Scotcast

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Top doctor: NHS can’t go on like this’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002h7pg Former health secretary Jeane Freeman (pictured) has claimed 'politics gets in the way' of improving the NHS. As first minister John Swinney announces measures to ease waiting lists, we ask the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart and health correspondent Lisa Summers...

The Orange Order say they have been subjected to a rise in vitriol and violence against them - and accuse the Scottish government of not doing enough to stop it. Andrew Murray, the order's most worthy grand master, tells Martin Geissler about past mistakes and how he intends to modernise the organisation. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie H...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Life inside our packed prisons’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027t4p Justice secretary Angela Constance (pictured) is proposing the emergency release of up to 1,000 prisoners. The BBC’s David Cowan tells us why prison officers are saying Scotland’s jails are in 'crisis'. And Martin and Laura discuss a damning report into an NHS materni...

Brendan Rodgers’s shock resignation from Celtic was quickly followed by a blistering statement from major shareholder Dermot Desmond (pictured), leaving fans, commentators and pundits in disbelief. Martin and Natalie ask the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin how it came to this, and Tino Callaghan from The Celtic Exchange podcast tells us why some fans are clamouring for change at the heart of the club. And...

Criminologist Professor David Wilson (pictured) is co-host of the This Much is True Crime podcast. We talk to him about how and why only some tales become big news stories. And he explains why people are so drawn to the genre. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Natalie Higgins and Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 Police have secured their first prosecution under Operation Portaledge, launched in response to gang violence which erupted across the central belt. The BBC’s Dave Cowan tells us how officers caught Liam McDermid (pictured) as he hunted for a gun on a leafy pat...

Stephen Flynn (pictured left) is among MPs calling for the UK Parliament to strip Prince Andrew of his royal titles over links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The SNP’s Westminster leader tells us how he is planning to challenge what he calls a 'crazy' parliamentary convention limiting debate about the Royal Family. And David Wallace Lockhart explains why there’s a big dispute over who...

Susie Wolff (pictured) is a former Formula 1 test driver and current director of the F1 Academy series for aspiring female drivers. Ahead of the release of her autobiography, Driven, Susie tells us about making her name in a male-dominated sport and adjusting to the fame of featuring in the Netflix series Drive to Survive. And Laura explains how her childhood knowledge of cricket led to her big TV...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Sandie Peggie tribunal: what’s going on?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002hwmc A review has found National Librarian Amina Shah’s (pictured) decision to exclude a gender-critical book from a National Library of Scotland display was based on 'inadequate evidence'. Lucy Hunter Blackburn, who co-edited The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht with...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Would a wealth tax work?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002h025 After Chancellor Rachel Reeves was urged to be "bold" in the upcoming UK Budget, we ask the BBC’s Dharshini David if tax increases are coming. And Scotcast's Caitlin Fairlie has been hearing how potato farmers are adapting to climate change and pests. Scotcast is the BBC’s...

John Swinney is travelling to Malawi to celebrate 20 years of a Scottish-funded aid-and-development programme in the African country. Labour’s former first minister Lord Jack McConnell, who signed the Scotland Malawi Partnership in 2005, tells us how it all came about. And Martin and Natalie discuss why international aid spending has dropped down the political agenda. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottis...

Russell Martin (pictured left) was escorted from the stadium following his final game as Rangers manager while Steve Clarke (pictured right) has been criticised despite guiding Scotland to the brink of World Cup qualification. We ask former national team boss Craig Levein and the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin why so many football fans have become so angry. And Martin is unnerved by a stark comparison to...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Referendum plan revealed’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002gfsl John Swinney’s strategy for holding an independence referendum has been backed by party members at the SNP conference in Aberdeen. Martin and Natalie discuss why the First Minister has set the bar so high while Newscast’s Chris Mason sums up the mood within the major parti...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘River City goes to Holyrood’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002b61k STV bosses have defended accusations of 'financial mismanagement' and 'cultural vandalism' after announcing plans to cut jobs and axe a north of Scotland news programme. Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins discuss what the proposed cuts could signal for the...

The Scottish Government has been warned The Promise – a pledge to improve the lives of care-experienced young people championed by Nicola Sturgeon – is progressing too slowly. Jamie Dalgoutte, who grew up in the care system, tells us what life was like. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like our interview with former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002h9s7 Still reeling from general election defeat, Conservative politicians and members are gathering at their conference in Manchester. Former Scottish Conservative head of media Adam Morris and the BBC’s Glenn Campbell tell us what leade...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Humza Yousaf on Trump and Gaza’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027lr4 John Swinney has been heckled while speaking at a vigil marking the anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel. The BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart tells us why the First Minister’s views on Palestinian statehood were met with jeers. And Martin explains why...

In 1989, John Davidson (pictured in 2025) was on TV screens as a sad and lonely teenager in the documentary 'John's Not Mad'. John tells us what it’s like to have his life and journey with Tourette’s syndrome turned into a feature film, I Swear, and of his pride in Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins....

PPE Medpro, a company linked to Ultimo founder Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman, has been ordered to pay £122 million in damages for breaching a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid pandemic. Laura Kuenssberg, who interviewed the couple at the height of the controversy, tells us what they were like. And after MSPs approved new housing laws, the BBC's Georgina Hay...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Sandie Peggie tribunal: what’s going on?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002hwmc Education secretary Jenny Gilruth (pictured) says the Scottish Government’s new guidance on the treatment of transgender pupils – which instructs schools to provide separate toilets for boys and girls – provides 'clarity'. The Scotsman’s education correspond...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Could Andy Burnham be prime minister?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002jtst With polls suggesting Scottish Labour are struggling to maintain support, what can Anas Sarwar do to turn things around and does he need to distance himself from Sir Keir Starmer? Martin Geissler is joined by pollster Mark Diffley who lays out the challenges fo...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Meet the new Scottish Green leaders’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002j5l7 Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured) has turned up the heat on Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party. The BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart and Iain Watson tell us what’s gone wrong for the prime minister – and whether some in Scottish Labour m...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like Scotcast - How to save childhood - BBC Sounds A bill proposed by Conservative MSP Liz Smith (pictured here) which could guarantee all primary 7 pupils a week of outdoor learning has been brought back from the brink. The Scotsman's education correspondent Catriona Stewart and BBC’s Kirsten Campbell chat with Laura about the bumps in the road i...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Uncovering a scandal’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027t8h Families of elderly residents at one of Scotland's largest care homes have accused its owners of 'cruelty' and 'neglect' after a BBC investigation revealed a series of care failures. BBC Disclosure reporter Catriona MacPhee (pictured), who worked undercover as a cleaner in Cast...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Gangsters gunned down in Spain’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002cy0r Steven Lyons and Ross McGill (both pictured) were among four significant gangland figures arrested in Dubai. The BBC’s Paul O’Hare explains who’s who in a decades-long feud between the Lyons and Daniel gangs which preceded the arrests in the United Arab Emirates. And...