Scotcast

Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, we bring together three experts to debate how we create a thriving economy. Tim Allan is an entrepreneur and former president of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce. Professor Mairi Spowage is an economist and director of the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute. And Chris Birt is associate director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundatio...

Natalie and Phil talk about how problems with CalMac ferries became an election issue and decode the results of a flurry of opinion polls. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins and Phil Sim. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Is the net closing on notorious gangster family?’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002td2j One of Scotland's most high-profile gangland figures – Steven Lyons (pictured) – has been deported to Amsterdam after his airport arrest in Bali. Former Police Scotland detective Martin Gallagher explains the world of organised crime and tells us wh...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Ready to explode’: prisons and early release: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002n98h A proposal by Scottish Green Kate Nevens (pictured) to abolish jails has been described as 'absolutely bonkers' by the SNP. The BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart helps us unpick the Holyrood election candidate’s comments before we unpack prisons and sentencin...

Sophie (not her real name) was raped in a Glasgow barber shop by a man pretending to be a taxi driver. She talks to Laura about reporting the crime to police; giving evidence in court; and the sentence her attacker, Barzan Nawshowani, received. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

Castlemilk is home to 14,000 people on the outskirts of Glasgow. We report on why – despite years of local campaigning – this suburb is still not home to a major supermarket. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

David, Natalie and Phil discuss a string of controversies surrounding Holyrood election candidates and SNP leader John Swinney's softening stance on drilling for North Sea oil and gas. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by David Wallace Lockhart, Natalie Higgins and Phil Sim. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison says the operator is enduring a 'firestorm' of disruption with several vessels out of action. We ask the BBC’s David Henderson who’s to blame for the problems facing our ferry network. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

SNP leader John Swinney has ordered a review of the party's complaints process after ex-council leader Jordan Linden (pictured) was convicted of sexually assaulting young men. The Scottish Mail on Sunday's Hannah Rodger tells us how a tip-off in the pub led to a confrontation at Linden's home and a long investigation into allegations against him. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This e...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Gangster arrests in Dubai: who’s who?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002jtr1 Gangland boss Steven Lyons (pictured) has been arrested by police in Bali following an Interpol red alert. The BBC’s David Cowan tells us why the arrests of Lyons and his partner Amanda could mark a significant moment in an international investigation into orga...

Martin Geissler joins David and Natalie to talk about our election interviews with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (pictured left) and Russell Findlay of the Scottish Conservatives (pictured right). And as the Holyrood term concludes, what will we remember of the 2021-26 parliament? Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by David Wallace Lockhar...

Russell Findlay (pictured) only became an MSP in 2021. Three years later, he was elected to be the leader of the Scottish Conservatives. He talks to Martin about his previous career as a journalist uncovering organised crime in Scotland, the day in 2015 when a gangster came to his door to throw acid in his face, and how this incident led him towards politics. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news po...

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Malcolm Offord: the election interview’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002scz4 Reform UK's leader in Scotland Malcolm Offord (pictured) has apologised for a 'crude joke' he made about the late pop star George Michael at a rugby club dinner in 2018. We ask the BBC's Phil Sim and pollster Mark Diffley whether a string of controversies sur...

Anas Sarwar (pictured) has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021. He talks to Martin about his dramatic decision to call for the resignation of prime minister Keir Starmer and why he thinks so deeply about fatherhood. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you're interested in this episode, you may also like 'Can we afford another cost of living crisis?': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002sps5 The CEO of Centrica, which owns British Gas, says further North Sea oil and gas exploration should be allowed to help alleviate potential price rises. As the world faces an energy shock in the wake of the war in Iran, we ask energy correspondent Kevin K...

Martin Geissler joins Natalie and Lynsey to talk about our election interviews with Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay and John Swinney of the SNP. And from assisted dying to greyhound racing to Brazilian butt lifts: why have MSPs been voting on so many laws in such a short space of time? Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgi...

John Swinney has been SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland since 2024. He talks to Martin about feeling the “love of God” and why he believes racism partly explains the popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

MSPs have rejected a bill brought forward by Liam McArthur (pictured) which would have allowed a medically assisted death for terminally ill people with six months left to live. We ask the BBC’s Scotland Editor and Newscast regular James Cook how a majority of MSPs went from supporting the bill in May 2025 to voting it down 10 months later. Scotcast is the BBC's Scottish news podcast. This episode...

Gillian Mackay (pictured) was elected co-leader of the Scottish Greens alongside Ross Greer in 2025. She talks to Martin about 'rebuilding trust' between her party and the SNP, and her childhood bullying ordeal. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Iran: Are our bills about to shoot up?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002s4h6 The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the longer the US-Israel war with Iran continues, the worse the cost of living will get at home. He’s announced some support for those who use heating oil – but it pales in comparison to the help given out af...

Scotcast's Martin Geissler joins Natalie and David to talk about the first of our leader interviews with Scottish Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton and Reform UK's Malcolm Offord. And we preview the upcoming Holyrood vote on whether to legalise assisted dying. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins and David Wallace Lockhart. G...

Malcolm Offord (pictured) was appointed Reform UK’s leader in Scotland in January 2026. He talks to Martin about finding his feet in Nigel Farage’s party – and losing friends along the way. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘My clan, the land and who owns it’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002lpck The fire that ripped through a Victorian building next to Glasgow’s Central Station has left a blackened, crumbling shell right in the city centre. The council leader Susan Aitken has said the ownership of many historic sites in the city is ‘complex’, and often ‘fr...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (pictured) has been leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since 2021. He talks to Martin about Quakerism, pacifism and nationalism in the first of our series of interviews with party leaders ahead of the Holyrood election. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: scotcast@bbc.co.uk

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Fans hit out at Old Firm policing’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002919c Police Scotland have condemned the behaviour of fans attending the Scottish Cup clash between Rangers and Celtic as 'despicable' and 'shameful'. We ask the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin how the clubs and authorities will respond to the disorder at Ibrox. Scotcast is the...