My Weekend with Sir Cliff Richard & Friends
- 15 Nov 2023
I first saw Cliff Richard in concert when I was 16. It was in 1978, I think, in London. It was the first pop concert I had ever been to. His 75 Greatest Hits album had become a number 1 bestseller and his Green Light LP had been released. I was hooked. I was already a fan, hav...
Why I Welcome the Return of David Cameron
- 13 Nov 2023
This article first appeared on the Telegraph website HERE. As Sir Alex Ferguson might have said: “Politics. Bloody Hell.” There’s nothing a prime minister likes more than to spring a reshuffle surprise, and boy did Rishi Sunak achieve that this morning with the appoint...
In Concert with Cliff Richard and, er, me!
- 22 Oct 2023
It was in early March. I was in bed in my Washington DC hotel flicking through emails on my phone. One email stood out. It was from Cliff Richard's office. "Can I call you urgently?" asked his PA. What on earth could this be about, I wond...
A Week on From the Hamas Terror Attack - What Now?
- 15 Oct 2023
Whenever a terror attack occurs, as a broadcaster, I try to report facts and avoid hyperbole. Had I been on air last Saturday morning, I would have done just that. But when I finally got on air, on Monday evening, we knew the facts. We knew what had happened. It was beyond dou...
LBC is 50 Years Old! Happy Birthday LBC!
- 8 Oct 2023
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the start of commercial radio in the UK. LBC and Capital Radio were the first two stations on air, and fifty years on both stations are at the top of their game. LBC has undergone various changes in ownership over the years, and is ...
That was the (Terrible) Week That Was
- 30 Sep 2023
There are some weeks or days when you just shake your h...
Iain's Edinburgh Show Podcast Archive
- 24 Aug 2023
This post provides links to the audio podcasts from Iain's 18 All Talk and For the Many events at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe. There are also five episodes of the For the Many Live shows on the For the Many podcast feed, In addition, click HERE for an hour of highlights from...
'Safer with Susan' Triumphs over 'Mad Moz'
- 19 Jul 2023
Conservative mayoral selection contests have rarely run smoothly, but this year really takes the biscuit. It’s been an embarrassment from start to finish. For a year now the Tories have been searching vainly for a high profile candidate who was equipped to take on Sadiq Khan n...
When Podcasts Interview Iain... My Podcast Archive!
- 8 Jul 2023
Someone said to me I should collate all my different podcast interviews in one place, so here goes. These are all appearances I have made on other people's podcasts, not my own! I've added links to listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, but if you use another podcast platfor...
Iain Dale's Book Club Podcast - Episode List
- 8 Jul 2023
Iain's Book Club podcast was launched in September 2018. Each week (sometimes twice a week) Iain interviews some of the most interesting authors in the country with new books out. And there's the occasional bonus episode or an author interviews from the archives. ...
The Importance of Being a Saver
- 28 Jun 2023
As Polonius tells us in Hamlet, “neither a borrower nor a lender be”. If Shakespeare were writing that line today, he might have added three words: “nor a saver”. Indeed, most people seem to have forgotten how to save altogether. To be fair, some have never had enough dispo...
A Tribute to Dame Ann Leslie
- 27 Jun 2023
They don't make 'em like Ann Leslie any more. For decades, she has bestrode the world of British foreign correspondents like a colossus. I was very sad to learn that she has died - a real loss. I first came across her when she was a regular on BBC Question Time with Sir Rob...
I Cried, Then I Cried Some More: What Winning in Europe Means to Me & West Ham
- 7 Jun 2023
I don’t know how I can express in words what I am feeling right now. I’ve been supporting West Ham since 1974. I was 12 when we won the cup in 1975. I was 17 when we won it again five years later. Since then, we comes close on a number of occasions. I was in Cardiff when we os...
The Consequences of Breaking Bad
- 30 May 2023
First of all, thank you to the hundreds of you who emailed me after last week’s accident. wishing me well for my hip replacement operation. I’m sorry I couldn’t reply to them all from hospital, but I did read every single one. I’m not going to go into exhaustive detail abo...
Back at the Edinburgh Fringe for the Third Year
- 14 May 2023
The Edinburgh Fringe has been much on my mind this week, what with Joanna Cherry MP’s victory over The Stand comedy venue banning her show and having to do a reverse ferret after receiving legal advice that they were breaking anti-discrimination laws. They had uninvited her be...
So I Said to the Doctor, "Am I Going Blind?"...
- 7 May 2023
“Am I going blind?” That was the question I blurted out to a specialist doctor on Wednesday afternoon. Last week, many of you commented on the number of typos in last week’s newsletter. I’m a terrible proof reader at the best of times, but last week, while typing this I could ...
A Reflection on the Local Elections
- 7 May 2023
On my local election overnight show on Friday morning I remember saying that all successful prime ministers need to be lucky generals, as Napoleon might have put it. I claimed that Rishi Sunak was indeed a very lucky general given that by Friday evening the whole news agenda w...
Why Political Parties Fear the Self-ID Debate
- 27 Mar 2023
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph. You’ll lose the election on day one of the campaign, unless you change your position on trans rights.” That was the stark warning issued to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer by a key adviser earlier this month. Focus groups a...
Honours & Privileges
- 27 Mar 2023
Boris Johnson is not a politician who stays out of the headlines for very long. Having got through the Privileges Committee last week, this week may well herald the publication of his resignation honours list. Batten down the hatches. Johnson’s list is likely to be as long as ...
The Ambassador's Reception
- 1 Mar 2023
I'm typing this in my hotel room in Washington DC as I prepare to head out to the dreaded Dulles Airport to fly back to the UK later tonight. I arrived on Friday, so it's been a short but really productive and enjoyable trip. DC is not the city I used to love. I always ...