A podcast that showcases Scotland’s best and brightest
Blethered is a Glasgow (and sometimes Barcelona) based podcast available on Spotify and iTunes. Created and hosted by Sean McDonald, the first episode was released in January 2019 and has already amassed over 100,000 streams.
Serious and heavy subjects are brought to light by Sean and his guests. While the titles and descriptions provide a helpful indication of what to expect from each episode, I would advise everyone not to let the topics put you off. Nothing is too embarrassing or controversial to comment on in this podcast – in a good way. One episode that always sticks in my mind is a chat about gambling addiction amongst men. It’s not something I can relate to in any way other than the fact I sell scratch cards behind the kiosk at work. Hearing someone who has suffered with this addiction changed the way I thought of the issue altogether.
Blethered is educational in a way where the listener doesn’t always realise they are learning something new. I don’t know nearly as much as I should about current affairs and politics but listening to the different topics discussed on this podcast makes me feel more clued up.
Many of the podcasts revolve around the guest star, and if you involve yourself in Scottish Twitter then many of the guests to you will be household names. From well-known Glaswegians like author Chris McQueer and filmmaker Paul Black to Joe Hullait, creator of the popular BBC show Scots Squad, the podcast has welcomed a range of different talents.
After the first handful of episodes failed to feature any women, McDonald welcomed actress and comedian Rachel Jackson on the show and since then the show has been more balanced. Most recently, Mhairi Black made her Blethered debut, and helped produce one of my favourite episodes to date. Sean invites Mhairi to discuss her job and UK politics as a whole but doesn’t only focus on this. We get to learn about Mhairi’s life away from parliament, her advice for good mental health and even her thoughts on Love Island. Listening to their conversation feels like listening to your own friends having a chat; it doesn’t feel embarrassing or forced, it always flows naturally.
Sean makes a great role model for young Scottish people as with every new podcast he tackles a new prejudice or social problem or discusses careers and different ways of life. Blethered challenges the idea that being successful in Scotland is ‘a riddy’ and provides an unfiltered platform that showcases Scottish talent and reminds listeners that troublesome times can always be overcome.
