The Big Light

Talk Media

News EN ↓ 314 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

Author

The Big Light

Category

News

Podcast website

www.thebiglight.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

'Trump to the Rescue' and 'Arts for Arts Sake' / with Catriona Stewart and Angela Haggerty 19.02.2025

Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia

"Let Hell Break Out" and 'Farage sets sights on Scotland' / with Ruth Wishart and David Pratt 12.02.2025

Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia An extended listener questions this week featuring questions from Alex MacDonald, Bill White and Colin Bone.

Starmer in a Spin, The Scottish Government Budget and They’re Banning Cats / with Angela Haggerty and John Nicolson 05.02.2025

Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia We are delighted to welcome John Nicolson to the show today for the first time. Thanks to John for joining us remotely, hopefully next time we will have him in for some tea and biscuits! Listener question this week is from John Nichol. Recommendations: Angela Severance - Apple TV Eamonn The Passa...

“Clearing out Gaza,” the UK media reacts to Reeves’ ‘runway to growth’ and an extended listener questions / with David Pratt 30.01.2025

Here's the first topic of today's Talk Media. To hear the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia Today's show was recorded before Israel announced their delay in releasing Palestinian prisoners. Listen questions from Jim Hunter, James Ross and Linda. Recommendations: Eamonn The Rose of Tibet - Lionel Davidson David War was my comfort zone, until I had to walk away - BBC Outlook

‘Ceasefire in Gaza’; ‘Trump 2.0 Speaks’ and ‘When the Media Solves the Mystery’ / with Catriona Stewart and David Pratt 22.01.2025

Here's a free listen to the first topic from this week's show. If you want to hear the other two topics, listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia and help us to continue our independent look at the stories hitting the news and the media behind them.

‘UK’s First Drug Consumption Opens’ ‘Can Artificial Intelligence Save Labour?’ and ‘Sturgeon Splits as Ferry Sails’ / with Alison Thewliss and Angela Haggerty 15.01.2025

Happy New Year to you all from everyone at The Big Light. Here's a free listen to the first topic from this week's show. If you want to hear the other two topics, listener questions and recommendations, go to www.patreon.com/talkmedia and help us to continue our independent look at the stories hitting the news and the media behind them. We're really happy to be back in the studio and delighted to...

‘City Centre Cup Chaos’ ‘The Prince’s Spy’ and ‘Our top stories of 2024’ / with Catriona Stewart, Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 18.12.2024

A bumper show today full of energy and great debate. We'll be back with our first show of 2025 on 8th January. Wishing all of you a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year. Recommendations: Catriona Swiped - CH4 Emma and Matt Willis challenge a group of Year 8 pupils at the Stanway School in Colchester to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days Angela Irresistible -BBC2 Why are ultra-pr...

‘Syria - who saw that coming?’ ‘Scottish Independence Poll Shocker’ and ‘Does the UK press follow an unwritten code in murder reporting?’ / with David Pratt and Angela Haggerty 11.12.2024

Listener questions from Kay Springham and Iain Campbell. Recommendations: Eamonn The Only Girl In the Orchestra - Netflix This short documentary celebrates trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien, the first woman to become a full-time member of the New York Philharmonic. Angela Cover - BBC Sounds The man tasked with finding and killing alleged IRA informers was an informer all along. Reporter Mar...

The Irish Election, Alex Salmond’s Memorial Service and ‘Out of the Frying Pan and into The Fire’/with Paddy Duffy and Angela Haggerty 04.12.2024

At the end a question from Alex MacDonald. Recommendations: Eamonn Me and Mon Ami - YouTube Adventures On The French Riviera In a Citroën Ami. We may not have driving licences but that won’t stop us. Join us as we go up mountain and down dale in this sunny place for shady people. Along with our chihuahua Twiggy we’ll take you to amazing villages, fantastic local restaurants, and off the beaten tra...

The Middle East and Ukraine, Strike threats at The Guardian over sale of The Observer and Fact vs Fiction - The influence of a Netflix drama on an ongoing legal case / With David Pratt 27.11.2024

Included questions from Paul Hampton, David Arnott and Muriel Cockburn. A deep dive into the fast moving situations in both the Middle East and Ukraine, discuss the threat of strikes at The Guardian and The Observer and we consider the latest drama to spark court dealings - this time it’s the Netflix and the Mendez Brothers. Recommendations: David UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese calls Dav...

The State of Joe Biden’s Legacy, Free Speech in the UK, and the Media’s Obsession with Celebrity following one of the most hyped up boxing matches in recent memory / with Catriona Stewart and Angela Haggerty 20.11.2024

This week our question comes from Alison McKeever. Recommendations: Catriona Who Killed Emma - BBC Scotland The naked body of a young woman is found in isolated woods. Police never catch her killer. Journalist Sam Poling's investigation takes her into a dark and unsettling world of sex, rape, lies and murder. And it leads her to confront the man she believes is the prime suspect. From BBC Scotland...

Led By Donkeys, Screen Scotland Expose BBC Commissioning and SNP Big Hitters To Come Home / with Ruth Wishart and David Pratt 14.11.2024

Recommendations: Ruth Cove and Kilcreggan Book Festival 2024 Amongst the popular authors this year are Liz Lochhead, Alex Gray, and a much lauded new kid on the block called Jen Stout, who has been recalling her adventures covering the conflict in Ukraine. Tickets, both weekend and single event are available via the button below. Breaking News ! We are pleased to announce our full list of Authors....

TM 247 US Election Special 'Trumped - from Courtroom Felon to President Elect' / with Paddy Duffy and David Pratt 07.11.2024

A bit of a U.S. Election Special here. As we all wonder what the next 4 years of President Trump will bring, here is this week's episode with this trio on good form. Recommendations: Eamonn The Kominsky Method - Netflix Acting coach Sandy Kominsky and best friend Norman Newlander keep each other laughing as they navigate the ups and downs of getting older. The War Room - Amazon This documentary fo...

‘Fiscal Fiddling’, ‘Madison Square Garden Stooshie’ and ‘The Changing Face of Scottish Journalism’ / with Alison Thewliss and Catriona Stewart 31.10.2024

We are very lucky to have the participation of all our guests who give up their time to chat through the week's topics. Today we are ally pleased to welcome back Alison and Catriona. Recommendations: Alison Why We're Polarized (Paperback) - Ezra Klein America's political system isn't broken. The truth is scarier: it's working exactly as designed. In Why We're Polarized, Ezra Klein reveals the stru...

‘Not my King!’, ‘Democracy for Sale’ and ‘Gove goes BBC’ / with Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 23.10.2024

Recommendations: Angela The Wild Robt - film From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown's beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot. The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot--ROZZUM unit 7134, "Roz" for short--that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually build...

‘Scotland Forever’, ‘Another Horrific Week in the Middle East’ and ‘Labour’s Back to Work Prescription’ / with Catriona Stewart and David Pratt. 16.10.2024

Episode 244 of Talk Media discusses the media coverage following the sudden death of Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, who in 2014, took our country within touching distance of Independence. Eamonn, joined by Catriona Stewart and David Pratt, have a frank discussion on the media coverage , a look at the horrors taking place in the Middle East and the frankly strange news of Labour pushing we...

‘Starmer appoints an Envoy for the Nations and Regions’, ‘Balance on the 7th Oct Anniversary’ and ‘Laura Lets Slip’ / with Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 09.10.2024

This week we are in sync with our listeners with all 3 topics matching questions submitted. Thanks to all! We have our fingers crossed that we can have Stuart back with us next week. Recommendations: Angela Hounded: Women, Harms and the Gender Wars - Jenny Lindsay The last decade has seen countless cases of women being fired, disciplined, protested or no-platformed for their views on sex and gende...

‘BBC Scotland Announce New Director’, ‘Netanyahu Answers to Nobody’ and ‘In Liz We Trust’ / with Simon Pia and David Pratt. 02.10.2024

We are still missing our big pal Cosgrove so we're really grateful to Simon and David for getting the TM jersey on and getting stuck in to the day's subjects. Recommendations: Eamonn In Vogue - the 90's Disney+ The '90s was the decade when high fashion walked off the runway and into mainstream culture. Featuring an A-list cast from the worlds of fashion, film and music, alongside Vogue’s Anna Wint...

‘The Labour Conference’, ‘Indy Ref Anniversary Media’ and ‘Money in Detention’ / with Angela Haggerty and Catriona Stewart 25.09.2024

Hopefully we will have Stuart back with us next week, but in the meantime we are delighted to have two of Scotland’s best commentators on the show - welcome back Angela Haggerty and hot from the Labour Party Conference - Catriona Stewart . Recommendations: Eamonn The Seige - Book - Ben Macintyre On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking...

‘Exploding Pagers’, ‘Huw Edwards’, ‘Glasgow Saves the Commonwealth’ and ‘Section 31’ / with Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 18.09.2024

Stuart is off this week so we have brought in the wonderful Angela Haggerty and David Pratt to discus this week's topics with Eamonn at the helm. Recommendations: Angela Darren McGarvey's trauma industrial complex Royal Society of Edinburgh Darren McGarvey – author of Poverty Safari and The Social Distance Between Us – began his new project, “The Trauma-Industrial Complex”, by delivering a Signatu...

‘Starmer Wins, Pensioners Lose’, ‘Royals Go Pro’, ‘Trump v Harris’ / with Paddy Duffy 11.09.2024

This week we're talking about yesterday's big Labour vote , the candyfloss royal pop video and discussing what might be the one and only debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. We took as many questions as we could get through and have kept submissions from Lorraine Kerr, Edward Docherty and Gill Blair for next week. RECOMMENDATIONS: Paddy Colin from Accounts - iplayer Two single(ish) peopl...

‘Scottish Government Cuts’, ‘Israel - behind the headline?’ and the ‘Dynamic Ticket Pricing - Who knew?’ / with Batman and Robin 04.09.2024

This week we've given the dynamic duo a chance to talk over this week's headlines by themselves. Recommendations: Eamonn From the Vine - Film - Amazon Prime A downtrodden man experiences an ethical crisis and travels back to his hometown in rural Italy to recalibrate his moral compass. There he finds new purpose in reviving his grandfather's old vineyard, offering the small town of Acerenza a sust...

‘Ukrainian Knife-Edge’, ‘Propaganda’ and the ‘Definitely Maybe’ / with David Pratt New 28.08.2024

If you like this trailer, come and join us @ www.patreon.com/talkmedia for the price of a cuppa coffee each month. A lively show today with our pal David who brings us up to date on Ukraine and Gaza, then it's off to the business of "propaganda"....... Enjoy! Recommendations: David Tangier: City of the Dream (Paperback) 'A dream concealed in stone...sky supersonic, orgone blue, warm wind...Such be...

‘Israeli Meeting Fallout’, ‘Cuts, cuts, cuts!’ and the ‘Democratic National Convention’ / with Alison Thewliss 21.08.2024

It was a pleasure to welcome Alison to the podcast. We hope you enjoy it - we did. Recommendations: Stuart Radio WHUR Eamonn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2KYZ1BritY Alison Listen to a cd - from top to bottom!

‘Musk v Yousaf’, ‘Scottish Energy goes South’ and ‘Problems at The Scotsman’ / With Catriona Stewart 14.08.2024

Both social and print media gets the going over today in this episode as the dynamic duo, in the company of oor pal Catriona Stewart talk over the weeks talking points. Recommendations: Stuart White Robes and Broken Badges Infiltrating the KKK and Exposing the Evil Among Us In this shocking memoir, a former FBI informant reveals what he learned from successfully infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in th...

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