Scotcast

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...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Why Lockerbie is back in the news’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00272kt Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, aka Mas’ud (pictured), who is accused of building the bomb that brought down an American airliner over Lockerbie in 1988, has claimed he was forced into making a false confession. The BBC’s Dave Cowan tells us what that could mean...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Is Trump Scotland's friend?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002745q John Swinney is on the guest list for a Windsor Castle banquet honouring Donald Trump’s UK state visit. Political editor Glenn Campbell talks us through an extraordinary turnaround in relations between the first minister and US president. And as Microsoft heralds a multi...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Housing crisis: the emotional cost’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002h9zt Amanda Smith’s (pictured) household is one of a record number living in temporary homeless accommodation. The BBC’s Chris Clements tells us her story – and explains how the housing emergency developed. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geiss...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘One lawyer quit to become cabin crew’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002d9mx MSPs are on the brink of voting to abolish the controversial third verdict of not proven in criminal cases. We ask the BBC’s David Cowan about plans to reduce Scottish courts to two verdicts: guilty or not guilty. And Edith Forrest KC (pictured) tells us why th...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Devi Sridhar on how we can live longer’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002cqnr Liam Shaw (pictured), author of Dangerous Miracles, tells us why less than a hundred years after the first antibiotic discovery, governments now need to step in because big pharma companies won’t. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissl...

Sam Eljamel (pictured) was a top NHS brain surgeon who harmed dozens of his patients, leaving some with life-changing injuries. On the opening day of a public inquiry, we ask victim Jules Rose and Justin Bowie, who has covered the story for The Courier in Dundee, whether NHS Tayside could have stopped Eljamel sooner. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller a...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Should buying sex be a crime?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002cb7z Dominatrix and sex worker Porcelain Victoria (pictured right) and campaigner Laura Baillie (pictured left) tell us why they are against Ash Regan’s proposed Prostitution Bill. 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 ‘What will the Greens do next?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002hmcv Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer (both pictured) are the new co-leaders of the Scottish Greens. In a wide-ranging conversation covering Nigel Farage, flying flags and asylum hotels, they tell us why their position on transgender issues won’t change and why they’re unwilli...

Have you noticed flags flying on a street near you? Aberdeenshire council have begun taking down Saltires from lampposts – while first minister John Swinney joined MSPs in expressing concern that the national flag has been 'hijacked' by far-right groups. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bb...

JK Rowling, politicians and activists have all weighed in on what they think about the Sandie Peggie, Beth Upton and NHS Fife tribunal, as the debate on trans rights and gender continues to play out in the court of public opinion. In this episode, Martin sits down with the BBC’s Lorna Gordon and Rebecca McCurdy, political correspondent at The Herald, to cut through the noise of what’s happening an...

Scotland has the unwanted label of being Europe’s drug death capital for the seventh year in a row. But is there reason for optimism as latest figures for 2024 show a significant drop in drug-related deaths? Former head of the Scotland’s drug death task force, Professor Catriona Matheson (pictured), tells us how we got here - and what needs to be done to save even more lives. And as concerns are r...

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to close all asylum hotels earlier than planned. BBC correspondent Chirs Clements, who was in Falkirk reporting on the latest protests outside the town’s former Cladhan Hotel, tells us what he witnessed. And as the maker of Mounjaro increases the price of its popular weight-loss drug, Alistair Murray from Phlo Technologies tells us whether his comp...

It’s change at the top for the Scottish Greens as the party elects new co-leaders. It comes after a summer of infighting, the departure of its longest-serving leader and years at the heart of power at Holyrood. BBC Scotland Political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart talks to Martin and Laura about what it means to be green in Scotland. And stand clear of the doors as Laura gets irked by etique...

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has welcomed Graham Simpson to his party after the MSP quit the Scottish Conservatives. In an interview recorded hours after his defection, we ask Graham why he’s switching parties and what he makes of his new leader's idea of deporting 600,000 migrants if he becomes prime minister. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Na...

Professor Tommy Curry (pictured) is the University of Edinburgh’s first black professor of philosophy in its 450-year history. He talks to Martin about Scotland's history with racism and its present-day problems Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk