Newscast

The Archbishop of Canterbury tells Adam, Laura and Chris that he was disappointed to see a photo of Conservative activists having what looked like a party at Tory headquarters last Christmas. Justin Welby also says leaders need to be honest, admit mistakes and stick to the rules. And he reveals what it was like to do a jigsaw with the Queen at Sandringham. We get the latest on record Covid figures...

Chris Whitty sends clear message on festive parties as Omicron surges: stay at home unless it really matters. Adam, Laura and Fergus reflect on a gloomy No 10 press conference... And, what did the COP26 President really think of what happened in Glasgow? We find out from the man himself, Alok Sharma. Today’s episode of Newscast was made by Sam Bonham with Ros Jones, Georgia Coan, Maia Lowerson and...

Covid passes pass... despite a huge Tory revolt. MPs have backed the government’s Plan B measures (for England) in a Commons vote, despite nearly 100 Tory MPs rebelling against the plans. The BBC's Vicki Young joins Adam to chat through what went down in Parliament.  And Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first spotted the new Omicron variant, joins Newscast to explain why it’s dif...

People have been queuing at vaccine centres and online for hours to get hold of the booster after the PM’s address last night. Even the NHS website crashed! Laura, Fergus and GP Silvana McCaffrey join Adam to chat through the booster roll-out plans, what we know about the Omicron variant so far, and what this all means for the government now. Today’s Newscast was made by Emma Close with Alix Pickl...

Boris Johnson offers third jabs for everyone over 18... What do we know about Omicron? Can the NHS cope? Could tighter restrictions be coming soon? Adam, Laura and Fergus get together for an emergency Newscast after the Prime Minister’s Sunday night TV address. Today’s Newscast was made by Sam Bonham with Daniel Wittenberg. The studio manager was Ash Taylor.

So here it is... Merry Maskmas. As England's new Covid rules start to take effect, the Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar, who first broke the news about last year’s Downing Street Christmas gatherings, brings us up to date on the controversy. Meanwhile, the BBC’s Ed Thomas tells Adam about the impact of the pandemic on poverty and mental health in Burnley, where he has been following communities in some...

It’s been another long day for Boris Johnson. Laura, Adam and Chris chat about all the incoming fire. Just what did he know - and when - about the decorating costs for his Downing Street flat? And what political damage will he suffer over the continuing controversy around alleged Christmas parties last year and the introduction of Plan B. Is this the beginning of the end for the PM? MP and former...

What are the new Covid rules in England? What do we know about the Omicron variant? And what's been the fallout since that No 10 Christmas party video was leaked? Adam, Laura and Fergus talk through one of the busiest days in politics for a while... Newscast was made by Sam Bonham with Ros Jones. Ash Taylor was the studio director.

A top UK official says he regrets staying on holiday during Afghan crisis... The BBC's James Landale joins Adam to talk it all through, and we hear from Basira Paigham, who was evacuated from Afghanistan and is on this year’s #BBC100Women 2021 list. Also, Adam digs deep into the pockets of personal finance with Jaidev Janardana, the boss of Zopa, the world's first peer-to-peer lending company (whi...

The government announces its new drugs plan. As the government sets out its 10-year plan to help problem drug users and cut drug-related crime, we hear from the medical expert, Dame Carol Black, whose research informed the policy. And, as Germany’s new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, prepares to take office on Wednesday, Dr Katya Adler is back to explain what changes are expected in Europe’s richest and...

‘Drunken, drugged-up thugs’ could have caused death at the Euro final, a review finds. Two thousand ticketless fans stormed the stadium for one of English football’s biggest matches, and the official report says a “perfect storm” of problems might have turned it into a tragedy. We speak to the BBC’s Sports Correspondent, Natalie Pirks, at Wembley. It’s also time for a COP catch-up. Chris Stark, ch...

Find out which cabinet minister won’t be snogging under the mistletoe. Adam, Laura and Chris mull over what really happened at a Downing Street gathering last Christmas. Also, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he won’t be cancelling festive events and warns Chris to back off over criticism of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. Today’s Newscast was made by Danny Wittenberg, Ros Jones and Vic...

Laura chats to Adam about reports that Christmas parties were held in Downing Street at the height of last year’s lockdown. The BBCs Hugh Pym and Branwen Jeffreys join Adam to discuss whether festivities and school nativities will go ahead this year. We hear views from the picket line as university staff go on a three-day strike over pay, working conditions and pensions. Adam brings you Newscast’s...

The boss of MI6 speaks! His name is Richard Moore and he's said some really interesting things about China, Afghanistan and green ink! Adam talks it through with the BBC's Gordon Corera. And after another Covid press conference from Boris Johnson, Adam and Fergus chat with a pharmacist in Surrey. How will the roll out of the booster jabs really work? This episode of Newscast was made by Sam Bonham...

Every adult in the UK will be offered a Covid booster jab... Fergus and Laura talk through all the new changes. And as British socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell, goes on trial accused of grooming underage girls for convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, we hear about his controlling behaviour from a journalist who has interviewed him many times. This episode of Newscast was made by Emma Close with Sall...

'Nu' variant, new concern. Scientists are closely watching a new variant of coronavirus circulating in southern Africa, nicknamed the 'nu' variant. The BBC’s Health and Science Correspondent, James Gallagher, tells Adam what the experts are telling him. So how worried should we be? France has uninvited the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, from a meeting set up to deal with the recent surge in dangerou...

The Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle brings his pet parrot, Boris, into the Newscast studio. He also reveals that he’s been "heavily lobbied" by women MPs not to change the rules on bringing children into parliamentary debates. Labour MP Stella Creasy was told it was against the rules to bring a child to a debate after her three-month-old son accompanied her earlier this week. And Katya talks to Laura an...

More than 30 people have drowned after their boat sank on the way to the UK… Emily Maitlis (who was en route to Dover as the story was unfolding) takes us through the details. After his exclusive interview with the President of Belarus went viral, the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg and his producer Will Vernon tell all about what it was like meeting “Europe’s last dictator”. And Laura joins Adam from a win...

What connects a Chinese tennis star, the new Culture Secretary and a viral karaoke show? Adam explains why the answer is Twitter, with a load of great voices for this bumper Tuesday episode... The BBC's new Culture Editor, Katie Razzall, was watching the Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries. BBC China's John Sudworth and Kerry Allen have been following the tale of the tennis legend, Peng Shuai. And J...

The PM says Peppa Pig World is his "kind of place" in a pork-ward speech today... Adam, Laura and Chris get together to chew it all through. Also, Dr Katya Adler joins from Brussels (to complete the Brexitcast crew) and explains what's been going on with the protests in Europe. Today’s Newscast was made by Sam Bonham, Rosamund Jones and Georgia Coan. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The assista...

As lockdowns are reintroduced in Europe, Katya and Adam discuss soaring infection rates with Professor Hendrik Streeck of the Institute of Virology in Bonn. Plus, as Andrew Marr announces he’s leaving the BBC, we find out what he thinks Adam should be reading. Also, Simon Reeve talks rural poverty, wiggly rivers and curried squirrel in Cumbria. And Newscasters remember Ghostbusters – aka Phantom B...

There are accusations of betrayal as the HS2 rail extension to Leeds is scrapped. Train enthusiast, David Brewer, who has visited all the railway stations in the UK, shares his thoughts about how the money should be spent. Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, admits to Laura K that he’s frustrated over the situation with trade and Northern Ireland. And Adam, Laura and Chris explain changes to the...

There's been a heated row in parliament today about MP's taking on second jobs... Adam and Laura chat it through. The BBC's Sima Kotecha and her mum, Hansa, are back! We discuss the huge public reaction to former Yorkshire cricketer, Azeem Rafiq’s, emotional testimony on Tuesday. And the cost of living has surged at its fastest pace in almost 10 years. Another friend of the pod, Bloomberg’s Lizzy...

Are we going through the biggest change in travel since the invention of the aeroplane? The boss of Airbnb pops in on Newscast... Adam bumps into the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley, who is having a very good day. And we find out what’s going on with the Belarus-Poland border crisis (and how the implications are trickling down the political pipeline) with the BBC's Nick Beake. Today’s Newscast w...

When Adam met… one of his heroes he talked to him about life in lockdown, good interview techniques and how to make a hit podcast! As well as Louis Theroux, in this episode Adam is chatting to Fergus about the latest Covid news (there’s lots today) and also the BBC’s Gordon Corera, who explains what happened at the Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion on Sunday. Today’s Newscast was made by Sam Bo...