The Trawl

Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss
The Trawl
Latest episode

371 episodes

  • The Trawl

    ‘Illegal War’ to ‘Use Our Bases’ - Starmer’s Dilemma. Iran Part 2

    06/03/2026 | 47 mins.
    Marina and Jemma dive back into the escalating crisis in Iran as Trump and Netanyahu continue bombing, apparently without checking if that’s a good idea with… anyone.
    As oil prices surge and the world edges closer to something that looks suspiciously like a wider war, the Trawl ladies compare the responses from the leaders of the main UK political parties. Meanwhile, Spain’s Prime Minister shows what an actual spine looks like. As one tweeter put it Spain is now Spine.

    Along the way there’s Candace Owens mangling names, Jimmy Fallon doing late-night diplomacy, and political commentator Ana Kasparian dropping truth bombs.

    There's some vintage Tony Benn reminding everyone how Parliament should sound, and a pudding that proves the internet is still capable of producing comedy gold.
    War, hypocrisy, distractions and the odd moment of sanity — just another week on The Trawl.

    Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

    Patreon
    https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    Youtube
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

    Twitter
    https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
    If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

    • Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
    • Early access to The Trawl Meets…
    • Glorious ad-free episodes

    Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

    And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

    Come join the fun:

    https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Trawl

    Epic Fury, Tiny Brains: Old Men With Missiles - Iran Part 1

    05/03/2026 | 39 mins.
    Join Jemma and Marina who are trying to process the latest news cycle.

    At time of record, Donald Trump has bombed seven countries in twelve months. Super - really earning that peace prize he's after. Diplomacy with Iran was reportedly within reach just 24 hours before US–Israeli strikes began yet here we are. Still, ignorance is bliss because some Dubai influencers are mainly worried about missing meetings or a flight.

    The Trawl ladies look at the legality of the attacks under the US Constitution and the UN Charter, the collapse of negotiations, and the human cost, including, tragically the bombing of a girls’ school and a hospital hit in Tehran. Why does the language shift depending on who the victims are? And why does nuance suddenly disappear when it comes to condemning both authoritarian regimes and reckless military escalation?

    They discuss the euphoria felt by some Iranians at the death of the Ayatollah and the worry about what comes next. They examine Trump’s call for Iranians to “rise up” against a heavily armed regime, the historical precedent of abandoned uprisings, and the now-familiar promise that the “worst bombing is still to come.”

    There’s nuclear hypocrisy, oil politics, Operation “Epic Fury,” and a Medal of Honor ceremony detour into ballroom interiors.

    If this is liberation, it’s a strange way of showing it.

    It’s chaos. It’s escalation. It’s The Trawl.

    Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

    Patreon
    https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    Youtube
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

    Twitter
    https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

    • Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
    • Early access to The Trawl Meets…
    • Glorious ad-free episodes

    Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

    And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

    Come join the fun:

    https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Trawl

    Green joy & Farage ‘Clutching at More Straws Than a Masturbating Scarecrow’. 💚

    04/03/2026 | 49 mins.
    This week on The Trawl, Marina and Jemma enjoy one of life’s small but deeply satisfying pleasures: Nigel Farage losing an election and immediately blaming everyone except himself.

    Instead of the predicted triumph, Reform got absolutely walloped by a Green candidate who is, among other things, a plumber. Which is awkward when your entire campaign strategy revolves around telling everyone you’re the voice of “ordinary people”.

    Naturally, the reaction has been measured and dignified. Just kidding. Nigel Farage immediately blamed “sectarian voting”, Reform supporters blamed Muslims, the right-wing press blamed immigrants, and the Telegraph briefly blamed reality itself. Meanwhile. the BBC is still trying to work out how to report a Green victory without sounding too enthusiastic about it.

    The ladies trawl through the fallout: the media meltdown, the conspiracy theories, Labour’s dodgy campaign tactics, and the curious phenomenon of the losers getting far more airtime than the people who actually won.

    Plus: Nigel Farage clutching at more straws than a masturbating scarecrow, some spectacularly unhinged press coverage, and one glorious heckling moment that perfectly sums up the mood.

    Democracy - occasionally it still works.

    Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

    Patreon
    https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    Youtube
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

    Twitter
    https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
    If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

    • Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
    • Early access to The Trawl Meets…
    • Glorious ad-free episodes

    Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

    And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

    Come join the fun:

    https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Trawl

    Vanishing Files, BBC Blunders, Tariff Tantrums, and the Hockey Winners Who Became Losers

    27/02/2026 | 40 mins.
    This week on The Trawl, Marina and Jemma sift through a news cycle that feels less like global politics and more like a lads’ WhatsApp group with state power.

    In the US, the Epstein saga takes another disturbing turn as fresh reporting suggests dozens of pages have vanished from the public database — including material relating to allegations against Donald Trump. As questions swirl around the Department of Justice and potential cover-ups, Trump is busy raging about tariffs, lashing out at the Supreme Court, and assembling a “Board of Peace” that looks more like a billionaire protection racket.

    Back home, the BBC racks up not one but two eyebrow-raising moments — from by-election “impartiality” that looks anything but, to the BAFTAs fallout that reignites serious questions about racism, responsibility and who institutions are really shielding when things go wrong.

    Meanwhile, in a locker room in the States, Trump phones the victorious US men’s hockey team and jokes about “having to” invite the women champions too — thankfully, the women respond with considerably more class (and a rather fabulous Vegas twist).

    Add in Tony Blair positioning himself as a global peacemaker while Gaza remains in ruins, rumblings of escalation with Iran, and yet another threat from within Trump’s own supporter base, and the picture becomes clear: power is being hoarded, accountability is being dodged, and the gaslighting is relentless.

    It’s dark. It’s absurd. It’s deeply unsettling. But as ever, Marina and Jemma find the clarity, the receipts, and the underrated internet gems that make it survivable.

    Buckle up, trawlers.

    Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

    Patreon
    https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    Youtube
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

    Twitter
    https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

    • Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
    • Early access to The Trawl Meets…
    • Glorious ad-free episodes

    Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

    And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

    Come join the fun:

    https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Trawl

    Torching Equality & The Battle for Gorton and Denton

    25/02/2026 | 46 mins.
    In this Trawl, Jemma and Marina survey the political carnage and ask: what's Reform's problem with equality?

    While America wrestles with peak what-the-fuckery, back home “Trump Lite” is workshopping his strongman routine and Reform are busy torching the Equality Act, apparently “for the boys.” Because nothing says protecting young men like removing the legislation that protects them.

    Then, the Trawl ladies dive into the by-election showdown between Green candidate Hannah Spencer and Reform’s Matt “Tax Your Womb” Goodwin, the increasingly chaotic Reform vetting process (featuring a Succession cameo), and why their big policy platform seems to be: scrap it, bin it, cut it.

    Plus: Vic Derbyshire wipes the floor with Zia Yusuf, Caroline Lucas delivers a masterclass and Nigel Farage clocks up air miles to the Chagos Islands instead of doing his actual job in Clacton.

    There’s a ring doorbell, a Benny Hill soundtrack, tactical voting chat, and Under Rateds

    Side effects may include eye-rolling, sharp intakes of breath, and involuntary shouting at your podcast app.

    Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

    Patreon
    https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

    Youtube
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

    Twitter
    https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
    If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

    • Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
    • Early access to The Trawl Meets…
    • Glorious ad-free episodes

    Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

    And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

    Come join the fun:

    https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Government podcasts

About The Trawl

The Trawl is the podcast that dives headfirst into the political chaos, media spin, and social media absurdity of the week - so you don’t have to. Hosted by broadcasters and political commentators, Jemma Forte and Marina Purkiss, it’s part therapy, part takedown, and always unfiltered.Each episode, Jemma and Marina trawl through the week’s most viral tweets, jaw-dropping headlines, and rage-inducing soundbites - offering sharp analysis, dark humour, and the occasional expletive. From Westminster to world affairs, they call out hypocrisy, amplify truth, and remind you that you’re not losing your mind - just living through it.If you’ve ever shouted at the news or laughed through the tears, The Trawl is your people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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