BBC Radio Podcasts from Scotcast

Is Swinney really under pressure?

And what does the spending review mean for Scotland?

Acorn: a ‘greenwashing scam’?

Cash boost for carbon capture project in chancellor’s spending review.

'One lawyer quit to become cabin crew'

Why some solicitors are turning their backs on defending the accused

Who hacked M&S?

And why Anas Sarwar said his interview with Martin was 'embarrassing'.

By-election: a tale of two winners?

BONUS: A Labour victory in Hamilton, but Reform UK have cause to celebrate.

Labour wins Hamilton by-election

Election expert Professor Sir John Curtice breaks down the result.

Is Gen Z ready to fight a war?

JJ Chalmers on reversing decades of decline in UK armed forces personnel.

Flamingo Land ruffles feathers on Loch Lomond

And police play down Scottish gang feud link to deadly Spain shootings.

Has Swinney gone shy on independence?

Sir Keir Starmer says a referendum isn’t a 'priority', but is it for John Swinney?

Gangsters gunned down in Spain

The grudge that led to the bar room shooting of Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr.

Devi Sridhar on how we can live longer

And how she dealt with death threats.

Star chef: ‘Our crazy, unreasonable business’

Stuart Ralston on kitchen fights and becoming a Michelin man.

Farage digs in over Sarwar racism row

The Reform UK leader has defended a controversial ad about Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar.

Why are kids carrying knives?

And Martin’s tale of meeting a young explorer in war-torn Baghdad.

Net zero: what’s in it for us?

Experts propose new climate targets for Scotland.

Should buying sex be a crime?

The MSP trying to criminalise people who pay for sex.

Fishermen’s fury over PM’s Brexit reset

And could the UK eventually rejoin the EU?

'I’d go to prison over abortion buffer zones’

The pensioner challenging Scotland’s new abortion law.

Dry spell prompts water warning

And Martin is enthralled by the story of a fare-dodging dog.

Assisted dying backed by MSPs

But will Liam McArthur’s bill become law?

A matter of life and death

As MSPs prepare to vote on the issue of assisted dying, we hear two personal stories.

Is AI a threat to musicians?

Glasvegas guitarist Robert Allan and AI expert Sidrah Hassan on what AI means for music.

Booze back on tracks

What scrapping the 'ineffective' alcohol ban on trains says about our drinking culture.

Election 2026 predictions

And what is the Scottish Government planning to do this year?

Why we need more babies

Paul Morland says politicians should be lecturing us about our falling birth rate.

Karen Dunbar: ‘What is laughter?’

Comedian Karen Dunbar on laughter, cancel culture and her love of Billy Connolly.

Grangemouth: what happened?

Why Jim Ratcliffe is blaming the tax system.

In defence of Kneecap

Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill says rappers Kneecap should be left alone.

Is Sturgeon ducking gender debate?

And what new EHRC guidance means for trans people in public spaces.

The Great BBC Soap Opera

Is the BBC right to cut River City?

Is Swinney scared of Farage?

And would Martin and Laura prefer to be a Faithful or a Traitor?

Is gender self-ID dead?

The impact of the Supreme Court’s definition of a woman.

Take 2: Drug supervision room

Why one campaigner thinks we are failing people with addictions.

Take 2: Weight-loss jabs

A pharmacist on the risks of buying the jabs online.

Take 2: Farmers v. lynx

What’s the big deal about big cats roaming the countryside?

Take 2: The porn industry responds

Why they claim moves to stop kids seeing adult content online won’t work.

What happened in a Highland dungeon?

And should we be worried about an 'extreme' wildfire warning?

The author who beat Adolescence to it

Chris McQueer on Hermit, his novel inspired by incels and the online manosphere.

Assisted dying: what happens next?

And the 'miracle' baby - born using a donated womb.

Should Scots pay for uni?

And how Martin’s political grilling was sidetracked by a piercing.

Getting to know Sally Magnusson

The BBC Reporting Scotland presenter is standing down after 27 years.

Explained: Trump’s tariff trade wars… and us

Why he wants to shake up the global economy - and what it could mean for us all.

How much could your rent go up?

What the end of emergency rent control measures may mean for tenants.

Our problem with drugs

And the news story that's brought Boaty McBoatface and Nessie together.

A quick take on the Spring Statement

And what Rachel Reeves and Shona Robison could do next

Is live music a rip off?

How has music changed for fans and the bands trying to make a living in the industry?

What’s going wrong with our mental health?

SHOTY’s Anna Campbell-Jones shares her story.

What’s it like to be a police officer?

And can George Clooney still be a heartthrob?

Why Scots are warming to Farage

What’s behind the rising support for Reform UK?

Jeane Freeman reflects on Covid

The former Health Secretary speaks to Martin five years on from the first lockdown.

Sturgeon cleared over Operation Branchform

But why did the four-year police investigation take so long?

Tour de France: how we won the race

The biggest cycling event on Earth comes to Edinburgh.

How Scots are hit by Labour’s benefit cuts

And the end of River City.

Fans hit out at Old Firm policing

And the commitment to free university places.

Rise of the litter pickers

How might we tackle our litter 'emergency'?

Sturgeon quits parliament

Nicola Sturgeon’s former spokesperson tells us about the person behind the politics.

Can weight-loss jabs save the NHS?

The Hollywood hack being touted as obesity’s golden bullet.

Who’d be a councillor?

Laura Murtagh on the abuse she’s experienced over council tax rises.

Mhairi Black on ADHD and quitting politics

How the former MP really feels about the SNP and her years at 'toxic' Westminster.

Would you leave school at 14?

And football’s booze ban ‘up for discussion’.

Rangers takeover: soccer with stardust?

And reaction to Donald Trump pausing aid to Ukraine.

Martin Compston: 'I want to bring jobs here'

And John Swinney's ultimatum on the Trump state visit.

Jagtar: jailed for terror in India

Is Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton falsely accused, or a homegrown terrorist?

Defending ourselves: Ukraine, Trump and Trident

And Swinney lashes out at 'far right' Farage.

Fewer teachers = better schools?

The attainment gap has worsened for Scottish pupils, so what’s the solution?

Abortion buffer zones: is prayer a crime?

How a 74-year-old's arrest put the law back in the spotlight.

Gender: are politicians pivoting?

And an archaeologist from Galashiels finds a pharaoh’s tomb.

People v. the pylons

What happens when climate progress lands on your doorstep as a 70m steel tower?

Why are energy bills still so high?

And another debate about how to pronounce ‘Scotcast’.

What now for Scotland’s Ukrainians?

And David Tennant’s very Scottish Bafta performance.

Is it time to scrap council tax?

With big rises on the way, does it feel like we’re paying more for less?

Who thinks lynx should roam the Highlands?

Should wild cats be legally reintroduced into our natural landscape?

Uncovering a scandal

How a BBC investigation exposed a ‘culture of cruelty’ at a children’s psychiatric unit.

Life inside our packed prisons

Barlinnie's boss and a former inmate on what jail is really like.

What’s it like to be homeless?

And how much of the problem hides behind closed doors?

Humza Yousaf on Trump and Gaza

The former First Minister accuses Trump of supporting ethnic cleansing.

Water: is it as plentiful as we think?

Scottish Water's boss on supply, demand and whether we should pay for how much we use.

Can we backtrack on Brexit?

And is it ever okay to drop the C-bomb?

Rosebank and the political climate

Will a legal win for environmental campaigners stop new North Sea oil and gas?

Stopping the scammers

And why is Indiana Jones punting whisky?

What Waspi women want

And Premiership manager quits over fan abuse.

Fixing the NHS: where do you start?

John Swinney’s plan for the health service.

Tourist tax: the answer to overtourism?

And the rare red weather warnings in place as Storm Éowyn hits Scotland.

Mary v. the porn industry

The Scottish lawyer fighting for stricter controls on pornography.

'Petrifying' failings at hospital baby unit

And Trump’s first 24 hours back in the White House.

Is Trump Scotland's friend?

Donald Trump returns to the White House: can we exploit his Scottish links?

Why housing is so expensive

And the rise of Reform UK in Scottish politics.

Why Lockerbie is back in the news

And the most expensive Gaelic drama ever made.

Is shoplifting out of control?

How organised crime gangs are fuelling the problem.

UK's first drug supervision room opens

And Alex Salmond’s widow hits out at his critics.

Hello from Scotcast

What you can expect to hear from the BBC’s Scottish news podcast, with Martin Geissler.