Scotcast

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Football management in an age of rage’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002kpyw In this podcast mashup, Laura toasts Scotland’s World Cup 2026 qualification with the help of Sacked in the Morning’s Amy Irons and the Scottish Football Podcast’s Ray Bradshaw. Alasdair Lamont reflects on his BBC radio commentary going viral and Chris McLaughl...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering a tax rise on some profits made by betting companies. Brian Rice (pictured), who was banned from football for placing bets while managing Hamilton Academical, tells us about managing his addiction in an industry synonymous with gambling. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode was hosted by Martin Geissler and Natalie Higgins. Ge...

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (pictured) wants to make sweeping changes to the UK's asylum system. Labour MP Chris Murray, a former chair of The Refugee Survival Trust, tells us why the reforms – controversial among many in his party – are justified. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode was hosted by Natalie Higgins and David Wallace Lockhart. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

The release of Rockstar North's highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 has been delayed (again). The video game developer has denied claims of "union-busting" after 31 UK staff were sacked, sparking a protest outside the company’s Edinburgh HQ (pictured). The Scottish Games Network's Brian Baglow, who worked on the first GTA, tells us what it’s like to work in the industry. Scotcast is the BB...

Wes Streeting (pictured) referenced The Traitors while dismissing rumours that he will challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Phil Sim helps us figure out why there’s so much gossip surrounding the prime minister's position. And The Herald’s James McEnaney explains why the threat of industrial action by teaching unions can be linked to an SNP manifesto pledge in 2021. Scotcast is th...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Where the election could be won and lost’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002lpd6 Speculation around chancellor Rachel Reeves’s UK Budget has presented Scotland’s finance secretary Shona Robison with a big question: will she put up the income tax that she controls? The BBC’s Phil Sim and Paris Gourtsoyannis talk us through how the budgets...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘What STV cuts tell us about the mainstream media’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002kd3k Tim Davie (pictured) has resigned as director-general of the BBC after a leaked memo criticised a Panorama programme about US President Donald Trump. We ask the corporation’s former political editor Brian Taylor and Liz Lloyd, a former adviser to Nic...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Where the election could be won and lost’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002lpd6 Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin (pictured) has unveiled a new plan to effectively eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The BBC’s Kevin Keane gives us his snap take on the Scottish Government's strategy. And as Nicola Sturgeon says climate chan...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Who thinks lynx should roam the Highlands?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027tgn MSPs are voting on major changes to land-ownership laws in the Land Reform Bill. Patrick Colquhoun of Luss Estates, which owns almost 50,000 acres of land on the shores of Loch Lomond, tells us about life as its 'custodian'. And Martin tells Laura which Ch...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Why true crime fascinates us’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002ld3w American Nicholas Rossi (pictured), who faked his own death and fled to Scotland, has received a second jail sentence after being found guilty of raping two women in Utah. The BBC’s Steven Godden, who interviewed Rossi, reflects on coming face to face with the man who l...

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