The Trawl

Right then, strap in Trawlers and let's raise a lukewarm pint of Champagne to the anniversary of the Brexit referendum - because nothing says “taking back control” like spiralling food prices and passport queues longer than a Glastonbury toilet line. Then it’s over to Labour HQ, where the party that once marched for peace now wants to slap a terrorist label on Palestine Action. Because apparently, protesting arms deals is just not cricket.

Meanwhile, the welfare bill rebellion gave us a rare glimpse of backbench backbone - blink and you might’ve missed it. And finally, Reform UK’s Robin Hood policy has landed... promising to rob from the rich and give to, well, the rich. Expect right-wing pundits and their sheep to gobble up the policy as they read the headlines, but not much else. 

Then a quick scoot over to New York where a left-wing candidate offered left-wing policies to left-wing voters…and actually won. Meanwhile, in Labour HQ, there’s probably a task force being assembled to investigate this dangerous correlation between principled politics and electoral success. Expect a report by 2031, just in time to miss the point again.

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

Jemma and Marina were absolutely thrilled to have ex-SNP MP and broadcaster, John Nicolson on the podcast for a really juicy chat about UK politics. They discussed whether or not Scotland would ever become independent, and what it was like to be a presenter on TV during the 9/11 attacks.

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

Another week trying to wade through and make sense of an insane news cycle. The Trawl ladies hadn't had Trump bombing Iran on their bingo card but that's exactly what happened last weekend when Trump single-handedly decided that that was the way to win the Nobel Peace Prize. At time of record, Trump's own intelligence reports state that the strikes weren't wholly successful. He says they're wrong, oh, and Iran and Israel don't know what the 'f' they're doing. Super. 

As ever there are some incredible tweets and clips to share with you and when it all gets too much, Jemma has a new ditty to inflict upon everyone. With Netanyahu continuing to do whatever he wants with no sign that international law means anything to him, and Trump thinking he can make countries do his bidding by posting his orders for them on Truth Social, Marina and Jemma ponder whether it's time for more female leaders to emerge. Emily Maitlis has a view on this too, as does the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. 

There's some White House hilarity involving a very bewildered Juventus team and a look at how the BBC are reporting the news currently. 

A jam packed Trawl, stuffed full of online riches. 

Enjoy! 

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

From the brink of WW3 following Israel’s attack on Iran, to the hypocrisy of Western leaders, Jemma and Marina unpack the realities of war, nuclear tensions, and the unchecked power of certain world leaders.

They chat about Netanyahu’s latest warmongering, expose how some leaders operate without accountability (because who needs rules, right?), and call out the West’s Olympic-level hypocrisy when it comes to nuclear policies. Expect sharp analysis, unexpected moments of agreement with Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene (yep, didn’t see that one coming), and some unhinged audience commentary from GB News that’ll make you question reality.

And don’t worry, amidst all the doom, there’s levity—because as terrifying as world events are, at least you didn’t throw a birthday party no one showed up to.

Tune in, laugh through the pain, and prepare to scream into the void alongside them.

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

This week on The Trawl, Jemma Forte and Marina Purkiss sift through the latest chaos so you don’t have to. As the world teeters on geopolitical uncertainty, they dive into the headlines—from Trump’s embarrassingly sparse birthday parade and the powerful No Kings protests sweeping the U.S., to the chilling political violence in Minnesota. Plus, the G7 Summit gives us Trump fumbling paperwork, awkward diplomatic moments, and his latest baffling rants. With humour, sharp analysis, and just the right amount of outrage, this episode is packed with all the news, all the mess, and all the hot takes you need to hear.

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

Marina and Jemma begin the episode with a quick round up/ precis of the recently announced spending plans from Rachel Reeves. There's stuff to like but it's not the most scintillating, partly because it's pretty sensible which doesn't create massive headlines, as it shouldn't. Acknowledging that politics should be dull but that 'dull' doesn't make for a very entertaining podcast, the Trawl ladies decide to set their thoughts to music....who knew they could play the synthesiser?

Then, they feel obliged to hark back to when Reform MP Sarah Pochin chose to use her first question at PMQ's as an opportunity to suggest banning the burqa. They wouldn't have given such a stupid question any oxygen only it led to a chain of events that can't be ignored for a number of reasons. It led to a resignation, a back pedal and a very disproportionate amount of coverage. This makes more sense given the recent scoop from Byline who have exposed how the BBC are trying to appeal more to Reform voters.....

Jemma and Marina also discuss the flotilla which Greta Thunberg set sail on along with 11 other activists who were trying to break the Israeli blockade which is preventing food getting in for starving Palestinians. 

On a lighter note, Tommy Robinson and his pals got kicked out of a steak restaurant and lots of under rated tweets were written as a result. 

Pudding is served by comedian Sam Avery.

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

One of the juiciest Trawls of all time starts in a very dramatic manner. Jemma and Marina want you to dig out the popcorn while they spill the tea on everything that has happened since they last gathered behind their mics. 

What a time to be alive! Last week, Musk broke the internet as his bromance with Trump imploded in real time via increasingly outlandish tweets between the two billionaires, like toddlers duelling, only with tweets instead of swords. Then, in a huge crescendo no one could have predicted, Musk suddenly declared to the world that Trump is in the Epstein Files. BOOM! 

And just like that the bromance was over - although now, all incriminating tweets have been deleted and it appears to be vaguely on again. What is it they say about women being too 'emotional' for positions of power? 

This episode is stuffed with incredible takes and content, it's a veritable smorgasbord of the very best the internet has to offer at times like this. Then the Trawl ladies discuss what is happening in LA, the protests, Trump's over reach with the Federal Guard and how the governor of California is fighting back. 

They also discuss how ICE are treating people and which clips have affected them the most. 

Settle in, it's a packed one. 

Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

When Trump told Zelensky he didn't hold any of the cards, what he didn't know was the Zelensky actually had an entire Royal Flush up his sleeve and that he was demonstrating a rather brilliant Poker Face. Last week Ukraine completed its biggest long-range attack which destroyed 40 Russian warplanes, wiping out a large percentage of their military hardware. It was in the planning for at least 18 months so yeah, there were cards. 

In other news, Trump wants to hold an investigation into Biden's cognitive decline and has implemented a travel ban on 12 countries. Only Egypt isn't on the list, which is deeply bizarre because he said the ban was due to the antisemitic attack which happened, which was carried out by.....an Egyptian. 

Then, Jemma and Marina discuss Trump and Musk's very public and very embarrassing and completely inevitable break up and why they personally wouldn't have awarded the billionaire with a 'golden key' for anything he's done. A clip of Professor Scott Galloway talking about him, is the clip of the episode. 

Lastly, in an unusual Trawl twist, Marina and Jemma end by talking about Kris Jenner's face. 

Some wonderful funnies finish the ep off and of course, as ever, pudding is served. 

Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

It's all happening. That said, potholes might not be getting fixed, loft extensions might not be getting signed off and bins might not be getting collected - those things may or may not be happening, but Doge has been announced.

Yes, this episode goes into what is happening in various Reform led councils. Firstly, having decided that Musk's Doge has gone 'so well' in the States (spoiler alert, it hasn't, it's failed miserably', Farage has announced the same approach over here. Though they should really be using a different acronym. After all, how can you have a Department of Governmental Efficiency in action when they're not actually in government? Hmm. 

Anyway, they want to slash millions, billions even, the numbers quoted are huge, although when Lewis Goodall challenges Reform Chairman, Zia Yusef, on his wild figures, Yusef cites an unnamed think tank as his source. Seems reasonable. 

Pensions will go - not Farage's EU one to be clear, that's staying, obvs - meetings will be reduced and apparently a hit squad of talented experts will be instigating all of this, for free. 

Meanwhile, the Tories are having a mare. Jenrick is busy doing the media rounds but Marina has found some pretty incredible receipts. And Truss is in Hungary, wanging on about free speech and how she's had to go to Budapest to say what she wants. Each to their own. 

Some great underrated tweets and clips follow, plus the ladies explore the somewhat biased coverage of the man arrested for driving into the crowds of football fans in Liverpool. he lives in a cul de sac and that, apparently, means a lot. 

Pudding is by the phenomenal Larry and Paul 

Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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

This episode begins with Jemma and Marina explaining why they weren't aligned this week for pretty much the first time in Trawl history, though their disagreement was quickly put to rest once they'd consulted listeners and asked what you think. 

There's a quick goodbye to the MOTD version of Gary Lineker and then, it's straight into what's happening in politics here in the UK. However, before they get round to the newly announced Reform manifesto, they feel it's only fair to check in with Tory HQ. Someone's got to after all. 

There's not a huge amount to report apart from Kemi Badenoch being roasted by Trevor Phillips, Robert Jenrick turning into a London Underground vigilante with more than a dash of Alan Partridge and one very unaware tweet. 

Then it's time to break down some of what Farage had to say, only you'll be pleased to note that one clip of Natasha Devon will blow your mind and give you hope. It certainly had that effect on the Trawl ladies and begs the question why getting do Reform get so much airtime? When Farage starts lecturing women on what they should and shouldn't be able to decide about their own bodies, it's time to look at the kind of people who agree with him. Some hilarious takes follow; 

A bumper under rated clip and tweet section comes next and the clip of Trump being insulted and sulking like a petulant toddler is almost as funny as the one of a regretful Musk who is clearly not allowed to play with the big boys at The White House any more. Leader of the Lib Dems, Ed Davey, makes a good point about how well that's gone for him. 

Pudding ends the episode where it began with one from the Broken News vaults belonging to brilliant comedians, Larry and Paul. 

Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon

https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube

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

Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.social

Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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:

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

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