The Spectator facts for kids
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The Spectator 22 October 2016 cover
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| Editor | Fraser Nelson |
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| Categories | Politics, culture, conservatism |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Paid circulation | 101,404 |
| Unpaid circulation | 808 |
| Total circulation (2021) |
102,212 |
| First issue | 6 July 1828 |
| Company | Press Holdings |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | 22 Old Queen Street, Westminster, London |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 0038-6952 |
| OCLC | 1766325 |
The Spectator is a weekly magazine from Britain. It focuses on politics, culture, and current events. It was first published in July 1828. This makes it the oldest weekly magazine still being published in the world.
The Spectator has a conservative political view. Its main topics are politics and culture. Besides articles on current events, the magazine also has sections on books, music, opera, film, and TV reviews. In 2021, it sold about 102,212 copies each week.
Being the editor of The Spectator has often helped people get important jobs in the Conservative Party in the UK. Some past editors include Boris Johnson (1999–2005). Other former government ministers like Iain Macleod and Nigel Lawson were also editors. Since 2009, the editor has been journalist Fraser Nelson.
The Spectator Australia is an edition for Australia. It includes 12 pages about Australian politics and news. It also has all the content from the UK magazine. This Australian version has been printed since 2008. In 2021, it sold about 9,828 copies each week. Spectator US started as a website in early 2018. A monthly print version for the US began in October 2019.
In 2020, The Spectator became the longest-running current affairs magazine ever. It was also the first magazine to publish 10,000 issues. Until June 2023, it was owned by Frederick Barclay. He also owned The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Contents
The Spectator's Story
Early Years: Robert Stephen Rintoul
The Spectator was started by Robert Stephen Rintoul. He was a Scottish reformer and a former newspaper editor. He launched the magazine on July 6, 1828. Rintoul wanted to create a "perfect newspaper." He insisted on having "absolute power" over what was published. This started a long tradition where the editor and owner were often the same person.
In its first 30 years, The Spectator had a liberal-radical viewpoint. Even with its political stance, it was respected for being fair. Rintoul first called his new magazine a "family paper." This meant it would avoid strong political talk. However, he soon realized he could not be "a mere Spectator."
Two years after it started, The Spectator strongly supported changes to Parliament. It helped push through the Great Reform Act of 1832. The magazine was very much against the Tory party. It criticized the appointment of the Duke of Wellington as prime minister.
The magazine stayed at its first office on Wellington Street for 100 years. The Spectator supported Robert Peel when he changed the Tory party. This was by ending the Corn Laws. Rintoul believed in freedom for individuals, the press, and trade. He also believed in religious tolerance. The magazine spoke out against the First Opium War (1839–1842).
Rintoul died in April 1858. He had sold the magazine two months earlier. Its sales had been falling. A new owner, John Addyes Scott, took over. His time as owner was not very successful. Sales continued to drop. By the end of 1858, Scott sold the magazine to two Americans, James McHenry and Benjamin Moran. They wanted to influence British opinions on American issues.
Thornton Leigh Hunt became the editor. He was a friend of Moran. Under Hunt, the magazine's views started to follow the ideas of James Buchanan, the US President at the time. This meant it was "neither pro-slavery nor pro-abolitionist." This view was different from most other British newspapers.
New Owners and Editors: Townsend, Hutton, and Strachey
In January 1861, The Spectator was sold to a journalist named Meredith Townsend. He had been an editor in India. Townsend wanted to make the magazine independent again. He quickly took a stand against slavery. He argued that Buchanan's actions had made problems worse in the US.
Townsend soon partnered with Richard Holt Hutton. Hutton was an editor at The Economist. His main interests were literature and religion. William Gladstone later called Hutton "the first critic of the nineteenth century." Townsend's writing made him one of the best journalists of his time.
The two men worked together as owners and editors for 25 years. They took strong stands on important issues. They supported the Union against the Confederacy in the American Civil War. This was an unpopular view at the time. It caused the magazine's sales to drop to about 1,000 readers. However, when the North won, the magazine gained readers back. They also strongly criticized Benjamin Disraeli. They accused him of ignoring terrible events in the Ottoman Empire in the 1870s.
In 1886, The Spectator disagreed with William Ewart Gladstone. He supported Irish Home Rule. The magazine was committed to protecting the Union. So, Townsend and Hutton sided with the Liberal Unionist group. H. H. Asquith, who later became Prime Minister, left his job as a writer for the magazine.
Townsend was followed by a young journalist named John St Loe Strachey. He worked with the magazine for the next 40 years. When Hutton died in 1897, Strachey became the sole editor and owner. Strachey was the main writer, manager, and critic. He truly shaped The Spectator until the 1920s.
Within two years, Strachey doubled the magazine's sales. They reached 23,000 copies. In the early 1900s, it was called "the most influential of all the London weeklies." The First World War put a lot of pressure on the magazine. After the war, sales started to fall. Even allowing writers to sign their articles, which was a big change, did not help much. After years of illness, Strachey sold his share of the magazine in 1924. He sold it to Sir Evelyn Wrench. Strachey died two years later in 1928.
From 1925 to 1975
Evelyn Wrench and Wilson Harris
When John Evelyn Wrench became the owner, he first appointed John Atkins as editor. Atkins had worked for the magazine for 20 years. However, Wrench wanted to be involved too much. So, Wrench took over as editor in 1926. He was very successful. His connections helped him get interviews with famous people like Henry Ford and Mahatma Gandhi.
One of his most remembered achievements was a campaign to help with unemployment in the mining town of Aberdare. This town was hit very hard by a crisis in 1928. Within three months, the magazine's appeal raised over £12,000 to help the town. A small statue from Aberdare is still in the editor's office today.
Wrench retired as editor in 1932. He appointed the political editor Wilson Harris as his replacement. Under Harris, The Spectator became more direct about international politics in the 1930s. This was especially true about the rise of fascism. Harris printed strong replies to readers who supported the Nazi Party. He wrote that the Nazis were responsible for "murder, assault, and various forms of intimidation." He also condemned the organized economic boycott of the Jews.
Harris generally supported Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. He praised the Munich agreement. However, he stopped supporting appeasement after the Kristallnacht attacks. When World War II started, the magazine's team moved their office. But they soon returned to London. Even though their building was bombed, the magazine kept publishing every week. Its readership doubled during the war, reaching over 50,000.
From 1945 to 1950, Harris served as a Member of Parliament. This was the first time there was a direct link between The Spectator and the UK Parliament. In February 1947, a fuel shortage stopped weekly magazines from publishing. The Spectator appeared in a shorter form inside the Daily Mail newspaper.
Ian Gilmour and Later Editors
In 1954, Ian Gilmour, a lawyer, bought The Spectator. He also became its editor. He had a liberal and pro-European view. He made the magazine more lively and controversial. He criticized the governments of Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan. While he supported the Conservatives, he was also friendly with Hugh Gaitskell.
Gilmour used The Spectator to campaign against capital punishment in Britain. He wrote a strong article criticizing the hanging of Ruth Ellis in 1955. He said that "Hanging has become the national sport."
The Spectator was against Britain's involvement in the Suez crisis in 1956. It strongly criticized the government's actions. The magazine also opposed Macmillan's government being re-elected in 1959. It complained that the Conservatives kept pretending that Suez was a good idea. The magazine also said it helped campaign for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. It supported the Wolfenden Committee's ideas in 1957.
In 1957, a writer mentioned three Labour Party politicians in an article. They sued the magazine for libel. The Spectator had to pay a large amount in damages.
Gilmour stopped being editor in 1959. He wanted to become a Conservative MP. He appointed Brian Inglis as his deputy. Inglis brought a new sense of political humor to the magazine. Even though sales increased, Gilmour felt the magazine was losing its political edge. So, he replaced Inglis in 1962 with Iain Hamilton.
Hamilton focused more on current events. He also included some more playful articles. However, Gilmour replaced Hamilton in 1963 with Iain Macleod. Macleod was a Conservative MP. Many journalists and board members were upset. They felt Gilmour had treated Hamilton badly. They also worried that having an active politician as editor would make the magazine less independent.
Two months later, in January 1964, Macleod caused a big stir. He wrote a long article called "The Tory Leadership." In it, he revealed secret details about how the Conservative party chose its leader. This article was a huge sensation. That week's magazine sold a record number of copies.
Nigel Lawson, George Gale, and Harry Creighton
The "Tory Leadership" article made many readers and politicians angry. Macleod eventually regained his party's support. He rejoined the shadow cabinet. When he became Shadow Chancellor in 1965, he stepped down as editor. Nigel Lawson replaced him. Lawson had been a financial editor.
In 1966, largely because of Lawson, The Spectator opposed America's growing involvement in the Vietnam War. Lawson wrote that the risks of America leaving Vietnam were less than the risks of continuing the war.
In 1967, Ian Gilmour sold The Spectator to Harry Creighton for £75,000. In 1970, Creighton replaced Lawson as editor with George Gale. Gale shared Creighton's strong opposition to the European Economic Community (EEC). Much of the next five years was spent attacking Prime Minister Edward Heath, who supported the EEC. Gale's strong views caused the magazine to lose readers.
In 1973, Creighton took over as editor himself. But he was even less successful. Sales fell from 36,000 in 1966 to below 13,000. One journalist said the magazine seemed to be "surviving on a shoestring."
From 1975 to 2005
Henry Keswick and Alexander Chancellor
In 1975, Creighton sold The Spectator to Henry Keswick. The magazine moved to a new office. Keswick was the chairman of a large company. He was interested in politics. He also knew that the magazine could help people get into Parliament.
Keswick made Alexander Chancellor the editor. Chancellor was an old family friend. He had worked at Reuters news agency and for ITN. Even though he was not very experienced, he became known as "one of the best editors in the history of The Spectator."
Chancellor brought back older traditions to the magazine. He used a new design and a more traditional weekly style. He also brought together many talented writers. He let them write with very little editing. He persuaded Auberon Waugh to return to the magazine. He also brought in Richard West and Jeffrey Bernard. Another writer he hired was Taki Theodoracopulos. His column, ‘High Life,’ is still in the magazine today.
In September 1978, a special 96-page issue was released. It celebrated The Spectator's 150th anniversary. William Rees-Mogg praised the magazine in Times newspaper. He said it helped move society away from collectivism.
Charles Moore
Chancellor was replaced by 27-year-old Charles Moore in February 1984. The owner felt The Spectator needed more political influence. Moore had been a writer for The Daily Telegraph. Under Moore, the magazine became more political. He generally supported Margaret Thatcher. However, he also disagreed with her on some issues. For example, the magazine called the Anglo-Irish Agreement "a fraudulent prospectus" in 1985. It also criticized the handover of Hong Kong to China.
Moore also brought in new writers. These included Nigella Lawson, who wrote a restaurant column. Craig Brown wrote a humorous column. When Taki was briefly in prison, Moore did not accept his resignation.
The Spectator was sold again in 1985. It was facing serious financial problems. The owner sold it to an Australian company, John Fairfax Ltd. This company paid off the magazine's debts. With the new owner's support, the magazine increased its readership. It reached 30,000 copies in 1986. This was more than the New Statesman for the first time. The magazine was sold again in 1988.
Dominic Lawson and Frank Johnson
When The Spectator was bought by the Telegraph Group, Moore left to work for The Daily Telegraph. His deputy editor, Dominic Lawson, took over. He was the son of a former editor.
Soon after becoming editor, Lawson was involved in a situation that led to a government minister resigning. He interviewed Nicholas Ridley, a government minister. During the interview, Ridley made controversial comments about Europe. The interview was published on July 14, 1990. The cover showed a cartoon of Ridley. Ridley resigned from the government right away.
In 1994, The Spectator published an article that caused controversy. It was about the film industry in Hollywood. There was a lot of discussion about it.
Lawson left in 1995 to edit The Sunday Telegraph. He was replaced by Frank Johnson. After the 1997 general election, Johnson helped The Spectator by bringing in writers from the "New Labour" party. He also shifted the magazine's focus slightly away from just politics. In 1996, the Christmas issue featured an interview with The Spice Girls. They shared their views on politics.
Boris Johnson as Editor
Before becoming editor of The Spectator, Boris Johnson had worked for several newspapers. He became editor in 1999. Johnson increased Spectator subscriptions to a record 70,000 per year. He was known as a "colorful editor."
In the 2001 general election, Johnson was elected as a Member of Parliament. By 2004, he was a vice-chairman of the Conservative party. In 2003, he explained that his editorial policy for The Spectator would generally support free markets. He said the magazine was "not necessarily a Thatcherite Conservative or a neo-conservative magazine."
In October 2004, an editorial in The Spectator caused controversy. It suggested that the death of a hostage was being overly emotionalized by people in Liverpool. Johnson, as editor, took full responsibility. He was later removed from the Shadow Cabinet.
By 2005, when Johnson left to become a Shadow Minister, circulation was as high as 60,000. The chairman of The Spectator, Andrew Neil, praised Johnson's time as editor. However, Neil later said that Johnson had given most of his responsibilities to an assistant.
From 2006 to Today
Matthew d'Ancona
D’Ancona became editor of The Spectator in 2006. He had been a deputy editor at The Sunday Telegraph. During his four years as editor, he made several changes. He ended the traditional "Portrait of the Week" summary. In 2006, he launched a new lifestyle section called "You Earned It." He also appointed Fraser Nelson as political editor.
A major new feature under d’Ancona was the Coffee House blog. It was launched in May 2007. In 2007, The Spectator moved its offices. It moved from Doughty Street, its home for 32 years, to 22 Old Queen Street in Westminster. The Spectator Australia was launched in October 2008. Its circulation reached over 10,000 copies in 2020.
Fraser Nelson
The Spectator's current editor is Fraser Nelson. He took over from d'Ancona in August 2009. In 2010, he made a small redesign of the magazine. He made the cover illustration slightly smaller. He also spread the contents section over two pages. Nelson described the new look as "a tidy-up."
In November 2011, an article by Rod Liddle led to legal action against the magazine. It was about a trial. The magazine chose not to fight the case. It was fined £3,000. In June 2013, The Spectator launched its online archive. It contains 1.5 million pages from 180 years of articles.
In August 2015, The Spectator received criticism for an article by Charles Moore. It was about the 2015 Labour Party leadership election. The article discussed the appearance of two female candidates. Many politicians and journalists condemned the article.
In 2018, Nelson and deputy editor Freddy Gray launched a digital version for the US. A monthly print magazine, The Spectator US Edition, started in October 2019. It quickly gained over 10,000 subscribers. The name of the US print edition changed to The Spectator Est. 1828 in October 2020. In June 2021, the website changed to spectatorworld.com. The magazine's name changed again to The Spectator World.
2023–2024 Takeover Bid
In June 2023, it was reported that Lloyds Bank planned to take control of the companies owning Daily Telegraph and Spectator. They intended to sell them. The companies were put up for sale.
When a company linked to the United Arab Emirates tried to buy them, chairman Andrew Neil said he would quit. He stated that a major newspaper group should not be owned by a government that is not democratic. Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator, also opposed the sale. He said that if a foreign government wants to buy a sensitive asset, the national government should be careful about selling it.
Shiva Naipaul Prize
The Spectator offers the Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize. This award gives £2,000 every year for excellent travel writing. The first winner was Hilary Mantel in 1987.
Political Views and Policies
The Spectator is politically conservative. In the past, the magazine was more liberal. Over its first 100 years, it supported different liberal and Whig groups. Before the 2019 United Kingdom general election, the magazine suggested that illegal migrants in the UK should be offered British citizenship. Like its sister newspaper The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator generally favors close ties with the United States. It also tends to support Israel. It is often Eurosceptic, meaning it prefers less involvement with the European Union.
Words and Phrases from The Spectator
The magazine has helped make popular or even created several well-known phrases. These include:
- "The Establishment" (1955)
- "nanny state" (1965)
- "young fogey" (1984)
- "virtue signalling" (2015)
Writers and Contributors
Many famous writers and public figures have written for The Spectator. Here are some of them:
Editors of The Spectator
Here are the people who have been editors of The Spectator:
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Images for kids
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The Spectator logo
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The Spectator 22 October 2016 cover
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22 Old Queen Street, Westminster, the home of The Spectator since 2007
See also
In Spanish: The Spectator para niños
- The Salisbury Review
- The Spectator (1711–1714)
