Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, author and critic Philip Hensher, and comedian and co-host if the Triggernometry podcast Frances Foster.
This week: are good teachers under siege? The panel discuss Michael Gove’s cover story on the education establishment, from collapsing classroom discipline to the ‘pathetically low ambition’ of those training Britain’s teachers.
Also: have accusations of bullying become a weapon against demanding ministers? Michael Simmons comes to the defence of his former teacher, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, while Philip asks whether the real problem is that civil servants are simply too difficult to sack.
Plus: Harry and Meghan are back in Britain. Has the public’s fascination with the Sussexes ever really gone away – and do they deserve a chance at redemption?
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Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons, author and critic Philip Hensher, and comedian and co-host if the Triggernometry podcast Frances Foster.
This week: are good teachers under siege? The panel discuss Michael Gove’s cover story on the education establishment, from collapsing classroom discipline to the ‘pathetically low ambition’ of those training Britain’s teachers.
Also: have accusations of bullying become a weapon against demanding ministers? Michael Simmons comes to the defence of his former teacher, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, while Philip asks whether the real problem is that civil servants are simply too difficult to sack.
Plus: Harry and Meghan are back in Britain. Has the public’s fascination with the Sussexes ever really gone away – and do they deserve a chance at redemption?
// SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPECTATOR
Get 12 issues for £12, plus a free £20 John Lewis/Waitrose voucher
spectator.co.uk/tvoffer
// FREE PODCASTS FROM THE SPECTATOR
Hear more from The Spectator's journalists on their podcasts, covering everything from the politics of the UK, US and China, to religion, literature, lifestyle and more.
spectator.co.uk/podcasts
// FOLLOW US
twitter.com/spectator
facebook.com/OfficialSpectator
linkedin.com/company/the-spectator
instagram.com/spectator1828
tiktok.com/@thespectatormagazine
