Programming note: Mark will be on the radio immediately after today's Steyn Show with the Thursday replay of his Serenade Radio Song of the Week. That's at 9pm British Summer Time/4pm North American Eastern. You can listen from anywhere on the planet right here.
In tonight's special edition of The Mark Steyn Show, we mark the (latest) resignation of Boris Johnson - this time from Parliament, following a damning report by the House of Commons Committee of Privileges, and his own scornful reaction to it. As Mark says, he would prefer that Johnson were toppled not by birthday cake and wine bottles in suitcases but instead by Net Zero and the bungled Brexit. Nevertheless, tonight he revisits his assessment of his old editor on the night of his (original) resignation - as prime minister - with a stellar array of guests: Boris's former patron Conrad Black, historian David Starkey, Kathy Gyngell of The Conservative Woman, the indispensable Steyn Show mainstay Leilani Dowding, and longtime Thatcher speechwriter John O'Sullivan.
Plus our friend Samantha Smith is on hand to assess the Johnson legacy a year after his downfall. All Mark's guests know their subject and all have interesting insights to offer.
All that together with a brand new Mark's Mailbox. To watch this special edition of The Mark Steyn Show, simply click above.
For our Antipodean viewers, you may find our Australian broadcast more convenient: The Steyn Show airs Tuesday to Friday at 5pm Oz Eastern time on ADH TV - your home for Alan Jones, Alexandra Marshall, The Spectator's TV edition and many other fine shows.
~If you appreciate these Steyn specials, we'll be doing them live on next month's Mark Steyn Cruise with the aforementioned Leilani Dowding, John O'Sullivan and many more of your favourite guests.
~Thank you for all your kind comments on Steyn's brand new book The Prisoner of Windsor, set in London during the Coronation of a not terribly popular monarch. Tom Walsh tweets from New York City:
Reading (and listening to) The Prisoner of Windsor by Mark Steyn @MarkSteynOnline - absolutely hilarious. 5 stars.
Thank you, Tom. The Prisoner of Windsor is available in hardback and digital editions. If you make it all the way to the end, you'll notice there's a promised sequel. Veronica in Auckland thinks she knows what that's all about:
Does anybody else think that 'Rupert Henley' is clearly based on Boris Johnson and that Lady Belinda Featherly (who is a charming, intelligent and actually quite tragic character who has much more chemistry with Rudy than Wendy Rassendyll does BTW) is probably based on a former girlfriend of his, or maybe more than one?
MS moved in those circles at one time so he must be well-versed in the Johnson oeuvre so to speak... just my impression of the characterization anyway. Given MS's low opinion of BJ, it's kind of funny that Rupert/Boris is to get his own book :)
Well, you don't want to get too roman à clef about the dramatis personae, Veronica. At some point, fictional characters have to stand on their own two feet. But we do believe you'll enjoy the premise that kicks off the forthcoming Rupert of Henley (if Mark's health permits him to complete it).
~Among many casualties of Boris Johnson's premiershop is the shrunken state of free speech in the United Kingdom. Steyn is the first presenter in a decade-and-a-half to push back and sue the media censor Ofcom. (You can read his initial Statement of Claim here.) Many viewers have written to ask how they can support this important lawsuit in the English High Court. Well, there are multiple ways, including:
a) signing up a friend for a Steyn Club Gift Membership;
b) buying a loved one a SteynOnline gift certificate;
c) purchasing a copy of Mark's above-mentioned new book; or
c) joining Mark, John, Leilani and his other special guests on next month's Steyn Cruise.
~Among the benefits of Mark Steyn Club membership is that you can enjoy The Mark Steyn Show in any medium you desire: video, audio or text. So, if you find Steyn and his guests more convivial in non-visual form, please log-in to our Audio and Transcript versions. To listen to the above show, simply click here.
This edition of The Mark Steyn Show is a special production of The Mark Steyn Club. One advantage of membership is access to our comments section. So, if you take issue with anything said by Conrad, Kathy, Leilani, or anybody else, then feel free to comment away below.