Alfie’s Edinburgh Fringe Show ‘Dropped’ intimately tells his very personal tale of being picked up by Chelsea Football Club’s prestigious academy, before being unceremoniously discarded after a routine medical uncovered a congenital heart defect. After then moving on to North West London side Barnet, he remarkably found himself in and around the first team at only 15 years old, and at one point playing in midfield with Champions League Winner Edgar Davids. Politics, personal dynamics and luck th...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 5Ep. 57
Expert pharmacist Sehar Shahid talks to me about weight-loss injections. Their existence and use generates headlines nationwide, but how many of those are accurate, and how many are misrepresented in the name of generating ad-revenue, via online clicks? Well we’re cutting through the conjecture, the marketing, and the media noise to get to the facts — the good, the bad, and the in-between. These drugs are being hailed as a miracle by some, dismissed as dangerous by others, and quietly used by a ...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Season 5Ep. 56
This conversation is with Jamie McGuire, a councillor for Renfrew North and Braehead, who made headlines recently after leaving the Labour Party and joining Reform UK—becoming the first Labour councillor in Scotland to do so. At just 24, Jamie’s political journey has already seen him involved with Labour, and now Reform—two parties that many would see as ideologically incompatible. I've taken the time to sit down and understand why, and scrutinise some of the main talking points, centred around ...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 55
Nicola used to be a police detective. Now she’s one of Scotland’s most sought after wedding photographers. It’s not the kind of career change you hear every day — but once you know what she’s lived through, and what drove her decisions, it all makes perfect sense. Nicola is a survivor of child sex abuse, and at a young age, decided that she wanted to go after people who cause harm. And she did exactly that — but over time, the way she was treated in the job pushed her to breaking point. Then, du...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Season 5Ep. 54
Satinder is an integrative psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and author who specialises in working with trauma, particularly in the aftermath of child sexual abuse. In this conversation, we discuss the long and debilitating shadow that kind of abuse can cast into adulthood, and how the damage often goes unseen or unspoken, for decades. We also explore the idea of therapy - when it works, when it doesn’t, and the lessons that can be learned across the board. Satinder’s book, When Therapy Goes ...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 53
This episode is about how justice and humanity can intersect, and what happens when you treat people like they can still be more than the worst thing they’ve ever done. I’m viscerally aware of how serious crimes affect victims - I’ve felt that pain myself, but every conversation needs space for nuance. And in this episode, you’ll hear former Barlinnie prison officer Frank and I have a very detailed one. We discuss his expansive work history and his view of life inside Barlinnie, how modern innov...
Jun 04, 2025•2 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 52
Author, producer and screenwriter Claire Duffy talks to me about The Glasgow Telly Festival , her interesting and unconventional formative years, the significance of accents and loads more! Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 28, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 5Ep. 51
Dr Kevin is a writer and researcher whose work looks at where data meets identity - basically, where hard facts and statistics collide with the more personal, subjective sides of who we are. Sexuality shouldn’t ever need to be a focus, but it 's relevant in the context of our conversation, because our identities shape how we see the world. Kevin and I are the same age, from the same country, working in similar fields - but our life experiences have been vasty different. As we talk, we realise we...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 50
In Part 1, I got a good sense of John as a man, his connection to his family and how politics became his vocation. In Part 2, we get into the here and now, and some of the issues that are affecting people in Scotland, particularly young men and the concept of masculinity. We consider the concept of radicalisation and extreme ideologies masquerading as benevolent influences... We examine the disparity between the gravity of domestic and sexual crimes, and the sentences handed out in the Scottish ...
May 14, 2025•56 min•Season 5Ep. 49
This is the start of an ongoing mini-series on the topic of masculinity in the modern world, and who better to launch it than the man at the highest position of political influence in our country. This is part 1 of 2, and focuses on John Swinney the man, his formative years and how his family shaped him, and what inspired him to get involved in politics. This whole topic is about being human, and how easy it is to be influenced by what we see and hear in popular culture, and John is no different...
May 06, 2025•58 min•Season 5Ep. 48
*WATCH ON YOUTUBE* I love having expansive and unpredictable conversations and that’s exactly what this is. This is probably the opposite of what you’d expect to hear based on your preconceptions about the guest, but as you’ll hear, those will prove to be quite inaccurate. We discuss the congruity between materialism and spirituality, in pursuit of a happy and fulfilled existence… We talk about Brian’s devotion to Islam, and about religion in general, in the 21st century… And we chat travel, lea...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 47
Dr Aisan Ghaemian is a Chartered Psychologist and accredited Cognitive Behavior Therapist, and has a PhD in the field of Health Psychology. This was a fascinating conversation on a variety of topics, and I thoroughly enjoyed having such an expansive conversation with such an expert authority in her field. We discuss the impact of social media - and I don’t mean the mealy-mouthed, surface level bullshit we hear on a regular basis - we REALLY discuss it, and I express some uncomfortable truths abo...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 46
We recorded this conversation on the banks of Loch Lomond as the sun set in front of us, something I mention about 68 times. But my plan worked, the incredible backdrop cultivated some really profound and life affirming thoughts, as I hoped it would. You’ll hear about Roisin’s self-created journey in music, from making some tracks at home to singing in front of Tom Jones on The Voice… Her life-changing cancer diagnosis, turning her world upside down and forcing her to stand face to face with her...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 45
Abbie Draper tells me about her years-long ordeal at the hands of registered sex offender and convicted stalker, Adele Rennie. Rennie was jailed for the third time in September 2024, after a catalogue of serious repeated sexual and stalking crimes. Judge's Sentencing Statement - 13th September 2024 Stalking Helpline Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Instagram: @seantmcdonald Twitter: @seanmcdonald01 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 36
Here’s a wee bit of information about Michael. He’s a Scottish journalist and broadcaster who has a long list of notable achievements in his field. He’s written for The Scotsman, the Times, The National and The Barrhead News… He’s featured frequently on BBC Scotland and BBC Radio Scotland, producing a notable documentary for the latter… And he even created a short film back in 2009, that went on to receive critical acclaim and awards nominations. He also has cerebral palsy. You’ll get a good ide...
Mar 05, 2025•56 min•Season 5Ep. 44
There’s an upcoming parliamentary debate about the Tobacco & Vapes bill, which was first introduced in the House of Commons on the 5th of November, 2024. Its purpose is to significantly improve public health by reducing smoking rates and preventing nicotine addiction among young people. Here to discuss that with me is Greig Fowler, a business director of Vape retailer VPZ. He says that vaping is an effective tool to get people away from smoking, with Public Health England saying it’s at leas...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 43
Martin Geissler has had an incredible career on the front line of global news, from the Iraq War and the Boxing Day tsunami, to going undercover to report from Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwean regime. You’ll hear some incredible stories and a fascinating insight into Martin’s profession, but also him as a man, something you’ll rarely get a glimpse of. His story about being adopted and the story that than ensues from that is something that Hollywood scriptwriters would struggle to replicate. Martin’s a...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 5Ep. 42
It’s 2011. Novak Djokovic wins his first Wimbledon title, Rangers make it three league win in a row, while Celtic win another Scottish Cup in the rain against Motherwell. Osama bin Laden is killed, Adele tops the charts, and there’s earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. The News of the World closes its doors for good, England burns after riots break out across the nation and the Iraq War finally comes to an end. But the explosiveness is only just about to begin. Young men across the city of Glasgow...
Jan 22, 2025•53 min•Season 5Ep. 26
Here’s an introduction to Hayley, if you’re not familiar with her, as she has quite the profile. • Model • Miss Scotland Finalist • Niece of Rangers legend Ally McCoist • Love interest of various Scottish Premier League Footballers • One time Girlfriend of Leicester City and England footballer Jamie Vardy • Friend of the rich and famous Oh, and one more detail. She never existed. I’m joined by Gabrielle Livingstone as we dig into the bizarre and unbelievable existence of the girl that never was....
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Ahead of a soon-to-be-released conversation with Tosh around the Lily Phillips / Bonnie Blue saga and its severe implications, here is a previously released episode to provide some insight into the world of adult-work and Only Fans. Former ‘Babe-Show presenter / Only Fans creator Tosh worked on Adult TV shows while running other successful businesses in Scotland, alongside other content creation, online. We talk about how Tosh ended up in the adult entertainment industry, and some of the misconc...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 41
Live panel discussion with guests Darren McGarvey, Anne Hughes and Zander Murray. The topic is masculinity and how it's perceived, misunderstood, maligned and misappropriated in the modern age. We take a look at the term 'toxic masculinity' and what we think its true definition is, how young men are drawn in by people with negative intentions and how to counteract them. And as always, there's plenty more. Anne's Book Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Instagram: @seantmcdonald Twitter: @sea...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 40
Erica Roberts is a reality TV character and prominent social-media figure, and while she is very definitively both of those things, there's far more than meets the eye. She's funny, intelligent, philosophical, thoughtful and articulate - which you'll hear throughout. Erica talks to me about a turbulent childhood, heading off to boarding school and then moving to London at a young age. You'll hear how much of that move south was fuelled by pursuit of her dreams, and how much of it was fuelled by ...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Season 5Ep. 39
See How Trust Deed Scotland Can Help You This is an inspiring, no-holds-barred conversation about what it means to take control, seek help, and redirect your future. And it has a good few laughs throughout. I'm joined by Senior Debt Expert Tommy Gallacher and Becky, a former client of Trust Deed Scotland. What you'll hear is a raw, honest and even funny story, that will be familiar to many. Becky talks us through how she fell into serious debt without making any extravagant purchases, and the mi...
Nov 07, 2024•56 min•Season 5Ep. 38
Scottish radio presenter Katy Johnston talks about going to school in Aberdeen before arriving in Glasgow for university... We discuss her start in radio at Capital Scotland, before landing the presitgious Drivetime slot... And we chat about big names, unpleasant celebrities and funny encounters. Plus: In-depth chat about endometriosis, the signs and solid advice. And as always, there's plenty more. Endometriosis Letter Template Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Instagram: @seantmcdonald T...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 37
American Tik Tok star 'Kalani Ghost Hunter' talks to me about leaving his job in American politics to become a full-time content creator. We share our thoughts on how time is worth more than money, when trying a Sunday Roast for the first time led to internet-stardom, Kalani's interest in Scottish history, and his genuine appreciation for Scottish & British 'cuisine'. Plus: Ghostly encounters while chasing spirits, life in Tennessee and loads more. Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Twi...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 40
Nicolle Cassels joins me to discuss the latest on the potential release of the now world-famous Menendez Brothers… We reflect on the twisted ‘AI paedophile’ who was jailed for 18 years in England, and the serious dangers of sharing innocent images of children on the internet… And Nicolle talks me through the recent arrest of the ex-CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch on sex trafficking charges. Plus: ‘The Grate London Cheese Robbery’! Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.c...
Oct 29, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 39
M’s book 'Strip - The Diary of a Hustler' tells the story of her life and about the realities of being a stripper in London’s high-end clubs. You’ll hear about her move to England at just 18 and without being able to speak English… M explains how she ended up becoming a hostess before being cast for various reality TV shows, including Love Island in the UK… And we discuss why she started to work in adult clubs, her popularity on TikTok and aspirations for her book and career. Contact: seanmcdona...
Oct 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 38
BGT 2011 winner Jai McDowall lifts the curtain on the inner-workings of Britain's Got Talent, dealing with Simon Cowell, his new role as a member of G4 and about some human insecurities, even after being established for so long. And as always, there's plenty more. Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com Instagram: @seantmcdonald Twitter: @seanmcdonald01 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 37
I'm joined by radio newsreader Nicolle Cassels, who talks me through the now infamous 'Menendez Brothers' case, recently brought to the spotlight by a gripping Netflix documentary. We pore over the details of their murder trial, after admitting to killing their parents, and the key details that were ultimately dismissed in court... We reflect on societal changes and how if the trial took place today, they would be likely to have a different outcome... And we discuss the likelihood of their immin...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 35
I'm joined by Nicole Tosh and we look back at the infamous story of 'The Peru Two', arrested in Lima as they attempted to smuggle cocaine from Peru to Spain. Plus: • Scottish man arrested in Colombia, attempting to smuggle 2kg of cocaine out of the country • English woman arrested in Chicago, attempting to smuggle 43kg of cocaine into the USA • The death penalty: Can it ever be justified? • Me against Pacha in court in Barcelona And as always, there's loads more. Contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gm...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 34
