Alas Vine & Hitchens

On this week’s episode, two worlds collide as Sarah asks why prawn cocktail and such old school culinary delights as beef bourguignon and banana splits are back on the dinner menu. And Peter will be asking if our policy of bombing foreign countries is driving up mass immigration to the UK.

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to answer listener questions on whether Kemi Badenoch is really a true-blue conservative or more in the mould of someone like libertarian Javier Milei? The merits of the latest cinematic take on the life of Charles De Gaulle, the shortcomings of the Criminal Cases Review Commission and, finally, what did the 60s ever do for us?

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

·      I’m Still Here – Dir: Walter Salles

·      De Gaulle: Tilting Iron - Dir: Antonin Baudry

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Peter will be telling us why first past the post is a much more preferable voting model to proportional representation. And sticking with the electorate, Sarah will be asking if there should be a general election if Keir Starmer finally falls on his sword.

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to answer listener questions on the ‘sovereign’ bases in Cyprus, go back and forth on the latest report on the October 7th attacks. Why has the city of Coventry gone to wrack and ruin since Peter left and do either enjoy the cut and thrust of social media? Peter, you may be surprised to find, is all for it.

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      In The Wet – Nevil Shute

·      Lost Coventry – David McGrory

·      10/7: 100 Human Stories – Lee Yaron

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Peter would like to know why Lucy Letby has been in prison for 2,000 days while there is still little to no evidence against her. And Sarah – struggling valiantly with bronchitis - will be telling you why she was right about Kemi Badenoch all along. 

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to ask whatever happened to civilised political debate and can it possibly ever return? Peter doesn’t hold back on his thoughts on Tom Holland’ s Dominion, we hear from a honeymooning listener who’s been traversing Japan by train while listening to Alas… And King Charles II gets a mention, no surprises there.

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      Short Breaks in Mordor: Dawns and Departures of a Scribbler's Life – Peter Hitchens

·      Blue Ambition: The Unauthorised Biography of Kemi Badenoch - Lord Ashcroft 

·      Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind - Tom Holland

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Peter would like to talk about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, and the time his dad moved a gun across the island, while Sarah wants to talk about yet another attempt on Trump’s life and why security for MPs is so lax in the UK. 

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to ask has the Starmer Project corrupted Labour? The latest update on Peter’s long-awaited book about the car (don’t hold your breath), what do the pair really think of psychology? And a teacher writes from Spain to tell us how the changing of the clocks is dumbing down her pupils.

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      The Wizard Of The Kremlin – Giuliano da Empoli

·      Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good – James Davies

·      The Truth About the Drug Companies: How they deceive us and what to do about it - Marcia Angell

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, as Sarah is ousted from her rental home, she’s asking why Labour’s so-called revolutionary renters’ act is such a damp squib and, staying with the left, Peter wants to know why this government hates independent schools so much.

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to reflect once again on the madness of King Donald and his presidential predecessor, ponder whether the Germans could have ever really won the last world war. The best and worst nationalities to try and befriend, and Sarah and Peter give their guide to Italy’s lesser-known gems.

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      The Uses of Literacy – Richard Hoggart

·      The Wages of Destruction – Adam Tooze

·      The Second World War – James Holland

·      The Winds of War – Herman Wouk

·      War and Remembrance - Herman Wouk

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Sarah would like to know why the social agencies and government infrastructure let down the victims of the Southport attack so badly and Peter would simply like to ask: has Donald Trump finally gone mad? 

And the pair pore over our latest mailbag to talk about Peter’s time as a member of the International Socialists, not least the donkey jacket he wore. Why cabs are comparable with Concorde when it comes to cost. How cocaine might hold up the Colombian economy. And, finally, the pair mull over their favourite historical monarchs. 

On our reading and watch list this week: 

·      The Caine Mutiny – Herman Wouk

·      Henry’s Demons: Living with Schizophrenia, A Father and Son’s Story – Patrick Cockburn

·      The Daughter of Time – Josephine Tey

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Shulgan

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Empoli

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hillers

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 James

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 Hitchens

Producer: Philip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive 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 Hitchens

Producer: Phillip Wilding

Editor: Chelsey Moore

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Jamie East

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.