Scotcast

Natalie talks to David Wallace Lockhart, Lynsey Bews and Phil Sim about the manifesto pledges of the six larger parties in Scotland. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Does Labour’s by-election loss vindicate Sarwar?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n3rv8q Sir Keir Starmer has said evidence given by Sir Olly Robbins to MPs 'puts to bed all the allegations' made against him over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador. BBC political correspondents David Wallace Lockhart and Paris Gourtsoyannis te...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Drill, maybe drill? Our North Sea dilemma' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002t181 UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (pictured) has announced a planned shake-up in the way electricity is priced. We ask energy analyst Ellen Fraser whether Miliband's plans will bring down our energy bills. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This epi...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Who’s to blame for Old Firm bedlam?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002sdxp’ Football pundit Michael Stewart has been banned from working at Hampden Park by the Scottish Football Association. The BBC's Chris McLaughlin, no stranger himself to a stadium ban, helps us explain why some think Stewart's criticism of referees has gone too far....

Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, we bring together three experts to debate how to fix the NHS. Dr Jayne McLaren is vice-chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland. Dr Carey Lunan is a former chair of the Royal College of GPs. And Professor June Andrews is a nurse and dementia expert. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Natalie Hi...

Natalie, Lynsey and Phil talk about the campaign's first TV debates, that row between Anas Sarwar and Malcolm Offord and who could deal with who after the election. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins, Lynsey Bews and Phil Sim. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘BBC leaders debate – the debrief’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nd1ntq Anas Sarwar has called Malcolm Offord a 'liar' over a claim made by Reform UK’s leader in Scotland during a TV debate hosted by Channel 4. We unpack who’s saying what in the latest spat between Scottish Labour’s leader and Nigel Farage’s party. Scotcast is the BBC’...

Lee Milne was jailed for culpable homicide after his wife Kimberly (pictured) took her own life following a campaign of abuse at his hands. The head of the Crown Office, John Logue, and The Guardian's Geraldine McKelvie tell us how Milne became the first person to be convicted in Scotland in such a case. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘BBC leaders debate – the debrief’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nd1ntq UK Cabinet minister Wes Streeting (pictured) has ruled out an independence referendum in the event of an SNP majority at Holyrood. We ask Nicola Sturgeon’s former chief of staff Liz Lloyd and ex-Labour adviser James Matthewson whether Streeting’s intervention helps...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘The Economy Debate: tax, spend and creating wealth’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ncnnpg Leaders of six political parties have clashed in the first TV debate of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election campaign. The BBC’s Glenn Campbell helps us assess the performance of Russell Findlay (Scottish Conservatives), Ross Greer (Scottish Gree...

Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, we bring together three experts to debate how we create a thriving economy. Tim Allan is an entrepreneur and former president of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce. Professor Mairi Spowage is an economist and director of the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute. And Chris Birt is associate director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundatio...

Natalie and Phil talk about how problems with CalMac ferries became an election issue and decode the results of a flurry of opinion polls. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins and Phil Sim. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Is the net closing on notorious gangster family?’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002td2j One of Scotland's most high-profile gangland figures – Steven Lyons (pictured) – has been deported to Amsterdam after his airport arrest in Bali. Former Police Scotland detective Martin Gallagher explains the world of organised crime and tells us wh...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Ready to explode’: prisons and early release: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002n98h A proposal by Scottish Green Kate Nevens (pictured) to abolish jails has been described as 'absolutely bonkers' by the SNP. The BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart helps us unpick the Holyrood election candidate’s comments before we unpack prisons and sentencin...

Sophie (not her real name) was raped in a Glasgow barber shop by a man pretending to be a taxi driver. She talks to Laura about reporting the crime to police; giving evidence in court; and the sentence her attacker, Barzan Nawshowani, received. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

Castlemilk is home to 14,000 people on the outskirts of Glasgow. We report on why – despite years of local campaigning – this suburb is still not home to a major supermarket. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

David, Natalie and Phil discuss a string of controversies surrounding Holyrood election candidates and SNP leader John Swinney's softening stance on drilling for North Sea oil and gas. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by David Wallace Lockhart, Natalie Higgins and Phil Sim. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison says the operator is enduring a 'firestorm' of disruption with several vessels out of action. We ask the BBC’s David Henderson who’s to blame for the problems facing our ferry network. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

SNP leader John Swinney has ordered a review of the party's complaints process after ex-council leader Jordan Linden (pictured) was convicted of sexually assaulting young men. The Scottish Mail on Sunday's Hannah Rodger tells us how a tip-off in the pub led to a confrontation at Linden's home and a long investigation into allegations against him. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This e...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Gangster arrests in Dubai: who’s who?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002jtr1 Gangland boss Steven Lyons (pictured) has been arrested by police in Bali following an Interpol red alert. The BBC’s David Cowan tells us why the arrests of Lyons and his partner Amanda could mark a significant moment in an international investigation into orga...

Martin Geissler joins David and Natalie to talk about our election interviews with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (pictured left) and Russell Findlay of the Scottish Conservatives (pictured right). And as the Holyrood term concludes, what will we remember of the 2021-26 parliament? Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by David Wallace Lockhar...

Russell Findlay (pictured) only became an MSP in 2021. Three years later, he was elected to be the leader of the Scottish Conservatives. He talks to Martin about his previous career as a journalist uncovering organised crime in Scotland, the day in 2015 when a gangster came to his door to throw acid in his face, and how this incident led him towards politics. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news po...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Malcolm Offord: the election interview’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002scz4 Reform UK's leader in Scotland Malcolm Offord (pictured) has apologised for a 'crude joke' he made about the late pop star George Michael at a rugby club dinner in 2018. We ask the BBC's Phil Sim and pollster Mark Diffley whether a string of controversies sur...

Anas Sarwar (pictured) has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021. He talks to Martin about his dramatic decision to call for the resignation of prime minister Keir Starmer and why he thinks so deeply about fatherhood. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Can we afford another cost of living crisis?': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002sps5 The CEO of Centrica, which owns British Gas, says further North Sea oil and gas exploration should be allowed to help alleviate potential price rises. As the world faces an energy shock in the wake of the war in Iran, we ask energy correspondent Kevin K...