Media Confidential

Rod Liddle: The provocateur who loved to scandalise. But what did he really believe?

Alan and Lionel on the Spectator columnist’s controversial life and legacy

August 06, 2026
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In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the contentious legacy of Rod Liddle, Spectator columnist and Times radio presenter, who died earlier this week. A divisive figure in British journalism, the hosts examine his style and career as a writer and provocateur.

They also delve into reporting around climate change, as ideological fractures emerge in the Daily Telegraph. Should Tories see the preservation of the climate as a conservative responsibility? Or should we give up on climate action and embrace a Mediterranean summer?

Plus, Alan and Lionel discuss about a big Ebay settlement with two citizen journalists, following a lawsuit around the 2019 corporate stalking scandal. And, in his own case against the BBC, has Donald Trump bitten off more than he can chew?