The Trawl

It’s been one of those weeks where the temperature of public discourse didn’t just rise, it boiled over. Marina and Jemma both appeared on daytime TV in the immediate aftermath of the Golders Green attacks. Emotions were already running high, details were still emerging, and the pressure to say the “right” thing while not saying the “wrong” thing was intense.  They talk about the subsequent s...

Jemma and Marina are back in full chaotic form, slightly sleep-deprived, deeply opinionated, and absolutely not holding back. They unpack the horror of a North London stabbing and the questions it raises, before diving headfirst into the surreal spectacle of Donald Trump hosting King Charles III, a meeting that somehow involved Magna Carta shade, a gifted bell, and a lot of ver...

In this Trawl, Jemma and Marina take on everything from outdated beauty standards to the increasingly surreal state of UK politics. There’s fury over a jaw-dropping tabloid takedown of Cameron Diaz, a debate about whether Westminster has a drinking problem, and a deep dive into political messaging that raises more questions than it answers. Plus: claims, counterclaims and confusion around cam...

Jemma and Marina start with the emotional highs of the London Marathon: stories of resilience, community and the kind of humanity that restores your faith in people. Then they take a sharp hand brake turn into the chaos of global politics. From a dramatic incident at a White House event to the online reaction that followed, Jemma and Marina wade through fact, speculation and the sheer pace of mode...

Jemma and Marina are back in the scroll, picking apart the stories, headlines and takes that have everyone talking, pondering and shouting. They get into growing frustration with the way global events are framed, and why some stories seem to get all the attention while others barely register. There’s a look at how international law is being talked about (and sometimes ignored), plus the narratives...

In this Trawl, we're heading Stateside because, frankly, you can’t look away. From Pentagon prayer sessions to a defence secretary apparently quoting Pulp Fiction as scripture, Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte try (and fail) to make sense of the latest chaos unfolding in US politics. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is back making sweeping claims about Iran, the Pope, and global diplomacy many of which don’t...

Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte wade through the latest Westminster psychodrama involving Keir Starmer, Peter Mandelson, and a row that refuses to die. Is it a genuine scandal or just political noise drowning out far more urgent stories? Because while the media obsesses over Whitehall intrigue, and there is TRIGGER WARNING for this part of the episode, something far darker is barely being cove...

The Trawl  sits down with Sir Bill Browder, the man Vladimir Putin would very much prefer stayed quiet. From exposing corruption at the heart of the Kremlin to spearheading the global Magnitsky sanctions, Browder’s story is part financial thriller, part political crusade. He joins The Trawl to talk oligarchs, accountability, and why the fight against kleptocracy is far fro...

Marina and Jemma are back in the trenches, sifting through the chaos so you don’t have to. In this episode, why Keir Starmer can be both competent  and  deeply frustrating, a baffling “free energy bills” stunt linked to Nigel Farage, and yet more questions swirling around Reform’s candidates and Tice's company tax affairs. There’s also a diplomatic cringe moment featuring&...

This Trawl begins, as you do, with Melania Trump making a deeply strange, entirely unprompted statement insisting she has “nothing to do with Epstein”, a denial so out of nowhere it immediately raises more questions than it answers. And somehow, that’s just the start. Because this week also brings Donald Trump recasting himself as Jesus in a social media post that’s as revealing as...

Marina and Jemma dive into Hungarian celebrations. After 16 years of authoritarian rule, Viktor Orbán is gone and the scenes coming out of Budapest were unreal. Thousands took to the streets to celebrate Péter Magyar's win. But what does it actually mean for Europe, Ukraine, and the wider populist movement? From there, it’s straight into the latest Trump madness, including...

It’s been one of those weeks where, every time you think it can’t escalate further… it absolutely does. Jemma and Marina mull over the ceasefire which lasted all of five minutes due to Israel bombing Lebanon and vent their frustration at Starmer and Cooper who haven't yet condemned the atrocities.  Plus: firings, firings, more firings. Pam Bondi has gone and so have some of the most senior ge...

In this  Trawl , Marina and Jemma take on one of the dumbest outrage cycles in recent memory. Yes, it's the “EU marmalade scandal” (completely made up, obviously) and some politicians and papers have swallowed it whole and are extremely incensed about it all. While the right scrambles to get furious about citrus, the pair dig into what’s  actually  going on: Reform wobbling in the p...

It was one of those nights where going to bed felt… uncertain. After a late-night post from Donald Trump sent the internet into meltdown, the world briefly found itself holding its breath, doom-scrolling, spiralling, and wondering what might come next. From rumours of escalation to very real geopolitical tension, the Trawl ladies try to make sense of a news cycle that felt anything but n...

It’s been a weekend of extremes. Marina and Jemma start with a rare moment of awe as they consider the Artemis mission and those breath-taking images of Earth before crashing straight back down into a news cycle that feels increasingly chaotic and surreal. From horrific, sweary 5am presidential posts to rising global tensions and questions over leadership, they unpack the moments that left everyon...

A very Friday feeling Trawl. Jemma and Marina are back on the scroll, cutting through the chaos with equal parts rage, wit, and ridiculousness. They begin with the utter farce of daylight saving time and a  Question Time booking that raises serious questions. Mainly, why? Then the Trawl ladies discuss the powerful, joyful anti–far right march that the mainstream somehow managed to side-line T...

Trump’s back on the mic and it’s… Sharpies, sex, and 'aced' dementia tests while the world edges closer to chaos. Marina and Jemma wade through the surreal: from Trump confusing cognitive screenings with IQ tests, to casually musing about seizing   Iran’s oil like it’s on a tapas menu. Meanwhile, his administration openly flirts with war crimes, hands out awards for sycophancy, and someh...

It’s one of  those  episodes. Marina and Jemma try (and occasionally fail) to keep it together as they wade through a week of escalating horror: war rhetoric, media apathy, and leaders who seem either missing in action or actively making things worse. From the sheer scale of the US “No Kings” protests to the deeply disturbing reality unfolding across Iran, Israel and Lebanon, this is a c...

In this   Trawl, Jemma and Marina coin a new state of being (“fucktioning”) before diving headfirst into a world that feels increasingly unhinged. From a tribute to  Married At First Sight  expert Mel Schilling, to the unbearable reality of injustice in Gaza and a horrific story about a little baby boy who was tortured by members of the IDF, the emotional whiplash is real. There’s r...

BS, Bluster & Backlash Jemma and Marina return with a properly unhinged dispatch from a world that seems to be teetering somewhere between “carry on as normal” and “is this how it all ends?” As tensions with Iran escalate (then de-escalate… then escalate again), they unpack the latest chaos surrounding Donald Trump from threats on Truth Social to mysterious “talks” that may or may no...

Trump’s regretting a war he can’t explain, his own counter terrorism chief has walked, and even his podcast fanboys are starting to wobble. Meanwhile, here in Blighty, Starmer’s juggling Mandelson fallout and the Trawl ladies are horrified by the creeping Palantir influence, as tech billionaires get a little too comfortable playing politics. Marina and Jemma can't believe what one Palantir boss is...

From the realities of political life today to looking back on the Blair years, Campbell is open, considered and surprisingly candid about the pressures, the mistakes, and why he thinks Starmer is getting it right, even if the public don't. Marina and Jemma cover everything from global politics to  The Rest Is Politics . There are thoughtful moments, a few laughs, and glimpses of the personal...

There's nothing remotely funny about war and yet the latest utterings from The White House are so batshit, Jemma and Marina have to laugh. Because if you don't....etc. Tune in for global chaos with a side of clownery. Trump declares victory… then immediately begs the world for help. The Strait of Hormuz turns into a geopolitical panic button, NATO says “absolutely not,” and the internet says “we t...

Off the back of Louis Theroux’s latest documentary, Marina and Jemma unpack the men building huge online audiences by selling a version of masculinity that feels equal parts contradictory and deeply revealing. From the obsession with status, money and 'high value' women, to the glaring emotional vulnerability sitting just beneath the surface it’s a conversation about what’s really going...

Jemma and Marina begin with story that feels like a nod to 'ye olde Trawl days' when 'Lord of the Week' was a regular thing. Then there’s an equally vintage blast from Penny Mordaunt, whose greatest hits include carrying a sword and standing up to fight. She's had an unfortunate encounter ...