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PODCAST

Alas Vine & Hitchens

What"s the Big Idea? Finally, Sarah Vine (once memorably described as being ‘like and loathed in equal measure, divisive, but never indecisive’) and Peter Hitchens (a man whose writing a critic was called to compare to a Guardsman’s boot: ‘as highly polished and potentially lethal’) meet once a week to look at the world and mutter, alas…Acclaimed columnist and journalist Sarah Vine and best-selling author and broadcaster Peter Hitchens discuss and dissect social, economic, and pop cultural flotsam

news news commentary,

All Episodes

40:19

Risible Renters’ Act and Disguised Privilege

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/04/22

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

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48:56

The Madness of King Donald

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/04/15

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 asa 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

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31:52

Driverless Cars and Unused Trains

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/04/08

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 assertionthat he should have been acquitted over his use of controlled substancesascharges for drugs should not exist at all. The bestAdam Curtis'

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38:39

The King’s State Visit and Visibility Day

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/04/01

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

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35:51

Burning Down of the BBC and Illegal Assassins

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/03/25

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

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54:22

British Bombs and Student Bodies

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/03/18

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

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38:13

Labour’s Thought Police and the Case for Capital...

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/03/11

On this week’s episode, Sarah wonders if Labour’s plans to change the definition of Islamophobia is actually a threat to free speech? And, in light of Ian Huntley’s death, Peter would like to ask whether the death penalty might be better than unofficial execution by another criminal?And the pair pore over our mailbag to mull over the case for paying MPs more (there’s no accord there), who’s to blame forThe Irish Potato Famine?Who would call amilitary operation 'Epic fury'? And we return to the

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37:54

Terror in Tehran: The End of an Era

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/03/04

On this week’s episode, Sarah, and Peter clash over what the future of Iran should be after the extraordinary aerial assault by the US and Israel has plunged the territory in to war.And, on a much lighter note, the pair discuss tribal loyalties in contemporary politics, what do we think of our Australian countries and in motorcycle news (we have some!), why the cost of a motorbike might be boosting the popularity of the e-bike and why Peter should invest in a HondaValkyrie when he reaches eighty and

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34:03

Gisele Pelicot and Performative Policing

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/02/25

On this week’s episode, Sarah is asking if the horrendous case of Gisele Pelicot is more than just an isolated incident and Peter wants to know why our boys in blue have settled on performative policing.Plus, why has it taken Sarah over a year to realise she’s been wearing her contact lenses in the wrong eyes? The parlous state of children’s fiction in the modern age and why Peter will be getting a motorbike (and leather biker jacket) as soon as he reaches eighty.On our reading and watch list this

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44:27

End E-Bikes and Anti-Vaxxers

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/02/18

On this week’s episode, Peter will be asking when new legislation to curb the plague of e-bikes on our streets will finally come into effect. And Sarah wants to know why parents are opting NOT to vaccinate their children against measles.Plus, how being bullied in school can change you for ever. Football and flag flying, something neither of our presenters can really get behind. The right to bear arms in the UK, or maybe not. And the joys of driving a steam train, sadly, this is not yet Peter’s

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42:45

The UK’s Risible Reading Age and Bloody Books

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/02/11

On this week’s episode, Sarah is asking is the English literature curriculum really being dumbed down or are we simply not reading as a country anymore or simply shifting our allegiance to audiobooks? And Peter, as if to prove otherwise, will be bandying a copy of Lord of the Flies around and poring over the latest BBC adaptation.Plus, why was Stephen Fry stalking Peter at a memorial for his late brother? Why we should eat even if the Queen has done with her meal, royal protocol be damned! Why

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59:00

Ducking KGB Bullets and Inside the Epstein Files

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/02/04

On this week’s episode Peter will be going back 35 years to a moment in time where he stood and watched the KGB murdering people in Vilnius. And I’ll be asking why did Sarah Ferguson take her children to see Jeffrey Epstein just days after he was released from prison?Plus, we find out the truth about magnetised train tracks (all lies!), why both 1976 and 1979 are vying for the best of all possible years for two of our listeners, the rise of the extreme right wing and the night the Queen wore

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32:37

Pitiful Policing and Ballroom Beckham

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/01/28

On this week’s episode,Sarah is asking what can Brooklyn Beckham possibly mean when he accuses his mother of dancing ‘on him’ at his wedding? Both Sarah and Peter have a few wedding horror stories of their own to share too. Also, Peter wants to know if proposed mega police forces will just mean more constabulary cockups? His guess is yes.Plus, what do the pair make of the new ‘super’ Chinese Embassy in London? Was Peter really in a secret MI5 file? Annoying train announcements and remembering Tony

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39:07

Team America and Ten Years After

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/01/21

On this week’s episode,Peter and Sarah are asking what were you doing ten years and why is social media suddenly transfixed by 2016? And why has America decided to turn into the world’s bully?Plus, why is Australia’s economy at such a low ebb? What the hell’s happened to civility? Why does Sarah’s fridge keep shouting at her? And when it comes to transporting coal, what’s better, the canal barge or railway track? You can guess which side Peter landed on…On our reading and watch list this week:·North

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41:04

Kissing Cousins and an Iranian Uprising

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/01/14

On this week’s episode,Peter and Sarah Welcome are asking why is Sir Kier Starmer choosing not to condemn marriage between first cousins in some cultures? And what it might take for the Iranian people to be heard as civil unrest and revolution spread throughout the country?Plus, why America is ruining the English language, the idea that Russia is a military world power is complete piffle, Trump’s Golden Fleet, Heated Rivalry (no, really) and the food that neither Peter or Sarah will eat.On our

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38:00

Why Are We Firing Up the UK’s War Machine?

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2026/01/07

On this week’s episode,Peter and Sarah look to the year ahead, as Peter wonders why this nation’s leaders andheads of the armed forces are rattling their sabres as they attempt to put the country on a war footing.Plus, our duo on Conservatism (just what is it?) Christianity, the legacy of John Smith MP, the superiority of Japanese trains - any trains in comparison to our dilapidated ted rail network, and Custard Creams; all the colours of the rainbow.On our reading and watch list this week:·The

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38:02

An American Powerplay and the Freedom of the Press

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2025/12/17

On this week’s episode,Peter is poring over the latest US national security strategy and being rather surprised by what he finds there. While Sarah is looking at why some people are calling for a resumption of thecancelled Lord Leveson Inquiry and therefore suggesting we blinker the free press.Plus, our duo on the Arkansas Razorbacks (again), the legacy of Roy Jenkins, what happened to independent newspapers in Kazakhstan and what it feels like to move your family across the Atlantic Ocean.On our

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38:13

Tony Blair Trotskyist and Stop Stupid Smartphones

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2025/12/10

On this week’s episode,Peter wonders if it ever matters that Kier Starmer and Tony Blair were once Trotskyists? As well as addressing some recent, stinging criticism from a fellow Mail columnist… And Sarah ruminates on the Australian government’s ban on social media for children, and asks is it enough, or should we just wrestle the smartphones from their hands completely?Plus, our duo on the best custard creams money can buy, where they’d settle if they were still young and free and what exactly is

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31:22

Loss of Hair, Life and Liberty

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2025/12/05

On this week’s episode, Sarah Vine addresses her thinning pate and loss of hair that has plagued her most of her adult life and why she’s now finally decided to cast her wig aside! Meanwhile, Peter looksat the incredible story ofNazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, the woman held hostage by the same Iranian forces who took his friend prisoner too.Plus, Peter and Sarah ruminate on dual nationalities, Sarah’s Spotify wrap thinking she’s aged 75, if identity politics has damaged progress for the working class

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52:04

An Audience with Vine & Hitchens at St Peter’s...

Alas Vine & Hitchens ·

2025/12/03

On this week’s episode, Sarah and Peter travel toSt Peter's College, Oxford,where Peter ruminates on an increasingly unlikely peace deal in Ukraine, and Sarah begins by asking why Christmas starts earlier each year before regaling the student audience with tales of Christmas past more woeful that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.Plus, Peter and Sarah take on all comers, and each other, with questions from the floor including the evolution of women’s role in the workplace (which goes off like a cheap

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