Scotcast

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 news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 Natalie Higgins.Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 on an embezzlement charge on the same day.Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Natalie Higgins and Laura Miller.Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 mental health podcast, and BBC Scotland’s political correspondent Kirsten Campbell. And Martin and Natalie mark the end of River City. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler, Natalie Higgins and Laura Miller. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 Martin and Laura discuss the Scottish Government's commitment to free university tuition. 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

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. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 SNP’s finances, Operation Branchform. 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

"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, Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch with us by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

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 and Martin discuss the art of putting on a Scottish accent. 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