The Big Light

Talk Media

News EN ↓ 330 episodes

Broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove and guests bring you Talk Media: a forensic analysis of how the media works, and who works the media. Packed full of candid commentary and informed opinion, Talk Media features a weekly guest commentator from the worlds of journalism, entertainment and politics. Full episodes are published weekly on Wednesday evenings via our Supporters Club. Join our Supporters Club now to listen for 99p per week: thebiglight.com/talkmedia

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.thebiglight.com

Author

The Big Light

Episodes

Malcolm Offord Is Soft with Paddy Duffy 06.05.2026 53:27

Quiz King Paddy Duffy sits down with Stuart Cosgrove to discuss the upcoming Holyrood election. Who will be First Minister? Will Reform UK take a big ol' pile of seats? Will Scottish Labour collapse after Anas Sarwar tried to chuck Keir Starmer? All this and more in your FREE AD-SUPPORTED version of Talk Media. Want to get TALK MEDIA fresh from the studio on the day of recording? Join the Supporte...

Opening Up The National with Laura Webster & Stuart Cosgrove 01.05.2026 45:00

We are delighted to welcome back Laura Webster to the show again this week. Thanks to Laura for taking time away from The National to chat with us. Later today, we will post an unedited video version of the main show recording - give us your feedback and let us know if it is something you'd be interested in having as well as the audio version. Recommendations: Laura 'The High Life' - The Musical 9...

Political Scientist, UK's foremost psephologist and the media’s favourite electoral dissector - Professor Sir John Curtice. 29.04.2026 51:33

A special episode with Prof sir John Curtice. Many thanks to John for giving us his time. To hear these episodes fresh from the studio each week, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia For the price of a cup of coffee, you get the weekly episode immediately after recording PLUS a Bonusode featuring all our patreon's listener questions - your question can be submitted once you sign up.

An Eye On the Middle East with Foreign Correspondent David Pratt 27.04.2026 44:37

Journalist, photographer and foreign correspondent David Pratt brings us up to date with the current chaos in 'The Middle East’ and ‘Nobody told ME!’ and 'BBC Cuts'. It's great to have David back safe and sound from his recent trip to Iraq and to get the opportunity to hear his expert take on the goings on. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON CLUB FOR £3.96 PER MONTH.

‘Assisted Dying Bill Scotland’, ‘BBC in trouble yet again’ and ‘SNP Campaign Conference’ with Stuart Cosgrove and Shona Craven 23.03.2026 42:55

It's a pleasure to welcome back Shona Caven to Talk Media this week. If you want to hear the episode on Wednesdays and the listener questions bonusode each week, support us at www. Patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Israel and the US start another War’, ‘More woes for Labour’ and ‘Swinney on the March’ 07.03.2026 42:03

Paddy's in the house once again to chew over this week's topics over multiple cups of tea with Stuart. Listener questions and recommendations from the boys will follow in tomorrow's bonusode! If you want to hear the episode on Wednesdays and the listener questions bonusode each week, support us at www. Patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Windsor and Mandelson arrested’, ‘Tourette's at the BAFTA’s’ and ‘Alba Election Confusion’ 28.02.2026 51:05

Here's our show from Wednesday 25th Feb with Stuart Cosgrove and guest TV producer, Quiz supremo and all round talking encyclopaedia, Paddy Duffy. To receive the show as it happens and to hear our extended listener questions bonus that publishes every Thursday, join us on www.patreon.com/talkmedia This totally independent podcast relies on our patreon supporters. By joining patreon, you can also s...

Labour Together, BBC Clawback and Bella Caledonia 19.02.2026 49:58

Stuart and Eamonn are back to dissect the happenings in the media! Labour Together have been up to some suspicious stuff, bringing Keir Starmer’s position into more doubt, the BBC are looking to claw back £600 million in lost licence fee payments, and Bella Caledonia believes that Scotland has a “one-dimensional media class that all says the same thing and all agrees about everything” - are they r...

That Mandelson Front Page & What Next For Anas Sarwar (with Laura Webster from The National) 12.02.2026 31:11

We're delighted to welcome Laura Webster, Editor of The National to the show. Unfortunately Laura is suffering with a really bad cold and had to record from home, which shows a little in the quality of the audio but her contributions are wonderful as always and I'm sure that all of our listeners will take a lot from the show. Stuart and Laura pick over the fallout from that front page of The Natio...

Talk Media Take On The Epstein Files 06.02.2026 43:13

This week Stuart and Eamonn return as they dissect the Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice and ask what they mean for some of the major names implicated in the convicted paedophile's crimes. This is the big story of the week, for obvious reasons, but the guys also touched on the mass layoffs at The Washington Post and Jeff Bezos' role in that. Alex MacDonald asked a great quest...

In Conversation with John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland 30.01.2026 26:53

This week it’s a very special episode of Talk Media as we welcome the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, John Swinney MSP, to the programme. In conversation with broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove, the First Minister chats about his media tastes, his takes on his portrayal by the media, and Stuart even manages to get some fresh insight into some stories that he was recently a major part o...

This week Stuart is in conversation with Laura Webster, editor of The National. ‘The BBC under attack as Trump Threatens a Billion Dollar Lawsuit’ and ‘Listener Questions for Laura.’ 17.11.2025 1:05:10

We hope you enjoy this free full episode of Talk Media from Wednesday 12th November. If you would like to hear the show on the day of recording and support the making of this podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Our pricing of 99p per episode helps us cover some of the costs of producing this independent look at the big stories hitting our media every week.

‘Hurricane aftermath in Jamaica - are we numb to images of destruction?’, ‘Israel arrests Army commander who released film of prisoner abuse’ and finally, ‘Carnegie report finds Scottish wellbeing ahead of rUK’ 05.11.2025 19:17

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Plaid Cymru win historic by-election’, ‘Follow the Money’ and finally, ‘Keir Starmer the Northern Soul fan’. 29.10.2025 19:18

For the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Starmer defends Israeli football thugs’, ‘Sarkozy in jail and things get worse for the dodgy Prince’ and finally, ‘Kaye Adams Pulled from Radio Scotland’ 22.10.2025 1:00:38

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full episode with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Gaza’, ‘The SNP Conference’ and ‘Prince Andrew’ with David Pratt 15.10.2025 25:22

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full episode with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Labour MSP brings scandal to Holyrood’, ‘Hat Swipe CEO’ and ‘The Media and the Nearly Men of Sport’ 03.09.2025 19:17

To hear the whole show, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Why is our media promoting Farage?’, ‘Israel double tap live on air’ and ‘Drama of the Week’ with the Dynamic Duo of Stuart Cosgrove and Prof. Eamonn O'Neill 28.08.2025 19:17

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full episode with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Oxygen given to anti-immigration groups’, ‘Why is the Scottish media reluctant to report ‘Secret State’ stories?’ and ‘The Lord Advocate reaffirms support for protest here in Scotland within legal boundaries’ 20.08.2025 29:08

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full episode with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

America Special with David Pratt 13.08.2025 27:17

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full Gaza Special with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

Ukraine Special with David Pratt 06.08.2025 22:18

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full Gaza Special with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

Gaza Special with David Pratt 30.07.2025 22:59

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full Gaza Special with Listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Greens at War’, ‘Wetransfer’s A.I. Harvest’ and ‘70% of Scottish Businesses back a Scots Visa’ 23.07.2025 23:11

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full 3 topic podcast with listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Super Injunctions are back!’, ‘Fake News Travels Fast’ and ‘Trump’s Coming to Scotland’ 17.07.2025 18:31

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full 3 topic podcast with listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

‘Gregg Wallace’, ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s new political party’ and ‘Raynor Winn’s Salt Path memoir’ 10.07.2025 16:27

Here's the first topic from today's Talk Media Episode. To hear the full hour long podcast, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia