Scotcast

Some campaigners pushing for the reintroduction of lynx to the Highlands as part of a wider rewilding campaign. We ask former president of the National Farmers Union in Scotland, Martin Kennedy, why he and others have such strong objections. Martin also responds to some of the claims made in the first episode we did on this topic. You can listen to 'Who thinks lynx should roam the Highlands?' on B...

Age-checking techniques must be introduced to all UK websites where pornography can be found by July. We ask former porn producer Mike Stabile from the Free Speech Coalition, the US adult entertainment trade body, why his organisation opposes the measures. And Mike responds to allegations, made in the first episode we did on this topic, that the porn industry bullies its opponents. You can listen...

Martin Geissler speaks to BBC reporter Katie Hunter, who has been investigating millionaire Kevin Booth (pictured), who abused women in an underground chamber at his remote Highland home and in foreign hotel rooms. And with an 'extreme' wildfire warning in place across much of Scotland – we ask fire expert Professor Rory Hadden and environmental scientist and campaigner Laura Young if Scotland is...

Two weeks before Netflix released Adolescence, a debut novel by Scottish writer Chris McQueer with strikingly similar influences was published. Chris tells Martin about the 'boggin' things he saw while researching incels and the so-called manosphere for his book, Hermit, and reveals why he thinks some young men are so attracted to the message of online influencers like Andrew Tate. Scotcast is the...

Politicians in Holyrood and Westminster are preparing to vote on changing the law to allow terminally-ill people the right to seek medical help to die. We ask the BBC’s Phil Sim and health journalist Helen Puttick about the differences between the assisted dying bill going through the Scottish Parliament – put forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur – and Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s (both pic...

Edinburgh University’s principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, says the way we fund universities is 'broken'. We ask The Herald’s education correspondent, Garrett Stell (pictured), and political commentator Andy Maciver from the Holyrood Sources podcast if the Scottish Government’s free tuition policy – a key SNP commitment – should be up for debate. And Laura asks Martin how his latest politica...

BBC Reporting Scotland presenter Sally Magnusson sits down with Martin Geissler and Laura Miller to talk about her life and career as she prepares to stand down from the news programme after 27 years. 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

Industries like whisky and salmon are bracing themselves as Donald Trump prepares to announce taxes on goods imported into the US, on what he’s calling Liberation Day. We’re asking why exactly he’s so keen on tariffs, and what it could mean for our economy. Businessman Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland’s wealthiest people, helps us get inside the head of the man who wrote The Art of the Deal. And ec...

Emergency rent control measures which limited rent increases have expired, leading to concerns that some renters may be priced out of their homes. Martin asks landlord and Scottish Property Podcast co-host Steven Clark and tenants’ rights campaigner Ruth Gilbert from Living Rent if landlords can be trusted to set their own prices again. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geis...

BBC reporter Chris Clements has been looking into our problem with drug misuse for a new documentary, ‘One More Fix’. We ask Chris why Scotland has recorded the most drug-related deaths in Europe six years on the trot. And he tells us what he learned from reporting inside the UK’s first drug supervision room. And Martin and Laura discuss the story that's brought Boaty McBoatface and the Loch Ness...

With experts warning that the Chancellor Rachel Reeves may need to raise taxes later this year - what might the Finance Secretary Shona Robison do to balance her own books? Martin and Natalie discuss and analyse the Spring Statement with BBC Scotland’s economy editor Douglas Fraser - and ask how UK decisions may impact Scotland. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, La...

It’s an expensive time to be a fan of live music. Ticketmaster has been told to change the way it advertises prices after an investigation into dynamic pricing found it 'may have misled' fans over £350 tickets for the Oasis tour. We ask Arab Strap musician Aidan Moffat and manager and presenter Aarti Joshi how gigs have changed for fans and the bands trying to make a living in the industry in Scot...

Charity Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) says it has 'waited long enough' for ministers to improve access to mental health treatment and announced it will create walk-in centres across the country. With 11% of us now reporting a mental health problem, we ask Billy Watson from SAMH and Scotland’s Home of the Year judge Anna Campbell-Jones, who’s helped design the centres, why so many of us...

Rank-and-file police are warning low officer numbers are taking a toll on those in the job. David Kennedy from the Scottish Police Federation and a serving frontline officer discuss what it’s like for those on patrol and how it feels to be threatened with a knife, with no backup on the way. And Martin and Laura discuss whether George Clooney is right to say he’s too old to be a romantic lead. Scot...

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK won more votes than the Scottish Greens and Alba Party combined in the 2024 general election. With opinion polls suggesting his party is on course to have several MSPs elected to the Scottish Parliament, we ask Reform councillor Thomas Kerr why voters here are warming to a politician who once sought refuge from protesters in an Edinburgh pub. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish...

Five years on from the first Covid lockdown, the woman who was responsible for the NHS at the start of the pandemic sits down with Martin. In an interview recorded for the BBC's 'Sunday Show' programme, former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman looks back at the decisions she and the Scottish Government had to take. Scotcast is the BBC's Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Na...

Nicola Sturgeon has said she is 'relieved' after it was confirmed the former first minister faces no action following a police investigation into SNP finances. We ask the BBC’s David Cowan why the four-year investigation, known as Operation Branchform, took so long. And political correspondent Phil Sim looks at the significance of Ms Sturgeon’s estranged husband, Peter Murrell, appearing in court...

Edinburgh will serve as the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2027. It’s a sporting coup for our capital. But what will it mean for its people, and our relationship to cycling? We speak to competition boss Christian Prudhomme, and the man behind the seventeen-year effort, Paul Bush. Plus, Gareth Southgate has intervened in the conversation around how we raise our boys. Scotcast is the BBC’s Sc...

The UK Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, has pledged to restrict access to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as part of plans to cut welfare spending by £5 billion. But with PIP largely replaced in Scotland by another disability benefit, the Adult Disability Payment (ADP), how big an impact will the reforms have here? We ask Emma Tracey, presenter of the BBC’s ‘Access All’ disability and...

The Green Brigade supporters’ group has reacted angrily after police denied dozens of fans entry to the Old Firm Premiership game between Celtic and Rangers at Parkhead. We ask Tino from ‘The Celtic Review’ podcast whether the policing of football matches is heavy-handed. And the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin tells us how the growth of so-called ‘ultra’ fan groups has influenced police tactics. And Marti...

Campaigners say we are in the grip of a litter “emergency”, and your emails tell us something similar. We ask social media influencer Laura Young, aka Less Waste Laura, Heather McLaughlin from Keep Scotland Beautiful, and the BBC's Kevin Keane how much damage littering is doing to our communities. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins....

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is standing down as an MSP after more than a quarter of a century. We ask her former spokesperson Stuart Nicolson and the BBC’s Glenn Campbell what the former First Minister and SNP leader was really like. And we reflect on her leadership during the Covid pandemic, her independence strategy, the gender reform debate and the ongoing police investigation into the SN...

"Ozempic" has become shorthand for a variety of injections that lead to quick weight loss. What was previously the preserve of Hollywood’s elite is now widely available. So could “skinny jabs” save our struggling NHS? We speak to Professor Naveed Sattar, chair of the UK Government’s Obesity Mission, and the BBC's Lisa Summers. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laur...

When councillor Laura Murtagh proposed a 15.6% council tax increase, she knew some of her Falkirk constituents would be unhappy. But attacks on her have gone from political to personal. She tells Martin about the torrent of abuse she has experienced over her association with the country’s biggest council tax rise – and how the decision to put people’s bills up made her 'physically sick'. And Laura...

When Mhairi Black was elected an SNP MP at the age of 20, she became the youngest person to sit in the House of Commons in more than 300 years. Ahead of her new BBC documentary ‘Mhairi Black: Being Me Again’, she tells Martin and Natalie why she quit Westminster after less than a decade and how an ADHD diagnosis and crippling mental health problems contributed to that decision. Mhairi also tells u...