There are two massive stories to chat through today - the start of direct trilateral talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan, and the return of Nasa's Artemis II crew. Paddy and Laura are on holiday so Newsnight’s Victoria Derbyshire and Nick Watt host. To chat through news from Pakistan, they’re joined by Panorama filmmaker and foreign affairs and peace talks specialist Jane Corbin. And to explain what it’s like to return to earth from space, British astronaut Tim Peake. You can now listen to...
Apr 11, 2026•33 min
Today, Adam is joined by Felicity Evans from Walescast, Alex Forsyth, political correspondent and Luke Tryl pollster and director of More in Common to take a deep dive into the elections for the Welsh Senedd. They look at the big issues on the agenda, and why polling numbers don’t always reflect how people vote on election day. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Ne...
Apr 10, 2026•35 min
Today, the defence secretary has revealed the British military has responded to a month-long Russian submarine operation over cables and pipelines north of UK. John Healey says he deployed a warship and aircraft in response, and the Russian vessels were "monitored 24/7". He says there is "no evidence" of any damage to UK infrastructure in the Atlantic. Why are the cables so important? What was Russia trying to achieve? Are the UK able to stop them from doing this again in future? Adam is joined ...
Apr 09, 2026•29 min
Today, we discuss the ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran. The deal was agreed last night just hours after President Trump had threatened Iran’s ‘civilisation will die.’ But Israel has continued to strike Lebanon, with the US saying it’s not included in the ceasefire deal. And, Vice-President JD Vance will lead US negotiating talks aimed at the war with Iran in Pakistan on Saturday. Adam is joined by BBC News chief presenter Caitríona Perry, chief international correspondent Lyse...
Apr 08, 2026•31 min
Today, President Donald Trump has warned "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran reaches a deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's threats come as we near a deadline he's imposed on the Iranian regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by midnight on Tuesday. Adam is joined by chief presenter Caitriona Perry and diplomatic correspondent James Landale. And, Wireless Festival is cancelled after the government stops headline act Kanye West from entering UK. In recent years, West has...
Apr 07, 2026•37 min
As an Easter treat, we thought we’d give you something a bit different. Adam and Chris have got together to have a proper in depth look at the government department that deals with some of the most important and politically pertinent issues of our time - the Home Office. The idea came up in October last year when Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood took over and said it was “not yet fit for purpose” and had been “set up to fail”. She was channelling her predecessor of 20 years ago, John Reid, who fir...
Apr 04, 2026•41 min
As an Easter treat, we thought we’d give you something a bit different. Adam and Chris have got together to have a proper in depth look at the government department that deals with some of the most important and politically pertinent issues of our time - the Home Office. The idea came up in October last year when Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood took over and said it was “not yet fit for purpose” and had been “set up to fail”. She was channelling her predecessor of 20 years ago, John Reid, who fir...
Apr 04, 2026•32 min
As an Easter treat, we thought we’d give you something a bit different. Adam and Chris have got together to have a proper in depth look at the government department that deals with some of the most important and politically pertinent issues of our time - the Home Office. The idea came up in October last year when Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood took over and said it was “not yet fit for purpose” and had been “set up to fail”. She was channelling her predecessor of 20 years ago, John Reid, who fir...
Apr 04, 2026•58 min
Electioncast is back! Adam is joined by senior correspondent Joe Pike, Scotland editor James Cook, and host of Walescast and BBC Wales’ money editor Felicity Evans to break down everything you need to know about the May elections. Elections for the Senedd, Holyrood and local councils across England will take place on the 7th May. Today, we look at what’s up for grabs and what’s at stake. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Ne...
Apr 03, 2026•44 min
Today, Nasa has launched its first crewed mission around the Moon for more than 50 years. The Artemis II mission will last about 10 days and take its astronauts further into space than anyone has been before. The four-person crew will not land on the Moon but will circle it, aiming to set the stage for an eventual human landing for the first time since the 1960s and 70s. Adam is joined by space scientist, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock and astronaut Tim Peake - who together host the podcast 13 Minute...
Apr 02, 2026•30 min
Today, the Prime Minister has given a press conference warning that things are not going to be easy as the US-Israeli war in Iran continues to put pressure on the cost of living. His address to press in Downing Street came hours after the President gave an interview to the Telegraph, saying he’s considering pulling out of Nato. Adam assembles Henry Zeffman, chief political correspondent, Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent and Michelle Wiese Bockmann senior maritime intelligence analy...
Apr 01, 2026•33 min
Today, it has been confirmed that King Charles’s state visit to the US will go ahead, despite more criticism from President Trump towards the UK. King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the White House in late April. The confirmation of their visit comes on the same day as President Trump lashes out at the UK and other allies again, telling them to “go get your own oil from the Strait of Hormuz.” The announcement appears to have been delayed, amidst political tensions over the Iran war and the...
Mar 31, 2026•38 min
Today, BBC Radio 2 breakfast host Scott Mills has been sacked by the BBC following allegations about his personal conduct. The BBC have not given any further details, saying only "while we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC." Adam is joined by Katie Razzall - BBC Culture and Media Editor And, President Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plats and oil wells if a deal is not reached “shortly”. Tr...
Mar 30, 2026•37 min
Today, Laura and Paddy unpack what the government will do to deal with energy pressures caused by the Iran war. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has told Laura that the UK should invest in home-grown energy, but leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, says we need more drilling in the North Sea. They also discuss the policies on energy prices from other UK political parties. Plus, they do an update following yesterday's interview with Josh Simons. Apply for tickets to Castfest here https:...
Mar 29, 2026•26 min
Today, Laura and Paddy have an exclusive first full length interview with Josh Simons, who recently quit as a government minister. A think tank he used to run - Labour Together - commissioned a report that looked into the background of journalists after the Sunday Times ran a story about them. He says he was ‘naive’ and he was ‘so sorry’. He also worked at Facebook owners Meta for several years and gave evidence at the landmark social media addiction trial which the tech giant, along with YouTub...
Mar 28, 2026•50 min
Today, Adam and Chris are joined by Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent and Stephanie Flanders, head of government and economics at Bloomberg and host of Trumponomics to look at the latest developments in the US-Israeli war with Iran. They discuss the US’s 15 point plan for peace and Iran’s response and why both sides' proposals are unlikely to lead to meaningful negotiations. Apply for tickets to Castfest here https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026 You can now listen...
Mar 27, 2026•34 min
Today, Meta and Google lose landmark social media addiction trial in the US. Jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed a 20-year old's mental health. The woman, known as Kaley, was awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages, a result likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through US courts. Meta and Google said they disagreed with the verdict and ...
Mar 26, 2026•34 min
Today, Iran has rejected the US peace plan as “excessive”. The US plan, which has not been made public, reportedly includes Iran dismantling its nuclear facilities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. In response Iran has released its own conditions for ending the war through state television. Adam is joined by Chief North America Correspondent Gary O’Donoghue. And the Former Google executive Matt Brittin has been confirmed as the BBC's new director general. The ex-president of Google's Eur...
Mar 25, 2026•30 min
Today, we try and get to the bottom of whether or not Iran and the US might be meeting at the negotiating table. Whilst President Trump has previously said the two countries have already had productive conversations, Iran has denied the reports. Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent and Parham Ghobadi, senior reporter for BBC Persian explain who might be involved if talks do go ahead and the latest we know about what’s happening inside Iran. Plus, Faisal Islam joins Adam for a deep dive...
Mar 24, 2026•48 min
Today, President Trump has extended his initial 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz to five days. The President said Iran has 'one more chance at peace', following what he called “good and productive conversations”. But, while Sir Keir Starmer said he was aware the talks had taken place, Iran has denied speaking to the US and has called Trump’s claims of talks ‘fake news’. To help us make sense of the head-spinning pace of the US-Israel war with Iran, James and Chris are jo...
Mar 23, 2026•34 min
Today, Laura, Paddy and Henry discuss whether Iranian missiles could feasibly strike the UK, as Israel has claimed. The Israeli Defence Force said Iranian missiles ‘can reach London, Paris or Berlin.’ The claim was prompted by an attempted but unsuccessful missile strike on the UK-US Diego Garcia base. Sir Richard Shirreff, a former senior Nato commander has told Paddy we should take the the claim seriously, but cabinet minister Steve Reed told Laura there is "no assessment to substantiate" it. ...
Mar 22, 2026•29 min
Today, Laura and Paddy discuss Iranian missiles fired at Diego Garcia, the joint UK-US base in the Indian Ocean. Two ballisitic missiles were fired at the island of Diego Garcia, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported overnight, citing unnamed US officials, but neither weapon reached its target. One missile reportedly failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship. It is unclear when the missiles were supposedly fired. The BBC understands the reports are accurate. They unpac...
Mar 21, 2026•35 min
Today, Adam, Chris and Faisal are joined by Panorama Jane Corbin to discuss the latest strikes in the war in Iran. They look at a straining relationship between Israel and the US and how the UK is reacting to the shock to the global economy. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touch with Newscast ...
Mar 20, 2026•32 min
Today, President Trump has threatened that the US “will massively blow up” the world’s largest gas field if Iran attacks Qatar again. This comes after Iran bombed Qatar's Ras Laffan energy complex, in retaliation against Israel attacking its South Pars Gas Field - all of which has sent gas prices skyrocketing. Adam is joined by chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and deputy economics editor Dharshini David to discuss what this means for the war and energy prices around the world. Meanw...
Mar 19, 2026•36 min
Today, Angela Rayner has reignited Labour leader speculation with a speech in Westminster. The former deputy prime minister told a room at a Westminster pub that Labour is “running out of time”. Adam and Chris discuss this, and mixed messages coming out of the White House about the effectiveness of Operation Epic Fury with Chief North America Correspondent Gary O’Donoghue. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It wor...
Mar 18, 2026•32 min
Today, President Zelensky has been in London to agree a new defence partnership with the UK, with Downing Street hoping to unite “Ukrainian expertise and the UK's industrial base" to manufacture drones. But while Starmer and Zelensky were meeting one side of the Atlantic, President Trump was changing his mind on whether he needs Nato support in the Strait of Hormuz again. During a meeting with the Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, President Trump hit out at Starmer again. Adam and Chris discuss Z...
Mar 17, 2026•37 min
Today, President Trump has reiterated his requests for support from Nato allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz - days after saying we don’t need” UK aircraft carriers in the Middle East. For now, the PM and other European allies are holding off - with Sir Keir Starmer saying the UK doesn’t want to get drawn into the wider US-Israeli war with Iran. James and Chris are joined by Panorama film maker Jane Corbin to discuss the ongoing disagreement between the two sides of the Atlantic. Plus, The E...
Mar 16, 2026•41 min
Today, President Trump has called on the UK and other allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil shipping channel. Laura, Paddy and Henry unpick what Ed Miliband said in response to pressure from the President and analyse what the current closure of the strait means for the cost of living. Meanwhile, the US president says he wants to make a deal to the end war in Iran, but 'the terms are not good enough yet'. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want...
Mar 15, 2026•31 min
Today, Laura catches up with Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and Frank Gardner in Saudi Arabia to get their take on the global impact the war in Iran is having beyond the Middle East. President Trump says the US military has bombed a small island off the coast of Iran which is home to one of the country’s most important oil terminals. Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, explains how both the US and Iran are trying to secure their oil interests in the region. Plus Steve Rosenberg joins Lau...
Mar 14, 2026•34 min
Today, James, Alex and Chris are joined by Jeremy Bowen to discuss the latest in the war in Iran. They reflect on what lessons could be learnt from the two Gulf Wars, the pressure building on the world economy and if President Trump is “close” to a victory? You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touc...
Mar 13, 2026•29 min
