The Trawl

Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss
The Trawl
Latest episode

410 episodes

  • The Trawl

    Farage Crawls Out, Riots Break Out & Bartlett's Three Glasses of Wine

    03/06/2026 | 52 mins.
    Marina and Jemma kick things off with a spirited takedown of "optimisation culture" - sparked by a viral clip of Diary of a CEO's Stephen Bartlett dramatically declaring that three glasses of wine ruined his life (his Whoop watch told him so). Marina and Jemma are not having it. Yes, sleep matters, yes, balance is key - but why are we KPI-ing ourselves into misery? As Marina puts it: you don't need to arrive in your coffin in pristine condition FFS.

    Then things get darker. Marina and Jemma turn to the heartbreaking and senseless murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton and the utterly vile opportunism that followed - Nigel Farage crawling out from under his rock (after missing 77 consecutive parliamentary votes, by the way) to tell people to feel "cold rage," while Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson piled on. The family asked for unity. These people chose riots.

    There's also the ongoing Reform chaos, including a truly painful interview with would-be MP Robert Kenyon, whose main defence for not understanding maternity policy is essentially "it doesn't affect me." Checks out.

    They close on some much-needed lightness: a Springsteen lyric that will ruin a song for you forever, a brilliant man absolutely flooring a misogynist in debate, and a stunning Emmy speech from journalist Josh Rushing that, just about, restores your faith in humanity. Three glasses of wine optional...

    Get your tickets for The Trawl Live from https://thetrawl.tix.to/tickets

    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

    Blair & Murrell : Chopsticks, Kettles & Net Zero

    28/05/2026 | 43 mins.
    Marina and Jemma wade into the internet frenzy surrounding Donald Trump’s extremely strange White House pillar moment, the increasingly odd questions around his health, and why he apparently skipped his own son’s wedding.

    Then it’s over to Scotland, where the pair unpack Peter Murrell’s extraordinary £400k spending spree involving luxury pens, kettles, chopsticks and enough bizarre purchases to accidentally turn the episode into a very disturbing edition of The Generation Game.

    Plus: Tony Blair pops up to tell everyone to calm down about net zero, Marina prepares to battle Reform on Jeremy Vine, and Gavin Williamson mourns his tarantula in what may be the most baffling BBC headline ever written.

    There are also live show updates, climate facts, sensory play chat absolutely nobody asked for, and a growing concern that Marina may know far too much about niche fetishes.

    Get your tickets for The Trawl Live from https://thetrawl.tix.to/tickets

    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

    Heatwave Britain & Reform's Sexist Summer

    28/05/2026 | 41 mins.
    In this Trawl, Marina and Jemma survive Britain’s latest heatwave, the London Underground sauna experience, and yet another deeply questionable Reform candidate.

    They dive into the climate conversation nobody seems to want to have anymore and discuss whether “doom fatigue” has pushed climate change down the political agenda.

    Plus: the latest Reform UK chaos, misogynistic comments from would-be politicians, councillors wildly out of their depth, and why Parliament perhaps shouldn’t resemble an open-mic night for angry Facebook commenters.

    Elsewhere there’s Jane McDonald, holiday romance confessions, furious ranting, sweaty train journeys, parallel parking bragging rights, and one of the greatest misunderstood song lyrics of all time.

    Cool yourselves down. This one gets fiery.

    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

    The Trawl Meets Tessa Dunlop

    26/05/2026 | 1h 1 mins.
    Historian and Broadcaster, Tessa Dunlop, joins Jemma and Marina for a gloriously wide-ranging conversation about monarchy, British identity and the fury of being an outspoken woman in public life. From her PhD on Romanian royalty to why she believes King Charles still gives Britain “soft power” on the world stage, Tessa brings nuance, history and plenty of passion to some of the most divisive debates of the moment.

    The trio chat Trump, royal diplomacy and whether Prince Andrew is a “seeping wound” for the monarchy, before diving into Meghan and Harry, Britishness, Brexit, immigration, and why Romanian teenagers demanding a GCSE in their mother tongue actually made Tessa proud to be British. They get candid about the media industry, the “authority gap” facing opinionated women, and why being left-leaning can make you professionally radioactive.

    There’s laughter, disagreement, conversation about Iain Dale, and a brilliantly enraged clip involving Laurence Fox and Jeremy Clarkson that leaves everyone cheering. A fantastic Trawl Meets. Enjoy!

    Tessa's book 'The Bletchley Girls' Is 99p on the Kindle Store for the month of June. Head to https://amzn.eu/d/02Zf7PsV get a copy and also check out her other titles while you're there.

    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

    The Kentucky Primary That Broke America

    21/05/2026 | 51 mins.
    In this Trawl, Marina and Jemma dive headfirst into what might be the most jaw-dropping week of Trump 2.0 so far.

    From claims of billion-dollar “slush funds” and eye-watering stock trades to the political takedown of Republican congressman Thomas Massie after he pushed for the Epstein files release, the corruption alarms are deafening. The pair unpack the terrifying power of MAGA loyalty, the growing influence of billionaire donors and lobbying groups, and why so many Americans are starting to feel utterly powerless watching it all unfold.

    Plus: RFK Jr on Joe Rogan, Elon Musk’s latest nonsense, the staggering amount of misinformation flooding social media, and why even Lululemon somehow ended up in the culture war.

    There’s rage. There’s despair. There’s Trump’s comb-over in a wind tunnel. And somewhere in the middle of it all, a very wholesome story about periods.

    Basically: the world is on fire, but at least we’ve got each other.

    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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