
Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
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Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
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Total monthly reach
Estimated from 37 chart positions in 37 markets.
By chart position
- 🇬🇧GB · Religion#41M to 3M
- 🇦🇺AU · Religion#6300K to 1M
- 🇩🇪DE · Religion#8300K to 1M
- 🇺🇸US · Religion#9030K to 100K
- 🇨🇦CA · Religion#1045K to 30K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
743K to 2.3M🎙 Daily cadence·225 episodes·Last published yesterday - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
2.5M to 7.8M🇬🇧38%🇦🇺13%🇩🇪13%+34 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
991K to 3.1M
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Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
From 10 epsHost
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Mexico, the Catholic Church & the rise of the cartel cults
Jun 8, 2026
Unknown duration
Michael Gove on why the Pope's AI intervention shames our politicians
May 28, 2026
Unknown duration
One year of Pope Leo – a promising start?
May 12, 2026
Unknown duration
Is Pope Benedict’s Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans finally going to realise its potential?
Apr 25, 2026
30m 12s
Why has Trump picked a fight with the Pope?
Apr 17, 2026
25m 07s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/8/26 | ![]() Mexico, the Catholic Church & the rise of the cartel cults | Friend of Holy Smoke Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith joins Damian Thompson to talk about the complicated relationship between the drug cartels in Mexico and the Catholic Church. The violence of the cartels has led to a flourishing of shrines – and also cults – which have seen Catholic and pagan beliefs fuse together, and which are not always condemned by all church leaders. What motivates the Mexicans who turn to these beliefs? And what does Mexico tell us about corruption across the wider Church?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/28/26 | ![]() Michael Gove on why the Pope's AI intervention shames our politicians | The Spectator's editor Michael Gove ‘was born into a sternly Presbyterian culture’, but – in this week's magazine – is ‘giving thanks to the Pope’ for producing Magnifica Humanitas, his encyclical about artificial intelligence (AI). AI will be ‘as transformative as the Industrial Revolution’ but decisions ‘about where this technology is going and how it might be deployed are concentrated... in perilously few hands’.Michael joins Damian Thompson on Holy Smoke to explain why the document reveals Pope Leo to be 'intellectually confident and coherent', what the Christian response to AI should be and why he believes Catholic social teaching is 'absolutely essential' in instructing us for how to deal with this next technological revolution.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/12/26 | ![]() One year of Pope Leo – a promising start? | One year on from when Pope Leo became head of the Catholic church and he remains a bit of an enigma. Is he a Conservative or Liberal? What did we learn from his clash with Donald Trump? Damian Thompson is joined by editor of The Pillar Ed Condon and two Spectator favourites – Freddy Gray and Mary Wakefield. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/25/26 | ![]() Is Pope Benedict’s Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans finally going to realise its potential?✨ | Pope Benedict XVIOrdinariates+4 | Fathers Ed TomlinsonBenedict Kiely | Pope Benedict XVIOrdinariates+2 | — | Pope Benedict XVIOrdinariates+5 | — | 30m 12s | |
| 4/17/26 | ![]() Why has Trump picked a fight with the Pope?✨ | TrumpPope+4 | Freddy Gray | Holy SmokeAcast | — | TrumpPope+5 | — | 25m 07s | |
| 4/12/26 | ![]() How homosexuality has torn apart the United Methodist Church✨ | homosexualityUnited Methodist Church+3 | Mark Tooley | Institute on Religion and DemocracyUnited Methodist Church+1 | — | United Methodist Churchhomosexuality+5 | — | 19m 02s | |
| 4/5/26 | ![]() How would you sell Christianity today? with Rory Sutherland✨ | Christianityadvertising+4 | Rory Sutherland | The SpectatorAcast | — | Christianityadvertising+5 | — | 28m 21s | |
| 4/3/26 | ![]() The truth about the quiet revival – with grounds for optimism✨ | quiet revivalChristianity+5 | Justin Brierley | Bible SocietyYouGov+1 | — | quiet revivalChristianity+7 | Spectatoradfree | 25m 46s | |
| 3/26/26 | ![]() Prince William resets faith – as Sarah Mullally enthroned✨ | faithChurch of England+5 | Robert HardmanThe Rev'd Fergus Butler-Gallie | Church of EnglandThe Daily Mail+2 | — | Prince WilliamDame Sarah Mullally+5 | — | 36m 38s | |
| 3/23/26 | ![]() Iran: why Shia Islam's tradition of martyrdom is key to understanding the conflict✨ | Shia Islammartyrdom+3 | Dr Eric Lob | Florida International UniversityThe Spectator | — | IranShia Islam+5 | — | 28m 44s | |
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| 3/17/26 | ![]() Who is Sarah Mullally?✨ | Archbishop of CanterburySarah Mullally+3 | Andrew Atherstone | Oxford UniversityThe Spectator+1 | — | Sarah MullallyArchbishop of Canterbury+5 | — | 44m 57s | |
| 3/4/26 | ![]() In defence of Christian monarchies✨ | monarchiestradition+4 | Charles Coulombe | The Spectator | — | Christian monarchiestradition+3 | — | 30m 31s | |
| 2/24/26 | ![]() How Russia is waging Holy War in Ukraine✨ | religious dimensions of warHoly War+4 | Dr Yuri Stoyanov | SOAS university | RussiaUkraine+2 | RussiaUkraine+8 | — | 32m 02s | |
| 2/17/26 | ![]() Is there any truth in the Christian revival? | There has been a lot of speculation about a 'quiet revival' of Christianity happening amongst the younger generations – including on this podcast. Much of this traces back to a survey conducted by the Bible Society last year. Respected demographer Conrad Hackett of the Pew Research Center joins Damian Thompson to explain the truth behind the statistics, and why we have to be wary of the methodology used by different polls. Some interesting facts: Christians remain the largest religious group in the world, following by Muslims and then the religiously non-affiliated; while Europe was home to the largest number of Christians as recently as 2010, sub-saharan Africa now has the highest number – a region in which the Muslim population is also growing; and, the biggest religious change happening in the world is the number of people raised Christian who are choosing to no longer identify as Christian – of which the UK is the leading country in Europe in terms of this population.For more from Conrad, you can check out his research here.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/8/26 | ![]() Moltbook: has AI created its own religion? | What did you most recently use Artificial Intelligence for? For most people, the answer would be as a glorified search function, using services like Chat GPT to ask questions, draft text and even produce images – like the Chat GPT generated thumbnail image for this episode. The capability of AI far exceeds this most though. Sean Thomas joins Damian Thompson for this episode of Holy Smoke to talk about 'Moltbook', a social network built exclusively for AI agents – and which has now created its own AI 'religion'. What does this mean for humankind? Is AI just replicating a belief impulse, to the extent that one exists within humans? And will we one day end up worshipping AI?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/31/26 | ![]() Why did Pope Leo choose a 'safe pair of hands' for Westminster? | The next Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, will be installed in his cathedral on February 14. Bishop Moth, formerly of Arundel and Brighton, is seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’. But why didn’t the job go to a more charismatic figure, such as Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark? What does this low-key appointment tell us about Pope Leo’s vision for the Church? Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, a moral theologian and priest of Arundel and Brighton – and friend of Holy Smoke, joins Damian Thompson for a frank and wide-ranging discussion about the problems facing the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/25/26 | ![]() The historic value of English churches – with Daniel Wilson | When was the last time you visited your local parish church? Historian and social media influencer Daniel Wilson joins Damian Thompson to encourage more people to visit their local churches – not just as a centre of worship but as a historical treasure trove. Daniel takes us through some of his favourite examples of medieval architecture, as he emphasises the importance of being a 'tourist in your own neighbourhood'.For more from Daniel, you can find him on Instagram and TikTok: @greatbritisharchitectureProduced by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 1/16/26 | ![]() Iran: why theocracies survive – with Peter Frankopan | In the 21st century, the theocratic nature of the Iranian regime – ruled by senior Shia clerics – appears to be a rarity. The constitutional role of religion is perhaps matched only by the Vatican City and Afghanistan, though these vary in terms of autocracy – as evidenced by the brutal suppression of protests across Iran in the past few weeks. The regime, installed following the 1979 revolution and led first by Ayatollah Khomeini and now Ayatollah Khameini, has proven remarkably resilient; how has it survived so long?Peter Frankopan – professor of global history at Oxford University – joins Damian Thompson to discuss the tensions associated with state control of public life, how to define theocracies and how those of us in the global west might not be as immune to their features as we would like to think.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/24/25 | ![]() How transformative has 2025 been for Christianity? | Anglican author The Rev'd Fergus Butler-Gallie, Catholic priest Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith and Evangelical commentator Fleur Meston join Damian Thompson to reflect on 2025. They discuss Pope Leo XIV's leadership so far, the choice of Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury and why Christianity has been coopted by the far right. Plus, was the 'quiet revival' of Church-going the start of a trend – or just a blip?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/16/25 | ![]() Why religious societies succeed – with Rory Sutherland | Advertising guru – and the Spectator's Wiki Man columnist – Rory Sutherland joins Damian Thompson for this episode of Holy Smoke. In a wide ranging discussion, from Sigmund Freud and Max Weber to Quakers and Mormons, they discuss how some religious communities seem to be predisposed to success by virtue of their beliefs. How do spiritual choices affect consumer choices? Between Android and Apple, which is more Protestant and which is more Catholic? And what can modern Churches learn from Capitalism?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 12/11/25 | ![]() How was Commercial Christmas born? | Historian and writer Charles Coulombe joins Damian Thompson to talk about how Christmas has changed over the past two centuries, the differences between Catholic and Anglican Christmas – and how a modern, commercial Christmas developed over time. Plus, he takes us through the origins of Christmas traditions from Christmas trees to Advent and whether we should say 'Happy' or 'Merry' Christmas. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 11/25/25 | ![]() Why is it left to Trump to highlight the persecution of Christians in Nigeria? | Fr Benedict Kiely, founder of nasarean.org, and Freddy Gray join Damian Thompson to discuss the persecution of Christians which has reached new and terrifying levels. Since this podcast was recorded last Friday, we have had the further news that over 300 children and staff were abducted from a Christian school – while around 50 of the children have since managed to escape, the rest remain missing and a local Bishop has criticised the Nigeria government for its failure to act. Over 185,000 Christians are estimated to have been killed in Nigeria in the past 15 years – so why has it taken the efforts of President Trump to push this horrific topic up the agenda?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 11/16/25 | ![]() Why did the Danish PM call for a 'spiritual rearmament'? | Earlier this year, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, stood before a group of university students and made a striking statement: ‘We will need a form of rearmament that is just as important [as the military one]. That is the spiritual one.’ This was all the more remarkable from the leader of the Social Democrats, and in a country which is amongst the most secular in the world. Danish journalist Iben Thranholm – who joins Damian Thompson for this episode of Holy Smoke – says that in some ways the welfare state had replaced the belief in god in Denmark.So to what extent is Frederiksen's call to action a political project, and how reactionary is it? And is this part of the Christian revival, shoots of which are being seen across the global West? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 11/9/25 | ![]() Have the culture wars gone spiritual? | Why are Silicon Valley billionaires obsessing over Heaven & Hell, and what does it tell us about American society today? Spectator World's Arts Editor Luke Lyman joins Damian Thompson on this episode of Holy Smoke to talk about how a fascination with the Book of Revelation, the Antichrist and a techno-utopia – or techno-apocalypse – has gripped the 'tech bros'.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 10/30/25 | ![]() Is the cult of St Edward the Confessor justified? | October marks the month of Edwardtide – a series of celebrations commemorating St Edward the Confessor, the King that ruled England in the 11th century for over two decades. Nowadays, he is remembered for three reasons: as one of the last Anglo-Saxon monarchs, for commissioning Westminster Abbey and for being the only English King canonised by a Pope. But does the historical record justify the cult of St Edward? Professor Tom Licence from the University of East Anglia joins Damian Thompson to discuss.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
39 placements across 37 markets.
Chart Positions
39 placements across 37 markets.

























