Scotcast

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘A ‘food desert’ and the fight for a supermarket’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nbfq1x Jayne Jones (pictured) is the first chief executive of the newly-created Scottish Food Commission. We ask Scotland's 'food tsar' why she believes our food is so expensive and whether price caps proposed by First Minister John Swinney are the solution....

Natalie talks to ex-SNP MP Stewart McDonald and former Scottish Conservative adviser Adam Morris about the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey (pictured); the political wrangling over a parliamentary inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal; and the unrest that followed a knife attack in Belfast. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Nat...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Falkirk asylum hotel protest: what we saw’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002hw9s Police Scotland's Alan Waddell (pictured) has said people were 'attacked because of the colour of their skin' during a demonstration sparked by the Belfast knife attack. The BBC’s Myles Bonnar and Jax Sinclair tell us what they saw in Glasgow city centre,...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like Screen grab: should we take kids’ phones away? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qrmy The UK Government looks set to ban the use of social media for under-16s while mobile phones will soon be banned in Edinburgh's state secondary schools. Dr Elizabeth Nelson (pictured) from the University of Glasgow's School of Education tells us why bans...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘How Peter Murrell did it’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002x3yc Opposition politicians are calling for ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell (pictured) to repay the taxpayer-funded legal expenses spent on his embezzlement case. We ask Simon Brown of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association and the BBC’s David Henderson about the prospect...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Has Scotland's space dream crashed to Earth?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002r3rp Sai Venkat (pictured) is a quantum engineer working in Scotland’s booming space sector at a time when computers are about to get smarter. With so-called 'Q-Day' looming, he tells us about the work he is doing at Edinburgh-based Rhea Space Acitvity to pro...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'How Peter Murrell did it': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002x3yc Natalie and Lynsey and the BBC’s James Cook talk about the questions raised by Peter Murrell's embezzlement of SNP funds; the release of more files relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador; and a shake-up to First Minister's Questions. Scotcast is the BBC’...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: Is the UK's energy policy ‘insane’? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wjfg Fraser Stewart (pictured) is head of local energy strategy at GB Energy, a publicly owned body set up by the UK government to support our transition to green energy from its Aberdeen headquarters. He tells us why he is so excited about Scotland’s energy future, an...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Would a Murrell inquiry tell us anything? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002x3z8 Details of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell (pictured) embezzling £400,000 from the party have been revealed at the High Court in Edinburgh. We talk to the BBC’s David Henderson, who was in court to hear a statement of facts in the case involving Nic...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Debriefing Nicola Sturgeon’s Kuenssberg interview’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0npbnnh Labour’s former first minister Jack McConnell is among those calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the embezzlement of SNP money by the party's former chief executive Peter Murrell (pictured). We ask the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart why the curr...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'How Swinney is managing the Murrell scandal’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wt1n Nicola Sturgeon has spoken to Laura Kuenssberg about her estranged husband Peter Murrell embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. The BBC’s Andrew Kerr helps us analyse how the former First Minister handled the many questions asked of her during the 55-minute i...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Has Gen Z killed the traditional pub?’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002vwzw Dominic McKay (pictured) is Chief Executive of the Scottish Events Campus (SEC), home to the 14,000-capacity OVO Hydro arena. We talk to him about ticket prices; missing out on Olivia Rodrigo; his Los Angeles-inspired expansion plans along the River Clyde; and...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Will Nicola Sturgeon say more about Peter Murrell' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wsz0 Natalie, Lynsey and Andy Maciver from the Holyrood Sources podcast talk about SNP leader John Swinney's handling of the Peter Murrell embezzlement scandal; the questions being asked of Nicola Sturgeon; and the parliamentary vote on holding another...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Super-hospital scandal: the story so far' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002q2lk Dr Christine Peters (pictured) is an NHS whistleblower who raised concerns about patient safety at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. The consultant microbiologist - who still works at Scotland's biggest hospital - tells us about the...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘In court for Peter Murrell’s guilty plea’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wsvc Nicola Sturgeon insists she had 'no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever' that her estranged husband Peter Murrell was embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. We ask the BBC’s Glenn Campbell and David Cowan whether the former SNP leader is likely to say more about th...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Politics Show: Corruption row at Holyrood': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n29c7r Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon says she is “angry” and “hurt” after her estranged husband Peter Murrell (pictured in 2023) admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP. We talk to the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart and David Henderson, who was...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Take 2: Weight-loss jabs' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0029yzm Weight-loss injections are not prescribed by the NHS, despite one in three Scots being obese. Dr Mark Strachan (pictured), the new head of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, tells us why he believes this is a ‘national disgrace’. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish ne...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Will Swinney serve a full term as First Minister?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wjg7 Natalie, David and Nicola Sturgeon's ex-chief of staff Liz Lloyd discuss John Swinney’s cabinet appointments, including promotions for Ivan McKee and Jenny Gilruth (pictured), and a trio upcoming Westminster by-elections. And Liz gives us an insider...

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 The UK government has delayed sanctions that would ban imports of Russian oil - because of fears over the price of diesel and jet fuel. The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says the decision to buy ‘from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea’ is ‘ins...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Swinney reaches out – but gives Reform the cold shoulder.’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nkbjqm The SNP’s John Swinney (pictured) has been elected First Minister following a vote of MSPs. We ask the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart and Lynsey Bews if Swinney is likely to remain in Bute House for a full five-year term – and whether there w...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘How data-driven Hearts breached the Old Firm’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002w842 First Minister John Swinney says he's open to changing the law around pitch invasions after Celtic fans engulfed the field of play as their side beat Hearts 3-1 to win the Scottish Premiership. We talk to the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin and former top-flight...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Autism: rising rates or overdiagnosis?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qrvh Edinburgh GP Dr Gavin Francis (pictured) is the author of ‘The Unfragile Mind: Making Sense of Mental Health’. We ask him whether human unhappiness is being over-medicated. And he tells us his 10-point plan for happiness. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news po...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Can Rayner, Streeting or Burnham win Scots back?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002w830 Natalie, David and the Daily Record’s Paul Hutcheon talk about Wes Streeting's resignation, Andy Burnham's next move, a row involving Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannanis and ‘Swinney-ism’. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of th...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘What would it take to trigger a World Cup boycott?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002q34v Heart of Midlothian are on the brink of becoming the first club other than Celtic or Rangers to be crowned Scottish league champions since 1985. The BBC’s Chris McLaughlin and football data specialist Lee Mooney, who used to work under Pep Guardiol...

Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham (pictured left to right) are mooted as possible contenders to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister. Former Scottish Labour director of communications Alan Roden and the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart tell us which of the favourites would be best placed to win back Scottish voters. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted...