The Spectator

This article is about the UK political magazine. For Addison and Steele's periodical, see The Spectator (1711).

The Spectator
The Spectator 25 April 2020 cover
EditorMichael Gove
CategoriesPolitics, culture, economics
FrequencyWeekly
PublisherFreddie Sayers
Paid circulation106,556
Unpaid circulation1,185
Total circulation
(2023)		107,812
FounderRobert Stephen Rintoul
First issue6 July 1828; 196 years ago (1828-07-06)
CompanyOld Queen Street Ventures Limited
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based in22 Old Queen Street, Westminster, London
LanguageEnglish
Website
ISSN0038-6952
OCLC1766325
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The Spectator is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine.[1] It was first published in July 1828,[2] making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world.[3] The Spectator is politically conservative, and its principal subject areas are politics and culture. Alongside columns and features on current affairs, the magazine also contains arts pages on books, music, opera, film, and TV reviews. It had an average circulation of 107,812 as of December 2023, excluding Australia.[4]

Editorship of the magazine has often been a step on the ladder to high office in the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. Past editors include Boris Johnson (1999–2005) and other former cabinet members Ian Gilmour (1954–1959), Iain Macleod (1963–1965), and Nigel Lawson (1966–1970). The former Conservative MP Michael Gove, will take over from Fraser Nelson[5] as editor in 2024.[6][7]

Today, the magazine is a print-digital hybrid. In 2020, The Spectator became the longest-lived current affairs magazine in history, and was also the first magazine ever to publish 10,000 issues.[8][9] In September 2024, The Spectator was acquired by British investor Paul Marshall, owner of UnHerd and major investor in GB News.[10]

  1. ^ "About | The Spectator". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. ^ "The First Number of The Spectator". The Times. No. 13637. 5 July 1828. p. 4, column D. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  3. ^ Butterfield, David (24 June 2017). "Why The Spectator is the world's oldest weekly magazine". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. ^ "The Spectator Group - ABC - Delivering a valued stamp of trust - ABC UK". www.abc.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  5. ^ Leonard, Tom (4 July 2003). "Spectator editors past and present". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  6. ^ Brook, Stephen (28 August 2009). "Fraser Nelson to replace Matthew d'Ancona as Spectator editor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ Nelson, Fraser (25 September 2024). "Michael Gove is the new editor of The Spectator". The Spectator. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  8. ^ Butterfield, David (16 February 2020). "The Spectator becomes the world's longest-lived current affairs magazine". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. ^ "The 10,000th Issue". The Spectator. 25 April 2025. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (17 September 2024). "Telegraph sale latest: Newspaper auction continues as Paul Marshall completes Spectator deal". Press Gazette. Retrieved 17 September 2024.