Browning – A Toccata of Galuppi’s  ·      Not for Turning, and Everything She Wants - Charles MoorePlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 15, 202545 min

S1 Ep 34Singing Bob Dylan on a Steep Hill and Health & Safety Gone Mad

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah ask why parks shit down at the first sign of inclement weather? Why do under twenty-five-year-olds feel the need to rail against something, but not bother to read up on it first (we’ve all been there)? Elsewhere, Peter recalls chasing a bicycle thief while hitting him about the head with a bag of dirty laundry. Not to be outdone, Sarah admits to punching her brother in the face with her car keys, which should teach them both something about bringing up politics at a restaurant table. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Anshel Pfeffer - Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu·      E.H. Gombrich - A Little History of the World·      Roy Strong – The Story Of Britain·      Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall - Our Island Story: A History of Britain for Boys and Girls from the Romans to Queen VictoriaPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 8, 202538 min

S1 Ep 33Digital IDs, Dinosaurs and Class A Drugs

On this week’s episode, Peter and Sarah debate the idea of Digital ID cards, wonder at the minutiae we’re obsessed with as a nation, also, what did Sarah make of Michael Gove’s admission of his drug taking past? And sticking with history, where would our intrepid pair travel to if they could go anywhere in time and what one artifact or memento would they bring back with them? On our reading and watch list this week: ·      The Lost World – Arthur Conan Doyle·      Sneakers – Director: Phil Alden Robinson·      Time Of Hope – C.P. Snow·      The Cameron Delusion – Peter HitchensPlease do get in touch, email: [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas’.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Alex GrahamProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously PopularTo get in touch email [email protected], you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas'Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Phillip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 1, 202543 min