Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte have done the doom scrolling so you don’t have to, bringing you the viral chaos, the political drama, and the bits the mainstream misses.

First up, the scandal that broke the internet—yes, that Coldplay affair. It had everything: shock, schadenfreude, and memes so relentless they almost made you forget how painful it must have been for those involved. The ladies have rounded up the funniest, sharpest, and most unhinged takes from across social media.

Then they dive into Labour’s latest rollercoaster, including the good things you're not hearing about. One thing that has hit the headlines is the news that sixteen-year-olds will soon get the vote—cue the inevitable outrage about teenagers who “can’t even boil an egg.” Meanwhile, Starmer’s whip-wielding spree has left MPs floating awkwardly between “Labour-ish” and politically homeless, and Diane Abbott’s expulsion has sparked fury about hypocrisy at the heart of the party. Add Corbyn’s growing “Independent Alliance,” and you’ve got a movement that’s starting to look more like a rebellion.

Oh, and did we mention pensioners are being arrested for peaceful protest? Yeah. That too.

And the latest update from Palestine is heart wrenching but has to be discussed. 

From Westminster to TikTok, from viral reels to the quiet crises no one’s talking about—Jemma and Marina have trawled it all so you don’t have to.

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

This week on The Trawl, Marina and Jemma dive into the truly gobsmacking and head-scratching events of the week - so you don’t have to. We start with Trump elbowing his way into Chelsea’s Club World Cup glory, and then it’s onto the swirling chaos of the Epstein files, with GOP evasions, metadata shenanigans, and conspiracy theories so spicy they could be served with fries.

Marina breaks her “no implausible movies” rule for the new Superman flick that’s got geopolitical undertones and triggered right-wing meltdowns, while Trump distracts with poetic vendettas against Rosie O’Donnell and sanctions on a UN human rights expert. Plus a sprinkling of some dark comedy, a few celebrity cameos, and the surreal spectacle of American political theatre - and voilà, another episode of The Trawl that’s part therapy, part firecracker.

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

Jemma and Marina are determined to ensure that The Trawl contains as many 'glimmers' as possible so begin the episode with some positive news about butterflies. Also featured is a heart warming story about raving school kids and the Trawl ladies share what each of them have been doing to mitigate how bleak the news is currently. 

They do go on to discuss why Rory and Alastair acknowledging that a genocide is occurring on their podcast, feels like a 'moment.' There then follows a heartfelt discussion about how they may or may not vote come the next election, and Marina poses a question which gives them both pause for thought. There are, as ever, some brilliant clips including a particularly powerful one of Jewish US actor, Mandy Patinkin. 

Then, did you know it's forty years since Live Aid? A certain someone has tweeted something so bizarre about it, it gives rise to lots of Trawl gold. Still, perhaps it's not quite as terrible as Tommy Robinson not knowing that migrants can be white, or Farage posing on the white cliffs of somewhere like a page 7 fella. 

Under rated clips and posts follow and pudding is a poem which Jemma and Marina adore and find very moving. It's by the brilliant Roger McGough. 

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

Hold onto your hats Trawlers. Not the cheeriest episode ever recorded but the Trawl ladies do try to provide lightness where possible so begin by reflecting on some of the good things Labour have achieved in their first year, including more free school meals, nationalising steel and rail and recruiting 6, 700 more mental health workers. And yet, does any of it make up for their complicity in the ongoing genocide? The Trawl ladies certainly think not. 

Marina and Jemma discuss Rachel Reeve's crying in Parliament and the subsequent market fallout and enjoy Jonathan Pie's take as a clip. 

And then they drag on their waders as it's off to the swampy place that is US politics. Talk turns to Alligator Alcatrez and the amount of money Trump plans to spend on ICE. The figure will blow your minds and point to a very sinister truth. One which Stacy Abrams articulates beautifully. 

Of course the Trawl ladies talk about the tragic Texas floods and why Musk and Trump's cuts were partially responsible, along with devastating climate change of course. 

There's a smorgasbord of clips as ever and powerful tweets and threads and Instagram's and all the rest of it. 

Pudding is truly vintage - a historic vid of a silent movie star who, when it came to fascism in the 40's could no longer stay silent. 

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

What's the world coming to Trawlers? Yes, the news cycle is astoundingly awful but, as ever, Jemma and Marina nominate themselves to wade through what's happening so they can chat all through with you. They begin by paying tribute to Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva who sadly died in a car crash. For some reason, Trump is very anti finding the Epstein files which, after months and months of painstaking investigation have seemingly disappeared along with the much mooted client list. Hmm, it begs the question, if there weren't any clients, what's Ghislaine Maxwell in jail for? The plot thickens and even some of the most loyal MAGA loons aren't happy as it appears Trump is OK about protecting a paedophile ring. 

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. The clip of the two war-mongering fellas will render your speechless but fortunately Marina and Jemma do manage to find some words. Some are quite choice. 

There are some domestic updates too and some ponderings over Richard Tice's wallpaper and, as ever, the under rated tweets section provides some levity. 

Pudding is Cody Dahler - Enjoy! 

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

This week, Jemma and Marina tackle Venice’s most OTT nuptials as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez say “I do” amidst a spectacle that felt like a Succession spin-off. From helicopters to haute couture and a Vogue cover cameo, the ladies break down the eyebrow-raising moment, including Leo Di Caprio's terrible attempt at camouflage and a Dolce & Gabbana dress that could have Bezos in for a long night. 

But things turn darker, and dumber, with the U.S. Senate’s passage of the “Big Bullsh*t Bill,” a legislative grenade lobbed straight at America’s most vulnerable. Marina and Jemma break down the grim fallout: Medicaid slashed, clean energy sabotaged, food assistance gutted… all while millionaires snag tax cuts and ICE gets worryingly bloated. 

And just when it couldn’t get more dystopian - enter Trump and Musk. Again. The MAGA soap opera gets spicier by the day with threats of deportation, party-splitting tantrums, and Elon hinting at a new political party. The ladies are living for the chaos - and if this feud reignites properly, the popcorn’s already in the microwave.

There’s also a pudding from satirist Rosie Holt that’s too pitch-perfect to miss. So pull up a gondola - because Jemma and Marina are taking no prisoners.

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

For days the headlines have been consumed by what Bob Vylan said at Glastonbury. Jemma and Marina discuss. But, before they disseminate all the Glasto fallout and furore, they enjoy some British language discussion. Find out how to end a call you've had enough of and how to be polite while conveying disapproval. Then, find out why Farage has made such an outlandish claim, it's compelled the Albanian Prime Minister to get stuck in. 

There follow some amazing clips in this episode as various people try to draw the focus of the media storm back to the fact that a ceasefire has been broken, that children are being murdered every day and that it's all on camera. It poses the question, what's a worse crime - incitement to violence or actual violence? And what are The Daily Mail thinking when they misquote on the front page?

It's a rollercoaster of an episode and takes in the current chaos within the Labour party as the welfare bill causes a rebellion and some painfully sad clips as the situation in Palestine worsens. 

Rod Stewart offers some light relief as does the 'under rated' section. 

And of course there's pudding 

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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

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Youtube

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Twitter

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BlueSky

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Created and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

Edited by Max Carrey

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