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‘It’s a cesspool!’ — What’s going wrong in Britain’s universities?

August 14, 2026 · 52 min

Show notes

William Moore is joined by The Spectator’s associate editor Toby Young, commissioning editor Lara Brown and newsletter editor and restaurant critic Angus Colwell.


This week: What has gone wrong with British universities? Lara unpacks the wider academic crisis in the wake of the Jason Arday scandal, from ‘surviving the apocalypse’ courses at Warwick to maths departments promising to ‘decolonise’ the subject. Has the sector lost its nerve?


Also: Balding. Toby explains why he’s trying to talk his three sons out of hair transplants, while Angus and Lara weigh in on whether men vastly overestimate the importance of their hair on the dating market.

Plus: is Indian the best cuisine? Angus argues it’s surprisingly hard to find a truly great curry in London, while the the panel ask whethe Indian food is unfairly low-status because it’s too cheap.


Produced by Henry Lloyd and Oscar Edmondson. 

This episode is brought to you by Raymond James. Combining deep insights into who you are with our financial expertise, that’s the power of personal. Investment involves risk.


raymondjames.uk.com


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