Things kick-off with an aptly updated version of Green Day's song 'American Idiot' which they performed at Coachella last week before a sassy, direct and frankly refreshing take on the state of affairs in the US from news channel, MSNBC. BBC take note... Then fetch the sick-bags as the ladies share with you a montage of obnoxious obsequiousness fro…

The ladies open with a tale of rising from the dead... No, not Jesus Christ, but Jemma Forte when she overdid it at Marina's house last week. Conversation quickly turns to Pope Francis' passing and the reminder that often until someone dies, we don't quite realise the incredible impact they made on the people around them. And as many mourned, other…

This episode begins with Jemma trying to find things to cheer Marina up with. Funnily enough, learning that Gove is getting a peerage doesn't do it, but the song Dame Andrea Jenkins has chosen to promote her bid to be Mayor nearly does. Then we're off to Scunthorpe where Labour have been trying to ensure that the furnaces don't go out for once and …

Jemma and Marina hardly know where to begin such has been the fallout from Trump's crazed tariffs spree. Oh, and what can you even say about the transparent insider (and outsider) trading that has been admitted to, on camera, by the President? Who cares if ordinary people are going to pay for the nose for everything when all his rich cronies are ma…

The second Trawl in one week centred on the economic recklessness of Trump. But hey, when one guy's wiped nine trillion off global markets, there's a lot to unpack. There are theories as to why the Donald has chosen this path, some deeper than others. Jemma and Marina have clips to illustrate the first two and bleeps to cover up the third, which, t…

What the hell is he doing? Jemma and Marina aren’t the only ones asking that, or a version that. This week Trump managed to wipe 9 trillion off global markets so if you have a private pension, probably best not to look. This episode is crammed full of hard-hitting, funny and enlightening tweets. The Trawl ladies aren’t convinced Americans will want…

This episode starts with the delightful news that Marine Le Pen is going to 'le pen.' Then there's a review of Reform's rally in Birmingham, mainly because Led By Donkey's managed to infiltrate and lit up the NEC with pictures of Farage's pal, Putin, amongst others. And then Jemma and Marina ponder, not for the first time, why on earth Labour won't…

This episode starts with a trip down memory lane. If you were at school in the 90's you might feel a shiver as the r Trawl ladies relive some Sunday night theme tunes. You could call it the calm before the storm because, in the next minute, they're talking about the new child labour laws in the US. Ron De Santis wants to get those minors working th…

Jemma and Marina sit down with YouTuber, Jimmy the Giant to chat about his political transformation from being radicalised by the right-wing media, to a becoming passionate leftie activist. Jimmy has a massive online following with over 600k subscribers on YouTube where he talks about political issues and the tactics used by the right-wing, having …

There's a huge chance you've seen the Netflix drama, Adolescence, but, if you haven't, don't worry, no spoilers in this episode. However, Jemma and Marina talk around the central theme and why we all need to catch up quickly when it comes to the dangerous side of social media. Why is misogyny on the rise? How do we as a society combat the disgustin…

Reeves' Spring statement is looming but as Marina and Jemma await what sound like it's going to be underwhelming, unimaginative and full of austerity, they get into the far juicier news from across the pond. Should any attack be planned on a group chat? And even if so, perhaps inviting in a journalist wasn't the cleverest thing to do. Though given …

Jemma is fresh off a flight back from her holiday for this episode, so what better way to get her back to into the swing of things than to discuss Reform's dodgy new appointment, who once said Hitler was "brilliant" and described Bashar al-Assad as "gentle by nature". He sounds just wonderful. Next, a moment of commiseration as Jemma and Marina des…

While Jemma suns herself on holiday, Marina has taken charge of the running order, so you're in for a Trumptastic ride... Starting with the latest in totally unnecessary trade wars. Not only do the Americans have Trump to deal with, they now have the prospect of even more expensive booze thanks to retaliatory tariffs on The EU. Trump has reassured …

Sometimes, Jemma and Marina feel like they're having a fever dream. First they're agreeing with Dan Hodges from The Mail, then Trump is confusing transgenic mice with transgender mice. Furthermore, upon being told his error, rather than burying himself under a duvet so he can hide due to abject mortification, he's doubling down. Still, it's not lik…

The sun has had it's hat on, in the UK. Marina is not in the UK. She's still on holiday, where it's cloudy. What are the chances? Somehow, Jemma has managed to find a Cilla clip that draws a comparison to the situation. Marina takes it well and, Trawl trooper that she is, she's packed her mic so she and Jemma can trawl through what on earth is goin…

The Trawl ladies begin by paying tribute to Hollywood legend, Gene Hackman who has passed away. Morgan Freeman spoke powerfully about him at The Oscar's and then Jemma and Marina select their other highlight from The Academy Awards which was the emotional moment when No Other Land won Best Documentary Feature. The film which you can see on Channel …

What a time to be alive. The news cycle is insane. Even people who normally don't talk about politics, are talking about politics - cue Susannah Constantine. In this episode Jemma and Marina revisit the various scenes from The Oval Office starting, of course, with Starmer's audience with the giant human wotsit that is Trump. Marina and Jemma both a…

Jemma and Marina have both followed Ashley on Instagram (where she has a gigantic following) for a while now so were delighted to discover that she listens to The Trawl regularly. Ashley is the political commentator on This Morning, a vocal feminist and passionate about sharing just as much 'reality' on Insta as she does glamour. With all that in m…

The pod opens by addressing the dilemma many of us face as we try to not raise politics in every conversation, despite it impacting almost every facet of our lives, and the ladies reveal a new word that we can all begin using more often to express how we feel. And no, it doesn't begin with c... Then it's onto Starmer's defense spending announcement…

Jemma and Marina are concerned for any Trawlers who may have been left unsettled after their recent chat about Stormzy's controversial McDonald's deal so they are delighted to read a statement on the matter. Though it is written by Michael Spicer so tongues should be placed firmly in cheeks. There is an over view of some terrible behaviour from var…

The Trawl ladies are dismayed to learn that worldwide Joe Rogan has three billion listeners. His is the most popular podcast in the world which is why it's rather disturbing to hear him saying that Musk isn't doing anything for the money..... Fortunately, plenty of other people, aren't as impressed and a clip of former governor Michael Steele, who …

Just occasionally, social media can deliver something really heart warming and Jemma and Marina were moved by the fact that Jamie Theakston's listeners at Heart FM cared enough to make him see a doctor when they noticed his voice had changed. As a result he received a cancer diagnosis and fortunately now has been given the all clear. His words are …

The sun came out in Britain for about five minutes so Marina and Jemma thought they'd better begin this episode with that incredible news. Maybe blue sky (not the social media platform) will take the edge of the new world order? But first, seeing as the news is borderline dystopian and jaw-droppingly surreal, it's only natural that the BBC should b…

Love, positivity, drama, scandal, horror, and chaos, it's all in the air during this episode of The Trawl. Marina has a theory. She suspects that Jemma had a lot of stuff bookmarked that wasn't appropriate for normal Trawls so has decided to do a Valentine's ep so she can sandwich it in. She might be right... The Trawl ladies kick off with some rea…

Marina has been feeling particularly overwhelmed by the news cycle lately so Jemma insists on joining in the UK conversation about identifying as llamas. Labour MP, Andrew Gwynne, has been fired for writing dodgy WhatsApps and his replacement tweeted (years ago) something about not caring if people want to identify as llamas. Cue right wing meltdow…

Marina and Jemma open with a flicker of good news, before putting on their waders to get stuck into the latest political developments stateside... They revisit the ugly fallout from the two fatal air disasters, Trump's inane ramblings and the insanity of blaming diversity, equity and inclusion before turning their attention to the latest monstrosit…

Jemma and Marina open with a nod to the five year Brexit anniversary, sharing details from all the wonderful celebratory street parties and endless Brexit benefits... Except they didn't, as they were and are none, as even GB News found out. There's some chat around Starmer's trip to the EU and what it means before moving swiftly on to another count…

It’s the podcast that trawls social media so you don’t have to. Join political commentator Marina Purkiss and broadcaster Jemma Forte to find the most interesting, hilarious and sometimes ridiculous takes of the week’s trending news. Here’s a segment from some of their recent episodes on Trump ‘saving’ TikTok (and why we should be very worried) and…

Marina and Jemma begin this episode talking about their various coping strategies for living through a political binfire and... January. They have classical music in common but a clip from comedian Michael Spicer causes them to wonder, is The Trawl the equivalent to Classic FM? Then, they can't put if off any longer, it's time to find out what the …

Jemma opens with some imaginings of a world far different from the one we inhabit now, where Trump is deposed, Putin is departed and David Attenborough leads the way, before swiftly moving on to the stark reality of our times... And yes, the world has indeed gone mad, so the first clip of this episode is a pure dose of sense and humanity, which jus…

He's back... Like a bad stench that won't go away, except now it's gone from foul, to putrid and dangerous. Jemma and Marina wade through the inauguration fall out, including an interesting case of f*ck around and find out. They discuss The Village People anthem performed during Trump's big day, which feels like an interesting choice for the MAGA b…

Marina and Jemma are finding January 'interesting.' Certainly 'Dry Janning' is beyond them. Trump's been inaugurated for goodness sake and there's a lot of batshittery to Trawl through before they can even begin on that! In this one the Trawl ladies kick off by discussing the 'temporary' ceasefire in Gaza. There's a clip of actor, Guy Pearce, whose…

Jemma and Marina were thrilled when two of the original members of UB40 agreed to come on The Trawl Meets. After all, the group are one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold more records than Oasis, over 100 million to be precise. Of course they are almost as known for their political leanings as they are for their wond…

Everyone's favourite economy crasher is back on the scene... And she doesn't much like it when you call her that. Yes, Liz Truss is back and this time she's had a cease and desist letter issued to Keir Starmer over the 'defamatory' claim that she 'crashed the economy''. Ok hun. But litigious letters are likely the least of Starmer's worries after w…

Climate change reminded us it doesn't care one jot where you live or how much money you have last week. Marina and Jemma discuss the apocalyptic scenes from LA as fires tore through the region, with some personal experiences that Jemma has permission to share from her friends caught up in the catastrophe. They discuss the perfect storm that led to …

Over the Christmas period, Marina went down a rabbit hole she found completely fascinating. She was vaguely worried Jemma wouldn’t feel the same but she need not have worried. This ep begins with a bit of ‘January’ comedy and ends with potential WW3. Cool! But the meat in this strange sandwich, centres around US H-1B Visas which sounds horrifically…

The Trawl is back! Jemma and Marina are thrilled to be back behind their mics but could not have predicted the kind of fallout and controversy they'd be back with. A certain tech bro, out of control billionaire, has been firing off tweets suggesting, amongst other things, that the US should exert economic pressure on the UK to get far-right agitato…

The Trawl ladies are getting ready to get back to business. Their thumbs and brains have had a good rest from scrolling and the internet is getting ready for more politics based content. So this is the last 'special' episode before it's back to regular Trawling and Jemma and Marina are enormously grateful to everyone who sent in questions for them …

On the first day of the New Year, Marina and Jemma aren't quite ready to look forwards. So instead they return to the Trawl archives to relive some of the weirdest and most wonderful parts from vintage episodes. Lots of laughs, some wonderful clips and a very healthy smattering of bell-ends. We hope you enjoy! Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing …

Jemma and Marina are in a nostalgic mood so have trawled through the Trawl archives to find some of their favourite bits from old episodes. A theme soon emerges. It transpires that the Trawl ladies are most prone to losing it whenever the Royals feature. Relive some of the Coronation chaos, some Paddington Pathos and a very special Order of the Bus…

Ding dong, your festive Trawl is here! We're almost at the undoing top button stage of the season, so Jemma and Marina open with some festive tweets and a clip that captures then mood of low work motivation at this time of year. Then it's straight to the most heartwarming clip of all... Who needs Hallmark movies when you have: 'When Marina met Annu…

Jemma and Marina were thrilled to meet one third of the Newsagents, Lewis Goodall. They chatted to him about where his passion for politics began, his relationship with the BBC and why some listeners are confused by his relationship with John and Emily. There's also a fantastic round of Snog, Marry, Avoid. Enjoy!…

You can tell everyone at Trawl HQ (Jemma, Marina and editor Max) are sliding towards Christmas because the atmosphere is tinged with faint hysteria. It's not just Gregg Wallace who is turning the air blue, Nigella's at it, even Prue Leith is at it! Who'd have thought baking could sound so filthy? Then, reasons to be cheerful, ranging from Rees Mogg…

The Trawl opens with some festive cheer as Marina shares the daily advent calendar struggles in her house and Jemma enlightens us with her pre-Christmas clog. Then it's onto Farage's 38th BBC Question Time appearance where the ladies discuss motives behind why the BBC politics panel show may as well be called: Farage and Friends. Then onto the shoc…

Jemma has been eager to get behind the mic for this one. Being a middle class woman of a 'certain' age has nothing to do with it, honest guv. On that note, the Trawl ladies aren't entirely sure what 'that' certain age is but there's so much to mull over they might never get an answer to that But there's more to ponder besides Gregg, so they kick of…

The pod opens with a nod to the festive season and how Marina handles questioning from her husband as more Christmas decorations enter the house, before kicking off with the non-scoop of the century from Charlotte Gill. Charlotte, bless her, is a journalist (feels like a bit of a reach) who believes she has unearthed a shady underground network of …

Well, this episode dives straight in with a bit of sex scandal. Nadine Dorries has lifted the lid on what she witnessed during her time in government and much of it was rather ‘cheeky’ to say the least. What other workplace has a group WhatsApp for planning naked sessions in offices? Dorries is horrified. She was then too, apparently, but also wasn…

Have we all lost our minds? It appears so as the news this week was dominated by a petition, seemingly signed by bells and bots, demanding Keir Starmer call a general election - a mere 4 months since the last one. Jemma is inevitably quite grumpy about the whole silly affair and so opens the pod with a good moan from an equally grumpy Hugh Grant. J…

Melvin Odoom has pledged his love to Carol Vorderman from the Australian rainforest so Jemma and Marina leap at the chance to kick off the episode with something sweet. The sweet quickly turns sour though when the Trawl ladies check in to see who Trump has appointed Education Secretary. Hold onto your hats, he might just have excelled himself. Then…

It's the two hundredth Trawl! Jemma and Marina can hardly believe it and both recommend a couple of vintage eps to celebrate, as does editor Max. Then, it's over to the States to see what health recommendations RFK Jr. is making. Hopefully they'll be less effective than the ones he made in Samoa where there was a huge outbreak of measles and subseq…