Share

The Trawl
Vanity Glare, Boxing Gloves & Redactions đđ„
Itâs Christmas Eve at The Trawl HQ and the cheese is flowing, the Scrooged button is armed, and Marina and Jemma are doing their level best not to spiral.
Instead, they unwrap some unexpected festive joy as a trio of bell-ends Tommy Robinson, Jake Paul and Andrew Tate, discover the true meaning of consequences via the noble art of boxing. (Spoiler: pink gloves, broken jaws, and internet-wide schadenfreude feature heavily.)
Stateside, karma keeps busy. From the Vanity Fair brouhaha to Trumpâs name mysteriously appearing on and disappearing from places it absolutely shouldnât, including the Kennedy Center and the Epstein files. Yes, those Epstein files. Thousands released, thousands redacted, and somehow one name missing entirely.
Add in Nicki Minajâs excruciating Trump-era foot-in-mouth moment, some festive under rateds and a Christmas 'pudding' story that may ruin your appetite entirely and youâve got a very Trawl Christmas indeed.
Pour a stiff drink, pull on a metaphorical Christmas jumper, and join us.
Weâll be back on Boxing Day⊠obviously.
Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast
Â
Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast
Â
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl
Â
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
If youâve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, youâll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:
âą Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss â where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
âą Early access to The Trawl MeetsâŠ
âą Glorious ad-free episodes
Plus, thereâs a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.
And itâs 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⊠youâre not alone.
Come join the fun:
https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator
More episodes
View all episodes

318. Art Gets Cancelled. Aid Gets Banned: Where are the Consequences?
34:58||Ep. 318Trump tries to slap his name on the Kennedy Center and the internet responds with satire, cancelled shows and an all-time zinger of a legal reply: âConfusion is a legal requirement, not a feeling.âBeautiful work đ«ĄThen the mood shifts, hard. Marina and Jemma confront the unbearable disconnect of cosy Christmases in the West while Gaza freezes and floods. From Netanyahuâs Mar-a-Lago sleepover with Trump to the stripping of aid agencies from Gaza, Marina and Jemma ask the same question again and again: where are the consequences?Also in this ep: Nicki Minaj torches her own reputation, the grotesque hypocrisy over the release of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Kemi Badenoch defending the indefensible (again), a sanctioned oligarchâs favourite lawyer, and the men of politics proving, once more, that itâs all just a game to them.Satire, rage, hypocrisy klaxons and laughs. Enjoy!Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcastPatreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
317. Tip of the Epstein Iceberg & Trumpâs Midterm Nerves
46:17||Ep. 317The Christmas break is barely a memory, Venezuela is threatening to become âthe Greenland situationâ, and Trump has kicked off January by delivering one of the most jaw-droppingly stupid geopolitical statements weâve ever heard.Before Jemma and Marina get swept up in the next global meltdown, this episode rakes back over everything you mightâve missed while eating leftovers and avoiding your relatives. From Trumpâs extraordinary reframing of Russiaâs war on Ukraine, to the optics, silences and outright gaslighting surrounding Zelensky, Putin and the worldâs most fragile truth.They also wade into the Epstein files and why their release got so dark over Christmas, why the redactions raised serious questions, and what has (and hasnât) actually been established so far. They discuss Trumpâs midterm panic, the legal cases that never made it to trial, and how power keeps slipping out of reach of accountability.But because life canât be wall-to-wall bleak, the Trawl ladies also bring some positive receipts: real wins, real progress, and reasons not to spiral before Januaryâs even finished. Plus Peruvian shamans, underrated tweets of the week, and a genuinely lovely poetic pudding to send you on your way.Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
316. Oil Be Damned: Venezuelaâs New Year Coup
01:07:01||Ep. 316Marina and Jemma return from Christmas only to find that Trump has kicked off 2026 by bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president - and the soâcalled ârulesâbased international orderâ immediately folded like a cheap camping chair, with Western leaders bravely choosing silence, caution, and the safety of not upsetting the big orange man.In this episode, they wade through the geopolitical sludge: a president paraded through New York like a colonial trophy, Musk suddenly discovering he loves regime change, and Marco Rubio realising midâpress conference that heâs apparently been put in charge of running a country. Meanwhile Europeâs puny leaders offer their usual contribution - a sternly worded nothing - proving once again that the Westâs moral authority is mostly a decorative prop and little else.There are bots posing as jubilant Venezuelans, Nike tracksuits selling out because of a coup, and Trump casually eyeing up Greenland like itâs the MiddleâEastern Riviera.Marina and Jemma try to make sense of a world where the rules donât apply, the leaders arenât leading, and the only people not underreacting are you fine listeners - and two women with microphones and a migraine.Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
The Trawl Meets Cody Dahler
40:11|Clips of writer, podcaster and Instagram legend, Cody Dahler, have featured so many times on The Trawl, regular listeners will be completely familiar with his dulcet tones. What they may not know however is that Cody used to be a civil servant, working alongside and putting up with the Tory government and a comedy writer on shows such as Dead Ringers. Marina and Jemma find out how he's grown his huge Insta following, what he thinks about Starmer and get his thoughts on Rory Stewart's 'class anger' comments which were aimed at Zack Polanski. Plus who is Cody naming 'Bell End of the Year.'Â Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcastPatreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcasthttps://https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcasttwitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
THE TRAWL GOSS â 2025 UNEDITED REFLECTION
38:52|No clips. No editing. No guests.In this unedited end-of-year special, Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte sit down and reflect on everything The Trawl has covered over 2025. They remember the stories that shocked them, the moments that made them laugh, and the news cycles that left them genuinely lost for words. They also indulge in a bit of nostalgia, recalling how they met and how the podcast began. Then Marina is very rude about a pair of Jemma's trousers which changes the tone somewhat. From political chaos and media pile-ons to internet absurdity, culture wars and the moments of unexpected joy that cut through the noise, this is a candid conversation about what itâs been like to trawl the feed week after week during one of the strangest years in recent memory.A chance to pause, take stock, and exhale before whatever 2026 decides to throw at them.Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
315. Boxing Day, Bad Political Actors & the Great British DumbâDown
48:28||Ep. 315Itâs Boxing Day on The Trawl, which means Marina and Jemma are fuelled by cheese, chaos and the most baffling headlines Britain has to offer. Join them as they sift through the festive madness: realityâTV absurdity, BBC lawsuits, and the governmentâs latest attempt to turn violence against women into a cultureâwar chew toy. They dig into Jess Phillipsâ new proposals, the backlash from the usual suspects, and the data that certain politicians would rather ignore. Also featuring: Cilla Black fever dreams, Tom Skinnerâs Strictly meltdown, and a surprising amount of cheese.A perfect blend of silliness, sharpness and Stiltonâpowered clarity.Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcastPatreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
THE TRAWL MEETS XMAS PUDDINGS SPECIAL đ
01:03:07|Regular Trawl listeners will know that every Trawl episode ends with a clip âpuddingâ a treat at the end of every show. Marina and Jemma select clips they find funny, poignant, stirring or entertaining for one reason or another and in this very festive edition of Trawl Meets the Trawl ladies welcome some of your very favourite puddings - Anthony Richardson from The Exploding Heads, Larry and Paul from Broken News fame PLUS one of their favourite Christmas crackers whose posts also regularly feature - the one, the only, Danny Fâing Price - the Instagram activist and all round legend. Expect clip highlights, Christmas quiz questions such as âwhat would Brexit look like if it was a jumper?â and a lot of insight into how these brilliantly funny people became the internet sensations they are - holding power (and angry men like Colin from Portsmouth) to account. Enjoy âđŒđThank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
313. When Harry Met Sally and Reform Met Bonnie Blue
46:36||Ep. 313Love, Hypocrisy and a Rob Reiner Tribute Itâs the Friday episode and Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte are running on festive fumes so prepare for rage, tears, laughs and a post Rob Reiner tribute snotty nose. It's a rollercoaster of an episode.The Trawl ladies start with the small lies we tell children (Father Christmas logistics remain shaky) before moving swiftly to Trumpâs grotesque response to tragedy which has sparked a proper reckoning and proves that the the late, great Rob Reiner was right about him all along.Jemma and Marina pay proper tribute to the wonderful movies he made and discuss why decency, humour and romance feel increasingly radical amidst the backdrop of modern politics.Then itâs onto Trumpâs apparent desire to lead Europe (spoiler: Europe says absolutely not), before Jemma and Marina head back to Blighty where Reform UK continue their unstoppable streak of rank associations, racist dog whistles and jaw-dropping hypocrisy â from Bonnie Blue to Nigel Farage framing multilingual children as a âcultural threatâ.They finish with a few glimmers of hope, and the usual much-needed palette cleansers, dad jokes and utter nonsense.Side effects may include sighing, eye-rolling, despair and the sudden urge to rewatch The Princess Bride and believe in true love all over again.Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast