POLITICAL PARTY Podcast to Feature Rachel Reeves & SNP Stars at Edinburgh Fringe
Matt Forde will host live shows at the Gilded Balloon, featuring Anas Sarwar and Malcolm Offord.
Political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (The Royal Variety Performance, Spitting Image, Have I Got News For You, British Scandal) is set to interview Rachel Reeves, Anas Sarwar, Stephen Flynn and Malcolm Offord, over four live Edinburgh Festival Fringe Political Party podcast specials.
On 9th August, Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, will join Matt to discuss Scottish Labour's future following its most challenging Holyrood election results. As the first major party figure to call for Keir Starmer to resign, will a new Prime Minister help revive the party's fortunes in Scotland? And what does Scottish Labour have to do differently if it ever wants to beat the SNP? See Anas and Matt at the Gilded Balloon at 1.15pm
On 15th August, Stephen Flynn, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine and former Westminster leader of the SNP, joins Matt to discuss his move from Westminster to Holyrood in the aftermath of the SNP corruption scandal. With the First Minister on the ropes, might Flynn look to replace him? And what does it all mean for the future of Scotland? Stephen joins Matt at the Gilded Balloon at 11.45am.
On 18th August, Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, joins Matt to discuss Labour's economic record in government amid a period of political turbulence and yet another leadership change at Westminster. Will Labour have to change its economic policy? And what's her take on the new Prime Minister? How difficult have the last few months been personally? Rachel will discuss all this and more at the McEwan Hall at 5pm.
On 20th August, Malcolm Offord, Leader of Reform UK Scotland and MSP for West Scotland, joins Matt to discuss Reform's rapid rise in Scotland, Nigel Farage's influence north of the border and whether Scottish politics has entered a new era of multi-party competition at the Gilded Balloon at 1.15pm.
Alongside Matt's Political Party Edinburgh Fringe specials, Matt Forde (The Royal Variety Performance, Spitting Image, Have I Got News For You, British Scandal) returns to perform his new stand-up show Project Holy Moly at The Pleasance, Beyond, from 5th- 30th August at 8pm.
As the UK prepares to welcome its seventh Prime Minister in ten years, Matt's new hour will see him embark on a mission with impossible odds: find joy amid the domestic and global political turmoil, the rising tide of populism, and his own ongoing health challenges - several years on from a bone cancer diagnosis.
Since launching in 2013, Matt's Political Party podcast has brought Parliament to life through stand-up and lively debate with some of politics' most powerful figures, including Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, Zack Polanski, Tony Blair, Nicola Sturgeon, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Angela Rayner, Michael Heseltine, Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown, and Gary Neville. Matt is set to extend his West End live Political Party podcast residency for the fifth time through June 2027, returning to The Duchess Theatre on 9th November 2026 with Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall kicking off the new season. The podcast has amassed over 14 million downloads, earned multiple nominations from award bodies including the British Podcast Awards and Chortle Awards, and is regularly featured in the press.
Elsewhere in audio, Matt recently completed the second series of his ARIA Award-nominated BBC Radio 4 political comedy show The Matt Forde Focus Group, in which he is joined by politicians, comedians and subject experts to discuss current issues and the ideas shaping them. He also co-hosts the British Podcast Spotlight Award-winning British Scandal podcast with Alice Levine, and Down The Dog with Jon Richardson, alongside hosting Absolute Radio's Rock 'n' Roll Football Show and talkSPORT's How To Win The World Cup podcast.
Matt hosted four series of Unspun with Matt Forde on Dave, receiving several nominations at the Broadcast Digital Awards, and has numerous other broadcast credits including: Spitting Image (ITV/BritBox), Have I Got News For You (BBC One), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Mock The Week (BBC Two), 8 out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave) Rory Bremner's Coalition Report and Rory Bremner's Election Report (BBC Two), Question Time (BBC One), This Week (BBC One), Newsnight (BBC Two) and Daily Politics (BBC Two).
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