Scotcast

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘Will the NHS shake-up end A&E ‘corridor care’? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0030yhw David, Lynsey and Nicola Sturgeon’s former chief of staff Liz Lloyd talk about the Programme for Government; the SNP’s independence strategy; and why First Minister John Swinney (pictured) was concerned about Stephen Flynn's World Cup plans. Photo:...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘How to fix the NHS – The Health Debate’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ndvclm In his Programme for Government, First Minister John Swinney promised 'radical' reform of public services, including cutting the number of health boards. We ask A&E consultant Dr Jayne McLaren, vice-chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scot...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘How we'll avoid a food shortage’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00300w9 Twenty-three organisations have written a joint-letter to John Swinney (pictured), urging the First Minister to scrap plans for a legal cap on some food and drink prices. We ask the BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart and Ewan MacDonald-Russell from the Scottish Retail Con...

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 Rangers and Celtic will both play a game behind closed doors as punishment for the crowd trouble which marred a Scottish Cup tie between the clubs. The BBC’s Chris McLaughlin explains why the Scottish Football Association (SFA) imposed such a tough penalty. And...

If you’re interested in this episode, you might also like: 'Darren McGarvey on modern masculinity and Jason Arday' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0030l83 Crime writer Val McDermid and Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp (both pictured) have released their first co-authored book, 'This Door of the Seas'. They talk to us about the overlooked, but significant, period of Scottish history which...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Stephen Flynn: I don’t want to be First Minister (yet)' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p5q38y Lynsey talks to the BBC's Andrew Kerr and ex-Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross about the Scottish Government policy, championed by Education Secretary Màiri McAllan (pictured), of giving free school bags to P1 pupils; the spending chal...

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 The trial of a Libyan man over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been postponed for a third time after new evidence emerged. The BBC’s David Cowan talks to us about the latest developments in the story. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hos...

Darren McGarvey (pictured), the author of Poverty Safari and Trauma Industrial Complex, has recorded an audio essay for BBC Radio 4 called 'Confessions of a Performative Male': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zhnj Almost a decade on from MeToo gaining traction, he tells us why he thinks the movement pushed some men towards the so-called manosphere. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘Can police stop what’s going on in Glasgow?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0030b0y BBC Disclosure’s Welcome to Glasgow, which documented blatant drug deals and racial violence, has divided opinion over its portrayal of the city. We talk to BBC Scotland's editor of long-form journalism, Shelley Jofre, about criticism of her team's docum...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Why Nicola Sturgeon is still making headlines' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00300qp SNP MSP Stephen Flynn (pictured) was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport by John Swinney in May 2026. He talks to Martin about his political ambitions, Nicola Sturgeon, North Sea oil and gas and his reading habits. Scotcast i...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘The race to replace Sarwar turns sour’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zrcr Michael Marra (pictured left) and Joe Fagan (right) are vying to succeed Anas Sarwar as Scottish Labour leader. They talk to us about their party’s failures, the route to indyref2 and guilty pleasures. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode i...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'The revolt against data centres' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nxw722 The Scottish Government has tightened regulations on planning permission for new data centres. We speak to Mark Wilson, CEO of ILI Group, the company behind plans for the world's second-largest data centre project in Auchtertool in Fife. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scotti...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Who's to blame for our ferry problems?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002td6k Ferguson Marine, the last commercial shipyard on the River Clyde, is to cut about a quarter of its workforce. The BBC’s David Henderson and David Wallace Lockhart explain why the nationalised company is struggling to secure work. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottis...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: ‘What’s behind the racist disorder on our streets?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002xg9d A BBC Disclosure investigation has documented blatant drug deals and racial violence in an area of central Glasgow identified as a criminal hotspot. We ask Rob Hay, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, whether Police Sco...

Matty Hyndman (pictured) appeared on the fourth series of the hit BBC reality TV show The Traitors. He tells us how his experiences in a religious community led him to campaign for conversion therapy to be outlawed. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Why Nicola Sturgeon is still making headlines': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00300qp David, Lynsey and Justin Bowie from The Stooshie podcast talk about the controversy which engulfed Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan (pictured); a major disagreement over Chinese firm Ming Yang’s bid to build a wind turbine factory in the Highlands; and...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'What really happens on the guga hunt?’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zrfk The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in Scotland is warning that extreme weather is having an increasing impact on our food production. With more than two thirds of England in drought, Professor Derek Stewart (pictured) of the James Hutton Institute in Invergowri...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like 'Politics Show: Is Sturgeon turning on Swinney?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zsz8 . Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) has appeared in front of live audiences to promote the paperback edition of her memoir, Frankly. Graham Spiers and LBC's Iain Dale reflect on their interviews with the former first minister, in which she talked about her fe...

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'What will Burnham do about North Sea oil and gas?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002yvvy Nicola Fauvel (pictured) is the station director of Somerset’s Hinkley Point C, the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK since 1991. She talks to us about starting her career at Torness in East Lothian - and the prospect of a repeat of...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like: 'Are our festivals for everyone?' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002gg1r The Edinburgh festivals bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to our capital every year. We talk to the BBC's Pauline McLean, who's covered the festivals for nearly three decades, about its evolution - and the possible impact of the city's new ‘tourist tax’. Scotc...

If you’re interested in this episode, you might also like 'The race to replace Sarwar turns sour' https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zrcr David, Lynsey and Bernard Ponsonby from The Ponsonby and Massie Podcast talk about Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) criticism John Swinney’s (also pictured) Holyrood election campaign, and the Scottish Labour leadership race. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news pod...

Afghan boxer Sharif Ahmadzai, who’s suspected of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross (pictured), has appeared in court in Greece. The BBC’s Marina Force and Ben Philip, who's been reporting from Athens, tell us what we have learned about the case since the 38-year-old's body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted...

If you’re interested in this episode, you might also like The seagull debate: to cull or conserve? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nwhkpj Permission has been refused for a guga hunt which would have seen hundreds of young seabirds killed on an uninhabited Hebridean island. Martin speaks to the BBC’s David Henderson and local campaigner Murdo MacRitchie about what really goes on when the guga h...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Scottish Labour slogans and Burnham’s big start’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zhvg Scottish Labour leadership candidate Monica Lennon has said the contest to replace Anas Sarwar (pictured) 'reeks of misogyny'. We ask the BBC’s Lynsey Bews whether Lennon has enough support to be on the ballot alongside fellow contenders Joe Fagan an...

Law Professor Clare McGlynn (pictured) is fighting against extreme content in the porn industry. Laura Miller talks to Clare, the author of 'Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back', about how AI is amplifying extreme content, how graphic and violent mainstream porn has become and how the industry is infiltrating the real world. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This epi...