Blethered

Paul and I look back at our first episode from January 2019 and discuss how much both of our lives have changed since then, we discuss Tik Tok and how influential it’s been in Paul’s career trajectory, and we talk about future career aspirations, and as always, plenty more. https://www.dontfretaboutdebt.net/blethered/ Support Blethered on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/Blethered Contact: se...

Jennifer Agnew and I discuss her reasons for attending AA meetings and choosing to remove alcohol from her life, our personal relationship with drinking, and our cultural attitudes and how they can sometimes make it difficult to see the negative impact it can have. https://www.dontfretaboutdebt.net/blethered/ Support Blethered on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/Blethered Contact: seanmcdonal...

Etienne Kubwabo was born in Congo and had to flee to Uganda, by foot, with his family to escape when the country was being ravaged by war. On the way to Uganda, he was split up from his family and ended up fighting to survive on his own. They were eventually reunited, as a result of a moment of pure luck, having not known for years whether Etienne was dead or alive.  Etienne came to join his famil...

Atholl Duncan was the head of BBC News in Scotland and led the coverage on some of the most notable moments in Scotland’s recent history, including the Lockerbie bombing and the Dunblane masscare.  We talk about his time at the BBC and the landscape of journalism in the modern age, we discuss his work as a leader and coach across a large variety of industries, and we chat about his new book, Leade...

Geoff Ellis is the CEO of DF Concerts, the people who bring you countless festivals and live events throughout Scotland, We talk about Geoff’s early life and career, and booking bands such as the Stone Roses while they were in their infancy, moving up to Scotland to manage King Tut’s and eventually co-founding T in the Park, and Geoff talks about some of his greatest memories throughout his career...

I'm joined by Martin Compston and we discuss the new series of Line of Duty and the challenges of filming under strict Covid regulations, Martin talks about the pressures of fame, and we reflect on setbacks and rejection along the way. We talk TRNSMT and T in The Park memories, why Martin chooses to pay top-rate tax and about his love for being in Scotland. And as always, plenty more patter. In ye...

Ross Greer is a Member of Scottish Parliament, and the youngest ever elected, representing West Scotland for the Green Party in 2016. We talk about behind the scenes at the Scottish parliament and everyday goings on, including seeing Nicola Sturgeon buying a meal deal in Tesco Ross talks me through his highly publicised clash with Good Morning Britain anchor Piers Morgan, after he challenged peopl...

I'm joined by Scottish rapper, author and social commentator Darren ‘Loki’ McGarvey for a second time, on Blethered. We talk about Darren’s new TV series ‘Class Wars’, coming soon on BBC Scotland, and we take a look at Scotland’s drug death statistics and the Scottish government’s recent response and actions to mitigate the crisis. We also discuss suicide, and why deeply uncomfortable conversation...

Adam Miller is a football writer and columnist, who started out by writing and sharing jokes online on the very popular @OldFirmFacts Twitter account, before turning it into a full time career We talk about how he made that jump and some of the experiences he’s had so far, the transformative power of doing what you really enjoy in life, and the positive influence that new voices in media can have....

Robert McNeil is a Glaswegian who played a key role in uncovering the evidence of genocide in Bosnia with the United Nations, through the excavation of mass graves in Srebrenica. We discuss Robert's early life and the experiences that shaped him, his first job as a mortuary assistant and how it prepared for him for what life had in store, and how he ended up working on the Bosnian project and the...

Author, screenwriter and journalist Neil Forsyth tells me about how he started out, and the weird and wonderful adventures he found himself on when writing features for the now-defunct lads mags of the late 90’s early 2000’s. We talk about his first book ‘Other People’s Money’, about Elliot Castro, who lived the millionaires lifestyle through credit card fraud and we discuss Neil’s work as a scree...

I’m joined by Dionne Basra and we’re talking about Alexander Pacteau, who was sentenced to life in prison at the High Court in Glasgow in 2015, for the murder of Karen Buckley, an Irish nursing student who was residing in the city. Dionne describes the timeline of events and we give our thoughts as the case unfolds throughout the episode, including our opinion on why people are so fascinated by cr...

Simon McLean is a former undercover police officer who worked with the Serious Crime Squad in Glasgow, where he pursued drug dealers, gangsters, terrorists, murderers and paedophiles.  Simon’s recently released The Ten Percent, a tell-all book that gives you a very rare insight into that world and details what The Ten Percent of police officers are willing to do to make sure those people they’re f...

Drug-law reform campaigner Peter Krykant talks about his own experience as a serious drug user before eventually going into recovery and turning his life around, We discuss the reasons that people start taking drugs in the first place and we take a detailed look at Scotland’s shocking drug-death record in recent years, Peter also explains why he set up a drug-consumption room programme in Glasgow...

Founded by Paul Pettigrew in the wake of his own gambling addiction that saw him attempt to take his own life, GamTalk provides education on gambling addiction, and support to those affected by it. We discuss how Paul started gambling and the impact it had on his life and relationships, Paul explains his lowest point of an attempted suicide and how he then started to take decisive action to turn t...

I’m joined by Matt Dean, Senior Casting Producer on MTV Catfish UK. Catfishing is the modern phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities in order to trick people into emotional or romantic relationships, over a long period of time. Matt and I discuss Catfishing, the sharp rise in cases during lockdown and I explain how I established the name, address and location of a man in...

We discuss Lindsay’s career in the radio industry and her time at TalkSport and we talk about the difficulties faced by women working in media, specifically sport media - including social media abuse in general.  Lindsay also lifts the lid on her time spent working as a stripper, delving into some of the darker aspects of the industry and we take a look at the stigmas and attitudes that surround s...

We talk about Connie’s career as a presenter, journalist and behavioural coach, starting out as a woman in an entirely male-dominated industry, and Connie explains how meditation and mindfulness can improve daily life.  As always, there’s plenty more conversation in there. Support Blethered on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/Blethered Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Twitter: https://...

I sit down with my Grandpa and talk to him about his life and experiences, and about our relationship and memories together. It was a great laugh and a real privilege to be able to do it. Support Blethered on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/Blethered Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanmcdonald01   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information...

I'm joined by Gurpreet, the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal, who was abducted on the streets of India in 2017 and subsequently accused of seven murders by the Indian authorities. The accusation is completely unfounded and without evidence, with no charges ever made, and no trial ever held.  He’s now been detained and routinely tortured for well over 1,000 days. The case is a troubling one and Gurpre...

Un episodio en español, hablando con mi amigo Pablo. Pablo es de Argentina y ha vivido en Barcelona, ​​Francia, Italia e Irlanda. Hablamos de la vida con Covid, sobre viviendo en países diferentes y más. An episode of Blethered in Spanish, with my friend Pablo. Pablo is from Argentina and has lived in Barcelona, France, Italy and Ireland. We speak about life with Covid, living in different countri...

Aarti Joshi is the head of marketing and communications for DF Concerts, the people who brought you T in The Park, TRNSMT and countless concerts and music events. Aarti is Scottish-Indian and while being as Scottish as you could possibly be, she also has a very rich cultural heritage, of which she’s rightly proud. We talk about what it was like to grow up with a different cultural background to th...

Matt was previously Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman and has been instrumental in bringing about more stringent regulation on betting companies in the UK, through the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.  We talk about Matt’s previous gambling addiction and the depths that he fell to as a result, we discuss the impact of gambling in communities throughout the UK, and Matt talks about working with Jeremy Corbyn...

Graham grew up in Largs and moved to London in the 1960’s, where he worked as a songwriter for Apple Music, the legendary music label owned by The Beatles. He had his own illustrious performing career as part of Gallagher & Lyle, before he turned his attentions to songwriting again. He's written tracks for Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, and so many more...

Aimen Dean was a member of Al Qaeda before he defected to join MI6, where he continued to operate within Al Qaeda as an undercover spy. In this episode, we discuss Shamima Begum and her appeal to be able to return to the UK, I ask Aimen if he thinks deradicalisation programs work, and I ask him some listeners questions. Support Blethered on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/Blethered Contact:...