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. Find the trawl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrawlpod/ and Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615909

The Trawl is a news podcast hosted by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss, with 448 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss hosts The Trawl, a news show with 448 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #412

  Cornell: Since When Is an Essay Justice?

  Oct 1, 202638 min

  Content warning: this episode discusses rape and sexual violence. Marina and Jemma open with some hope. Between Macklemore, Ed Sheeran's bad week, and the Andy Burnham effect, is the tide turning? Then they switch gears. In 2024, a Cornell student alleges she was drugged and then raped and sexually assaulted for seven hours at a fraternity house. A group chat of 57 people were made aware of it. Seven men allegedly took part. Two were expelled, and others were told to write essays. The case has now been reopened. Marina and Jemma look at what the group chat didn't do, why institutions keep protecting "his future" over hers, and how sentencing in the UK and US compares. They also flip the scenario and ask what would happen if the victim were a man. It's a heavy one, Trawlers...but as ever, a few underrated tweets and a £10.78 loaf of sourdough to finish. Join The Trawl's Facebook BRAND NEW Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590931382660 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: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #411

  Hunger Games At The White House & Very British Insults

  Sep 30, 202640 min

  Two episodes in two days, because Marina couldn't sleep. Trawlers, this one's a tasting menu of the week's finest nonsense. The Trawl ladies start with GB News being crowned "most trusted news channel" by its own viewers (custard is the favourite custard among people who eat custard), then pay homage to a homegrown delusional wally who lasted 49 days and still gets the odd LBC slot. Then it's over to the White House. Trump rolls out the red carpet and a black-tie state dinner for the leader of China, while Americans can't afford their groceries and the war with Iran drags on. Jemma and Marina discuss the broligarchy banquet, the rebrand of AI as "SI", and why the "communist" jibes don't apply when there's a banquet on offer. Plus this week's best (and most inventive) British insults, the underrated tweets of the week, and a heads-up for tomorrow's much heavier episode. Know any Americans who are despairing? Send them this. The Trawl is conquering the US market one WhatsApp message at a time. Join The Trawl's Facebook BRAND NEW Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590931382660 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: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 

  Episode #410

  Is This... Hope? Labour Conference, Ireland's Stand-Off & Reform's Balls-Up

  Sep 29, 202648 min

  Jemma and Marina hit Labour conference with Andy Burnham's speech: social care, "Your First Home" and the triple lock. Both have opinions and neither can quite agree on how many pensioners will turn up with pitchforks. Plus Shabana Mahmood reads the room, and Jemma and Marina ask whether this is actual hope or just adrenaline and conference biscuits. Then to Reform, where a council has decided the best way to help women and girls is to close all ten of its nurseries, leaving 402 children and 116 staff in the lurch. Then football. One hotel-room summit, 160+ athlete signatures, one player who wouldn't play and a 3-0 win in black armbands. Jemma and Marina on the most dramatic day in Irish football, and why the Irish lead on Palestine. Plus: Ash Sarkar's Question Time moment and why Marina has notes, the underrated tweets (featuring the Grand Designs caravan), and Marina's David Dickinson tan. Join The Trawl's Facebook BRAND NEW Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590931382660 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: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  ListenShow Notes
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  The Trawl

  The Trawl Meets Owen Jones

  Sep 27, 202654 min

  Columnist, bestselling author, Guardian journalist, broadcaster and one of the most prominent voices on the British left for well over a decade, Owen can always be relied on to say exactly what he thinks, no holds barred. He’s also someone who has never been particularly troubled by the idea of annoying people which, frankly, is one of the reasons Marina and Jemma like him. He’s fiercely critical of the right, deeply unimpressed by Keir Starmer’s Labour, passionate about Gaza and increasingly interested in what the rise of the Greens and Reform means for the future of British politics. Marina and Jemma sit down with him and let him have a proper rant. Let's face it, there's a lot to talk about. Join The Trawl's Facebook BRAND NEW Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590931382660 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: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #409

  How Much Is Integrity Worth? Sheeran's Backlash, Tom Watson's About-Turn & The Budget Headache

  Sep 24, 202638 min

  Ed Sheeran is crying on stage after the backlash over Macklemore being dropped from his tour, while Macklemore remains remarkably clear that this isn’t about him, or Ed. Marina and Jemma get into the row, the strange spectacle of a global superstar discovering the politics of Palestine in real time, and why having “FU money” might occasionally mean having the courage to say - no. Then there’s the rather extraordinary case of former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson joining Palantir, the controversial US data company with major contracts across the British state. From fighting phone hacking and defending democracy to working for a company critics have accused of undermining it: what on earth happened there? We also get into the eternal question of who should pay for a country that needs more money: capital gains, wealth, land and the extraordinary phenomenon of people with hundreds of millions still insisting they’re being squeezed. Plus: the MPs apparently tackling the national emergency of our Eurovision entries, the wonderful late Bonnie Greer, Nigel Farage getting exactly the interview he deserves, and Andrew Tate discovering that prison guards may not be his biggest fans. And, as ever, some pudding to see you into the weekend. Join The Trawl's Facebook BRAND NEW Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590931382660 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: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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