Best Reluctant Commentator Podcasts (2025)

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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.’ 1:05:10

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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 medi…

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‘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 ... 19:17

21h ago19:17

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

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

8d ago19:18

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For the full episode go to www.patreon.com/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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

15d ago1:00:38

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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/talkmediaBy The Big LIght

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‘Gaza’, ‘The SNP Conference’ and ‘Prince Andrew’ with David Pratt 25:21

1M ago25:21

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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

3M ago19:17

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To hear the whole show, go to www.patreon.com/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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‘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 19:17

2M ago19:17

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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‘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 ... 29:08

3M ago29:08

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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America Special with David Pratt 27:17

3M ago27:17

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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Ukraine Special with David Pratt 22:18

3M ago22:18

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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Gaza Special with David Pratt 22:59

4M ago22:59

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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

4M ago23:11

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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

4M ago18:31

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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/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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

4M ago16:27

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

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‘Glastonbury’, ‘Labour’s Welfare Bill’ and ‘Crime in Scotland’ 17:55

5M ago17:55

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

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‘Palestine Action’, ‘You’ve Had Your Democracy’ and ‘Mind Your Language’ 21:21

5M ago21:21

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

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‘Bad News for The News’, ‘Union Jack Stooshie’ and ‘What a Lot of Rubbish’ 22:14

5M ago22:14

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

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‘By-Election Coverage - how did our media do?’, ‘The Freedom Flotilla’ and ‘The BBC to Serve the Reform Audience’ 23:11

5M ago23:11

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

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‘Organised Crime Reporting’, ‘Forget Independence, Prepare for War’ and ‘Gerry Adams wins Libel Case’ 20:03

6M ago20:03

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

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‘Racism and Sectarianism - Farage Style’, ‘The Centralisation of the Scottish Media’ and an extended Listener's questions. 17:52

6M ago17:52

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

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‘The UK makes a fishy deal’, ‘Lineker leaves the BBC’ and ‘Who actually took that photograph?’ 14:00

6M ago14:00

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

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‘Enoch Starmer’, ‘Hamas Hostage Release’ and ‘Assisted Dying Vote In Holyrood’ 21:22

6M ago21:22

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Here's a 20 min listen to this week's Talk Media. To hear the full 3 topics, Listener questions and recommendations, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/enoch-starmer-in-128938550?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkBy The Big Light

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The Media under a Global Threat - Part 2 Ukraine 21:19

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This week, in the second of our series of deep dives, we are talking about Ukraine with Talk Media pal David Pratt. We are really grateful to David for bringing his real life experiences and insights to the podcast and listeners. This podcast was recorded in advance of release.By The Big Light

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The Media under a Global Threat - Part 1 Palestine 21:19

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We've taken this opportunity to welcome Talk Media regular David Pratt in to the studio to record this 2 part series starting with Palestine. With Trump taking up so much of the news space, this gives us a chance to do a deep dive into this horrific conflict that seems to have dropped down the news cycle. A huge thanks to David for taking the time …

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‘Le Pen Held to Account’, ‘Documentary Power’ and an extended Listener Questions. 21:23

8M ago21:23

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This week we've gone for 2 topics and 7 listener questions. Get the kettle on! We made the 6 part podcast Hunting The Whisky Bandits with BBC Disclosure. Check itnout here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0029kxzBy The Big Light

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https://pod.co/talk-media/farewell-to-nicola-bbc-news-head-leaves-the-building-and-us-defend-signal-leaks 21:20

8M ago21:20

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The boys are in great form this week as they chat through the topics that hit their media radar. Listener questions from Lorraine Kerr, Roger Hyam and Thomas Devlin.

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‘Labour’s disability crisis’, ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘Culture or Cringe’ with Stuart Cosgrove and Prof. Eamonn O'Neill 21:21

8M ago21:21

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This week the boys are on good form as they chew over the week's topics. Listener questions come from Alex MacDonald and Kevin Rinchey. Apologies for not getting the shout out for questions earlier. If you want to submit a question for the boys, please fire us a question in by 2pm on a Wednesday in the comments areas or messaging areas of Patreon a…

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‘Kransov - Agent Orange Baby or Conspiracy Theory’, ‘More SNP lifers to stand down’ and ‘Michael Sheen - Man of the People’ / with the dynamic duo of Stuart and Eamonn 21:19

8M ago21:19

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This week the dynamic duo return to talk the week's big media stories with listener questions from Iain Campbell, Gordon Cuthbertson, Alex MacDonald and Michael Mackinnon.By The Big Light

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Today, as Talk Media moves into its 5th year, the boys take a look at the changes in the media landscape as we all come to terms with news and communication in 2025. 10:09

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This week we welcome Stuart back to the podcast as we start our 5th year of Talk Media on The Big Light. Thank you to all of you who support us - every penny you give us goes towards the costs of making the podcast. To hear the full episode, go to www.patreon.com/talkmediaBy The Big Light

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Labour Defence Announcement, Public Prayer and Sunset Song and book banning / with Lesley Riddoch and John Nicolson 21:06

9M ago21:06

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

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'Trump to the Rescue' and 'Arts for Arts Sake' / with Catriona Stewart and Angela Haggerty 23:00

9M ago23:00

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

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"Let Hell Break Out" and 'Farage sets sights on Scotland' / with Ruth Wishart and David Pratt 21:32

9M ago21:32

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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.By The Big Light

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Starmer in a Spin, The Scottish Government Budget and They’re Banning Cats / with Angela Haggerty and John Nicolson 30:21

10M ago30:21

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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. Recommendat…

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“Clearing out Gaza,” the UK media reacts to Reeves’ ‘runway to growth’ and an extended listener questions / with David Pratt 33:29

10M ago33:29

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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, un…

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‘Ceasefire in Gaza’; ‘Trump 2.0 Speaks’ and ‘When the Media Solves the Mystery’ / with Catriona Stewart and David Pratt 23:53

10M ago23:53

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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.By The Big Light

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‘UK’s First Drug Consumption Opens’ ‘Can Artificial Intelligence Save Labour?’ and ‘Sturgeon Splits as Ferry Sails’ / with Alison Thewliss and Angela Haggerty 37:41

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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 reall…

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‘City Centre Cup Chaos’ ‘The Prince’s Spy’ and ‘Our top stories of 2024’ / with Catriona Stewart, Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 6:04

11M ago6:04

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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 …

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‘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 6:02

11M ago6:02

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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…

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The Irish Election, Alex Salmond’s Memorial Service and ‘Out of the Frying Pan and into The Fire’/with Paddy Duffy and Angela Haggerty 6:02

12M ago6:02

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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, f…

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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 6:02

12M ago6:02

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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 …

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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 ... 6:02

1y ago6:02

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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 sh…

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Led By Donkeys, Screen Scotland Expose BBC Commissioning and SNP Big Hitters To Come Home / with Ruth Wishart and David Pratt 6:02

1y ago6:02

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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…

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TM 247 US Election Special 'Trumped - from Courtroom Felon to President Elect' / with Paddy Duffy and David Pratt 6:08

1y ago6:08

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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 gettin…

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‘Fiscal Fiddling’, ‘Madison Square Garden Stooshie’ and ‘The Changing Face of Scottish Journalism’ / with Alison Thewliss and Catriona Stewart 6:02

1y ago6:02

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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. I…

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‘Not my King!’, ‘Democracy for Sale’ and ‘Gove goes BBC’ / with Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 6:05

1y ago6:05

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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 t…

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‘Scotland Forever’, ‘Another Horrific Week in the Middle East’ and ‘Labour’s Back to Work Prescription’ / with Catriona Stewart and David Pratt. 6:03

1y ago6:03

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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…

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‘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 6:02

1y ago6:02

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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…

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‘BBC Scotland Announce New Director’, ‘Netanyahu Answers to Nobody’ and ‘In Liz We Trust’ / with Simon Pia and David Pratt. 6:03

1y ago6:03

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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 fa…

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‘The Labour Conference’, ‘Indy Ref Anniversary Media’ and ‘Money in Detention’ / with Angela Haggerty and Catriona Stewart 6:04

1y ago6:04

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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 int…

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‘Exploding Pagers’, ‘Huw Edwards’, ‘Glasgow Saves the Commonwealth’ and ‘Section 31’ / with Angela Haggerty and David Pratt 6:07

1y ago6:07

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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 T…