How I Might Have Become a Lebanese Hostage
- 19 Sep 2018
I was reading an article on the train home about modern day Beirut. My thoughts immediately turned to a visit I made to Lebanon some 26 years ago, in 1992, not long after the British hostages had been freed. Indeed, I was told during my visit to Beirut that I was the first Bri...
You Can Take the Boy out of Ashdon...
- 18 Sep 2018
I was browsing through some old files on my laptop, when I stumbled across this piece I wrote for the Ashdon village magazine back in the summer of 2013. They say ‘it takes a village’ and Ashdon was my village. It was where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I still regard...
Ten Books I've Enjoyed...
- 18 Sep 2018
Ten days ago I was challenged on Facebook by Jonathan Isaby to think of ten books I’ve enjoyed reading and to post the covers - one every day for ten days, and each day challenge someone else to do so. There was no need to review the book or say why I had enjoyed it. This is ...
Could Theresa May Call a 'Put Up or Shut Up' Vote of Confidence In Herself?
- 17 Sep 2018
I wonder whether Theresa May is considering doing a John Major. OK, it wouldn’t be the first time, I hear you snigger at the back. Could she be considering calling a ‘put up or shut up’ vote of confidence in her time. It would be done on the basis that the ‘leadership issue’ b...
Ten Podcasts I Listen To... (And Why Few Of Them Are Political)
- 16 Sep 2018
The term “podcasting” was first invented by Guardian columnist Ben Hammersley in February 2004. But podcasts didn’t really take off in any meaningful way until years later. I only really started listening to podcasts around four or five years ago. Nowadays, they can be big bus...
The 'Iain Dale's Book Club' Weekly Podcast Has Launched!
- 15 Sep 2018
When I talked to James Rea, my boss at LBC, about moving to the evening show, I said I’d like to present a books hour. He suggested we do it as a podcast so we needn’t be constrained by format, length or commercial breaks. Two months later I am delighted to tell you that we’re...
'Politics Live' - The New Kid on the Political Media Block
- 14 Sep 2018
News junkies are conservative beasts. Whether it’s radio presenters moving to a different slot (!) or political TV shows being axed and then reincarnated, listeners and viewers tend to be very suspicious of change. They jump to conclusions before the first show has even been t...
When You Find Out You've Got a Haitus Hernia...
- 14 Sep 2018
Some of you will have read an article I wrote a few days ago, which explained the fact that I have had a persistent cough for the last month, and in addition I’ve lost a lot of weight, and also lost my appetite. If you missed it, read it HERE. This morning I went into the Spi...
How Can HMRC Defend Retrospective Taxation Going Back 20 Years?
- 13 Sep 2018
This week on my CROSS QUESTION show we had a fairly robust discussion which ended with a text question on something which on the face of it is very unfair. Thousands of self-employed people are being harassed by HMRC for thousands of pounds – in many cases tens of thousands o...
What to do With The Treasonous Anjem Choudary...
- 12 Sep 2018
Yesterday we learned that the Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary is to be released from prison at some point in October after serving only three years of a five a half year sentence for inciting muslims to join Daesh. Prisons minister Rory Stewart (pic below) gave an inter...
What the Liberal Democrats Need Is Another Jeremy Thorpe
- 9 Sep 2018
On Tuesday I’m going to be interviewing Vince Cable for an hour - yes, you read that right - in the LBC studio. 8-9pm, since you ask. It comes off the back of his speech on Friday, in which he essentially announced he’s entered the world of lame duckery. Any political leader w...
Waterstone's Buying Foyles Is All About Bricks & Mortar Market Share - Not Amazon
- 8 Sep 2018
Blink and you’d have missed it. On Friday it was announced that Waterstone’s have bought Foyles. Ten years ago this would have been a major news story, and featured in the first few pages of The Times. Today it didn’t feature at all in the main newspaper and only managed a few...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 62: Broadcasting With a Persistent Cough
- 7 Sep 2018
One of the worst things that can happen to a broadcaster is to contract a cold or cough, especially if it lasts for some time. At least on radio, there’s a cough button to press while someone else is talking. You don’t get that luxury on TV. I’ve always had a bit of a tickl...
Who Will be the 'Stop Boris' Candidate?
- 7 Sep 2018
Tom Newton Dunn’s exclusive about Boris Johnson and his wife having split up is notable as it suggests that the story was deliberately put out there in order to avoid it emerging during a leadership contest. Cynical maybe, but also understandable. Whether it will give licence ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 61: The First Show Nerves Can Now Disappear
- 4 Sep 2018
Launching a new programme is always nerve-wracking. I’m sure Eddie Mair and I shared that slight empty stomach feeling today. His programme and mine were very different to the previous shows in our respective slots. Radio audiences are very conservative beasts. They don’t ...
So What's Coming Up on My New LBC Evening Show This Week?
- 2 Sep 2018
It’s all change on the LBC daytime schedule from Monday. As you know, I’m moving to the 7-10pm slot from Monday to Thursday, so I thought I’d give you some details about what you can look forward to. Each day from 7-8 I’ll be hosting the LBC Newshour. It will feature intervie...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 60: When an MP Says 'Handjob' On Air
- 2 Sep 2018
It’s actually quite rare that people swear on live radio. It’s even rarer for a politician to do so. If they do, it can have very serious consequences for the radio station concerned. It only takes one complaint for OfCom to launch an investigation. On most commercial stations...
Theatre Review: 'Bat Out of Hell: The Musical - For Crying Out Loud
- 1 Sep 2018
On Thursday Nigel Farage walked into the studio for our 7pm handover and asked: “Do you really like Meat Loaf?” I had just announced I was off to see ‘Bat out of Hell: The Musical’ with my two producers at the Dominion Theatre. “Yes,” I said.”I’ve got everything he’s ever reco...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 59: Surviving The Final Show (Without Blubbing)
- 31 Aug 2018
This evening at 7pm my last Drivetime show on LBC came to a close. I’m not leaving the station, just moving to another slot on Monday, 7-10pm. So I did wonder whether I should just do a normal show today and not say anything about the show coming to an end after five and a...
Britain Needs to Do More To Increase Trade With Africa
- 31 Aug 2018
Theresa May’s trip to Africa seems to have gone very well. In some ways it must seem like a bit of a holiday to her given her troubles at home, where she continues to come under siege from both sides of the Brexit debate. Her little dance in South Africa, while obviously a li...