“PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY” podcast is all about Peter’s cultural preoccupations which range from how political Culture Wars are waged, to the reputational currency of clever celebrities, to the best sources of suede loafers in St James’s. He’ll be hosting people he admires and people he wants to argue with and people who like to natter about the correct placement of buttons.
Peter York is the author of “Dead Cat – Culture Wars and how not to lose them.” However, his influence extends back to the 1970s, where he pioneered the role of ‘style editor’ at Harpers and Queen magazine, alongside co-author Ann Barr. Together, they penned the era-defining sensation, “The Official Sloane Ranger’s Handbook,” which became the bestselling trade book of the 1980s.
Throughout the decades, Peter has continued to leave his mark on the cultural landscape. He’s authored numerous books and presented several TV programs, including the nostalgic gem “Peter York’s Eighties” in the 1990s.
More recently, Peter has shifted towards more serious subjects, tackling issues such as “The War Against the BBC,” co-authored with Professor Patrick Barwise, and the thought-provoking “Authenticity is a Con.”
Join us as we explore the multifaceted world of Peter York and his enduring contributions to cultural discourse.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY” podcast is all about Peter’s cultural preoccupations which range from how political Culture Wars are waged, to the reputational currency of clever celebrities, to the best sources of suede loafers in St James’s. He’ll be hosting people he admires and people he wants to argue with and people who like to natter about the correct placement of buttons.
Peter York is the author of “Dead Cat – Culture Wars and how not to lose them.” However, his influence extends back to the 1970s, where he pioneered the role of ‘style editor’ at Harpers and Queen magazine, alongside co-author Ann Barr. Together, they penned the era-defining sensation, “The Official Sloane Ranger’s Handbook,” which became the bestselling trade book of the 1980s.
Throughout the decades, Peter has continued to leave his mark on the cultural landscape. He’s authored numerous books and presented several TV programs, including the nostalgic gem “Peter York’s Eighties” in the 1990s.
More recently, Peter has shifted towards more serious subjects, tackling issues such as “The War Against the BBC,” co-authored with Professor Patrick Barwise, and the thought-provoking “Authenticity is a Con.”
Join us as we explore the multifaceted world of Peter York and his enduring contributions to cultural discourse.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cosmo Landesman is a mature journalist and cultural commentator and a "conscientious objector" to the heated political debates of our time.
We explore his experiences in Islington's media circles, his evolution from the bohemian 80s where "a canon of good taste" existed to today's polarised media environment, and his nuanced views on political debate, social media, and preferring dessert over discourse.
From his work with the Modern Review, keeping "debauchery away from Uncle Peter," to his current writing for the Spectator, we explore how political conversations have changed, the role of media in shaping public opinion, and whether it's possible to have "ghastly" friends.
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
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Jolyon Maugham KC, founder of the Good Law Project, is one of the UK’s most prominent—and provocative—legal campaigners. Jolyon reveals how, as a high-flying tax barrister, “I knew where the bodies were buried often, because it was my clients who had dug them in,” and why he traded big money for bigger causes. He explains the origins of the Good Law Project, his mission to fight the “decay in our public life,” and candidly addresses why “the right hates me.”
We delve into the mechanics of judicial review, the realities of modern culture wars, and the challenges of tackling misinformation, wealth inequality, and creeping authoritarianism. Jolyon also reflects on what he’s done since “waking up,” the controversies that follow him, and the future battles for justice in a rapidly changing political landscape.
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this week’s episode, Angus Hanton, author of Vassal State: How America Runs Britain, explains why his book emerged from one simple question: “How much of the UK is controlled by the Americans?”
In seeking the answer, he uncovers shocking numbers that reveal the extent to which American capital, corporations, and influence permeate the UK economy and society. Remarkably, Hanton’s analysis anticipated the risks of a Trump presidency—making his warnings more urgent and relevant than ever considering recent events.
We ask why does the British government seem unconcerned about who owns British industry? How was the British “national jumble sale” allowed to happen? While Americans may act like lions, Hanton insists the real question is how Britain, as the zookeeper, has allowed this situation to develop. His recommendations? There are three key actions needed to take back control.
And what about the media? Is the BBC playing its proper role, or does it appear to lean too heavily toward an Atlanticist perspective?
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Katherine Stewart is the investigative journalist who’s spent twenty years following the money, myths, and masterminds behind America’s new right — from Bible Belt Sunday schools to Silicon Valley boardrooms and shadowy donor networks that span continents. Her new book, Money, Lies and God, exposes the billionaires, strategists, and true believers who, she argues, are reshaping not just America, but democracy itself.
We talk about the rise of Christian nationalism — how “Caesar” Trump, “an imperfect ruler that God chose to enact his will,” ended up crowned by what Katherine calls “the angriest group of winners I’ve ever seen.” How did they pull it off?
What did “billions of dollars” capture? What was the master plan? What three things did Trump promise “over 1,000 pastors in New York City”? Why the push to target “children aged 4 to 14” - and what’s behind the “persecution narrative”?
We also peer into the mindset of the wealthy funders — those who, feeling they don’t quite deserve their fortunes still justify “squelching the voices of their critics.”
Is this all just an American phenomenon? What is a $1.6 billion trust funding here in the UK?
And, finally — we talk fashion. Fancy a T-shirt with guns saying I’m going RINO hunting? But we’re not talking about the horned variety.
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sir Martin Sorrell is the man who turned a plastics shell company, WPP, into the world’s biggest ad and marketing empire, snapping up the old Mad Men giants of Madison Avenue. By the time he left WPP in 2018, it was the world sector leader.
Transformed by the internet, is this now the “golden age” of a “trillion-dollar” advertising industry? Are the “nation state”-sized big tech companies to be regulated — and should we be more relaxed about them? After all are they just our modern-day equivalents of the Beaverbrooks and Murdochs?
And what of politics — which executive order was Martin “flummoxed by”? Are there signs of a successful midterm for Trump — and with democracy sliding, is a Trump dynasty emerging?
As AI and technology reshape everything, transforming labour markets and creating significant social disruption, Martin dissects how the world is fragmenting into a slow-growth environment — and which country he thinks is in “deep doo-doo”. What can be done? Is there scope for a Sorrell Foundation?
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gina Miller, the financial whiz and legal warrior who took on Brexit's biggest beasts. From challenging May and Johnson in court to facing death threats as a woman of colour, Miller unpacks the messy world of populist politics, tech bros, and the rise of snake oil salesmen.
"What I'm going to say may sound very odd..." — and indeed it does. Gina calls for the return of one of those very 'snake oil salesmen'. She shares her frustrations of the Brexit campaign — "they just kept telling me I was overreacting" — the shocking personal abuse she endured from her cancer ward bed, as recently as a few months ago, and her journey from City activist to Cambridge Chancellor candidate.
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Peter York’s Culture Wars House Party. This episode, I’m joined by Matthew d’Ancona—former Spectator editor, Guardian columnist, and early prophet of the post-truth age. He left The Spectator, as he puts it, “when the world was falling apart,” and when “politics suddenly became downstream from culture.”
We trace his career—and his defence of identity politics, along with the “big fat message” he believes liberalism needs to hear.
Then there’s the “dark, dark stuff”: mass deportation as blunt-force politics, culture wars by design, and the question hanging over the media—has it already crossed the line from reticence to irresponsibility? Should words like fascist be in the BBC’s vocabulary?
What happens to political parties when the pendulum no longer swings back? Matthew has thoughts – and a few warnings.
And finally—we learn what he’d rather have been than a journalist.
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last Friday, I was joined by Carole Cadwalladr—former Guardian journalist and, depending on who you ask, either a democratic heroine or the original “mad cat lady.” From exposing Cambridge Analytica and the Mercers to taking on Brexit, big tech, and Aaron Banks personally, Carole’s journalism has shaped how we think about power, influence, and the quiet dismantling of democracy through data.
We discuss the Observer’s recent change in ownership—who now owns it, and has it drifted to the right? Is the line between editorial and commercial content now too blurred?
Carole calls the government’s proposed changes to UK press ownership laws “shocking” and “baffling.” She questions whether the BBC and the political class are now in thrall to Silicon Valley’s influence, whose interests seem increasingly aligned with the authoritarian Trump agenda.
And finally: what do you wear to a TED Talk when, after your last appearance, you were branded a conspiracy theorist, sued for libel, and trolled by Andrew Neil?
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Peter York’s Culture Wars House Party. This episode, I’m joined by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown—journalist, author, and broadcaster. Her journey from Uganda to Oxford, and into journalism in her 30s, has shaped one of the most distinctive and provocative voices in British media.
We explore why Yasmin says she’s moved further to the left over time, and how she sees the media playing a “double game”—deplatforming some voices while elevating others. She lifts the lid on what she calls “hive mind” journalism and explains why debate is narrowing, not widening.
Yes, Yasmin once wrote weekly for Paul Dacre at the Daily Mail—really. Now she’s calling out the BBC for weaponising “so-called impartiality,” questioning its coverage of Gaza, and defending her tweet: “Israel is a terrorist state.”
We dive into identity politics, and how the trans debate has become a moral litmus test: “If you’re on their side, you’re good and acceptable. If not, you’re dangerously woke—and apparently a threat to the nation.”
She also takes aim at the modern Conservative Party—now run, she says, by “ideologues” and “thugs”—and their sudden embrace of Ugandan Asians: “You didn’t love us—now you do, because so many of us are rich, and they fund you.”
And finally, does Yasmin’s wardrobe bring down the tone?
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Peter York's Culture Wars House Party. In this episode, I’m joined by Dylan Jones—a defining figure in British media. He spent over two decades editing GQ and later ran the London Evening Standard, helping shape the national conversation around style, politics, and culture.
From ‘literally no experience, and couldn’t actually write very well’, we trace Dylan’s journey from art school maverick to media powerhouse. Expect career advice—why “we’re not looking for people with great ideas”—and sharp anecdotes: why he hired Alastair Campbell and Piers Morgan, threw Russell Brand out of his own awards ceremony, and photographed Melania Trump “like an evil Bond girl, scantily clad with lots of hardware.”
In a world of partisan noise, how does Dylan stay “slightly removed” from culture wars? And how is culture evolving now that “a lot of the big players in those worlds removed themselves”? What’s filled the vacuum? And is New York too parochial?
Plus: is the suede loafer from Jermyn Street under threat from a chisel-toe slip-on creeping in from another part of the capital?
“I went up to him afterwards, before I led him to the door, and said: ‘This is a pact. We're doing something for you. You do something for us. In what part of our agreement is it a good idea to slag off our sponsor?’”
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Peter York's Culture Wars House Party. In this seventh episode, I'm joined by Iain Dale—the prolific broadcaster, author, and political commentator. A fixture of the British media landscape, he currently hosts LBC’s evening show and was briefly a possible Conservative Party candidate in 2024.
We explore Iain's journey from party insider to media provocateur, his mission to rebuild the Conservative Party, the rise of social conservatism, and the decline of big tent politics.
We also delve into the influence of American culture on British politics—what it means to be “five years downstream” from the US—the state of public discourse, and Iain’s reflections on the culture wars, from anti-Semitism to trans rights.
Plus: what it’s like interviewing Donald Trump, working with Michael Ashcroft, and what Iain really thinks of Sir Paul Marshall. Does media ownership and regulation matter?
And we'll discover whether Iain Dale ever has a mooch on his high street.
“I'm really worried about the state of the so-called culture wars. I used to resist even using that term, because I thought the more you use it, the more you almost encourage them to continue, but you can't get away from it now. There are people on one side and people on another side, and never the twain shall meet.”
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Peter York’s Culture Wars House Party. In this sixth episode, I’m joined by Graydon Carter—the legendary editor of Vanity Fair—a cultural powerhouse from 1992 to 2017—and now editor of the effortlessly chic digital magazine Airmail.
Charting Graydon’s journey from sensible Ottawa to the glittering heights of New York media, we examine the seismic shifts in publishing and unravel the complex tapestry of America’s culture wars. Has the coup already happened? Did the left go too far—and is there now an overcorrection? And has the “wanton brutality” of Trump’s administration given billionaires a bad name?
Graydon reflects on decades of tangling with Donald Trump—as a man ( are his fingers too short? does he have any friends?)—and as a businessman, as the “fourth tier of real estate families in New York”.
And we now have the definitive answer… or do we… on where to buy the best suede loafers in London.
“I’ve never seen Donald Trump in any living room ever in 50 years of being in New York, and nobody would invite him anywhere. I don’t think he has friends, I think he’s got associates, but I don’t think he has any true friends.”
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to my new podcast, “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY.” In this fifth episode, I’m joined by Peter Geoghegan former editor of Open Democracy, an investigative journalist and writer, who now runs “Democracy for Sale” https://democracyforsale.substack.com/about
Peter reveals how the Brexit campaign in Sunderland sparked his interest in exposing dark money and political fraud—and why he believes Britain is doing “corruption on the cheap.”
We explore how money quietly seeps into the bloodstream of British policy, the rise of think tanks that claim to be “neutral observers” but, in reality, act as “effectively corporate lobbyists”, blurring the lines between lobbying, media, and politics.
And there’s the international connections between - Tufton Street and K Street in Washington DC - and how “what we're seeing now is a manifestation something that has existed below the surface for a long time”.
Plus, we touch on the unexpected former friendship between George Soros and Sir Paul Marshall.
“We're doing corruption on the cheap. £20,000 bought you a lot in Westminster."
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to my new podcast, “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY.” In this fourth episode, I’m joined by campaigning journalist George Monbiot.
We discuss George’s journey from his Conservative family background to his political awakening and his rise as one of our most prominent environmental and political activists. What exactly is a campaigning journalist – is it a contradiction in terms?
We explore the story of ‘neoliberalism’ and what it really means – less ‘liberal,’ but rather the disenchantment of politics through brute economic power. We explore how its tentacles have spread into think tanks, academia and the media – including the BBC. Can an alternative vision fight back – and how?
And has the BBC become a “timorous, cowering beastie”? We discuss this, along with George’s attire for his BBC Question Time appearance.
“The only way you're ever going to get significant change is - like John Maynard Keynes and Clement Attlee or many other figures through history - is pursuing systemic change and rolling over your opposition. That's the only way it's ever going to happen. But this timidity, which has kicked in since about 1980, where none of the formerly left or even centrist parties almost anywhere on Earth are prepared to ask for anything more than a few tiny tweaks to the system, that is a recipe for defeat. And that defeat is what we now witness everywhere.”
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to my new podcast, “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY.” In this third episode, I’m joined by Gabriel Gatehouse, the former international editor of Newsnight and a seasoned BBC foreign correspondent. He’s also the author and presenter of the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series "The Coming Storm," which unpacks the deep roots of American paranoia and conspiracy theories—from the Clintons in the ‘90s to QAnon and the January 6th Capitol riot.
We get into big questions—is Gabriel a participant in the culture wars or just a commentator? How do British and American politics compare? What’s the parable of QAnon, and what might have happened if Bernie Sanders had clinched the Democratic nomination in 2016? We also dive into the impact of figures like Elon Musk and tech optimism, and the role of identity politics and "woke" culture.
And, of course, we take a look at the BBC’s challenge to maintain impartiality in a volatile political landscape. Plus, we talk about Gabriel’s shirts.
“We make a mistake if we think that we are so very different from our American cousins, and that we are immune to the sort of craziness the red pill rabbit holes that have beset American politics in the last decade or so. We're not immune."
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to my new podcast, “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY.” In this second episode, I’m joined by James O'Brien, the outspoken LBC talk radio host with a million and a half listeners who has been on air for over 22 years. We cover all sorts of topics - from the concept of the "Metropolitan Liberal Elite" and the risks of a far-right government to the capture of the BBC. We also discover James’ early career in retail where selling a white suit to John Major kick started his journalism career.
“I think for the first time in my life, I can conceive of a far-right government in this country.”
Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.
@peteryork.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast
Good Egg Productions
https://goodeggproductions.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the first episode of my new podcast, “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY.” There’s some serious stuff here, but we’re also having a bit of fun along the way. This podcast is all about my cultural preoccupations, from how political Culture Wars are waged—and yes, do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table — to the reputational currency of clever celebrities, and, of course, the eternal quest for the best suede loafers in St James’s.
In this first episode, I'm joined by Michael Wolff, the journalist and bestselling author behind the Trump White House trilogy—Fire and Fury, Siege, and Landslide. These books offered an unprecedented, often jaw-dropping look into the chaos and intrigue of Donald Trump’s presidency. He's also written the definitive biography of Rupert Murdoch The Man Who Owns the News. Michael shares his insights on another Donald Trump presidency, Elon Musk, the Tech Billionaires, and the potential revelations from his recordings of the late Jeffrey Epstein.
“Right now we have two kings of the world in the same room together.” – Elon Musk and Donald Trump – “That is not a prescription for success for one of the kings.”
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