Breaking The News - Commonwealth Games Special, BBC Radio Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 30th July, 2026.

Host: Des Clarke

Panellists:

Mark Nelson

Krystal Evans

Ria Lina

Liam Withnail

Audience Question:

Q: It's the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this week. What would you win a gold medal for and why?

Producer Chris stepped in while Dave was on holiday.

Of all the panellists, Mark was the funniest, with most of his jokes landing. Liam came second, Ria third and way behind Krystal. As an American with no interest in sport, her biggest contribution was to suggest she would win a gold medal for shagging. Ria joked that for anyone affected by any of these issues, there would be a phone number at the end of the show. Krystal jumped in with, "yeah, my phone number". 

Ria had a facial twitch (obviously, not important for a radio show).

The buzzers didn't work for the buzzer round, so the comedians had to raise a hand to make their suggestions.

This episode turned quite dark. It'll be interesting to hear what they could salvage. Des was in top quip form.

Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows

BBC "Breaking The News" Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 5th March 2026

Host: Des Clarke

Panellists:

Mark Nelson

Felicity Ward

Kathleen Hughes

James Gardner (first time appearing)

The writers' table, inc producer, Dave Flynn

We had arrived slightly later than usual, just before midday, when the ticket validation began, so the queue was out almost onto the street. This meant when we got inside, there was no seating left, and our allocated entry number was quite high. Still, we ended up in the queue in the bar for twenty minutes and found a space beside a table at the back of the hall, so the wait wasn't too bad. 

When we did get into the venue, the first thing I noticed was the absence of TV cameras. We sat in the back row, pleased there was no cameraman blocking the view.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience, once again.

Subjects:

US and Israel at war with Iran;

The Scottish Government has awarded a contract to Fergusson Marine to build four boats;

The nationalisation of Ardrossan Harbour;

Damien Barr: Burger King trialling AI headsets to monitor customer service

Judith Ralston: Pregnancy causes physical changes in the mother's brain (Baby brain is real).

Mystery person 1: Hannah Spencer, newly elected MP, for the Green Party.   

Mystery Person 2: Jonathan Ross (promoting his new show, Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing)

Quickfire question: "16% of the over 45's are what?" - answer: are flatsharing.

 

"When Trump referred to Starmer as not being like Churchill, do you think he meant the dog?" Mark Nelson.

Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows

BreakingThe News BBC Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 30th October, 2025

Host: Des Clarke 

Panellists:
Mark Nelson

Kemah Bob

Amy Matthews

Robin Ince  

Dry when we arrived, wet when we left. This recording was actually for TV as well as radio, the broadcast due to go out on Friday night on BBC Scotland. The seating layout had been altered to accommodate the cameras: three pointed at the stage and one was carried to show audience reactions. One of the sound guys wore what looked like a proton pack, with a microphone on a looping pole pointed at us.  

I learned that I'm so fat now that I've lost the ability to pull in my stomach. As I tried to squeeze past the gentleman sitting on the bench next to me, my tummy inadvertently gave him a back rub. 

A rather large gentleman sat on my left during the recording. His upper half invaded my space so much that I had to lean over on my wife's side. After the two-hour recording, when I stood up, I keeled over and had to grab the chair to stop me falling. My balance was totally messed up. I did admire how he timed his pint so he finished it just at the end of the final round. 

This was my first time seeing Kemah Bob in action. Her voice is strange, but she acknowledged that, blaming the years she smoked weed. Her hair looked fantastic, like a black Sideshow Bob, only with red highlights.

One joke about Prince Andrew might not make the cut, not because it was slanderous, but because it's already out of date. By the time the show goes out, Andrew is no longer a Prince, the Royal having subsequently relinquished his title and royal home after the recording finished.

I learned that Amy Matthews is a people pleaser, and that Robin Ince is a lot funnier than he appears.  The football round discussing the resignation of Celtic Manager, Brendan Rodgers, left most of the panellists floundering, with only Mark Nelson and Des Clarke knowledgeable on the subject.

A good show this week.

Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows

Breaking the News Turns 10, BBC Radio Recording, The Stand, Glasgow. Tuesday 23rd September, 2025

 

Host: Des Clarke.

Panellists: 

Stuart Mitchell 

Elaine Malcolmson

Mark Nelson

Jay Lafferty

My second visit to the new Stand in Glasgow, and this time there were surprises. 

The first surprise was that the BBC didn't know ticket validation had been advertised as starting at 11.30 am. They were not ready until their usual time, midday, by which time the queue was massive, stretching way along past the Kelvin Bridge. I leaned against the bridge wall, unaware of the writing on the brickwork, until my wife pointed out that I had chalk all over my jacket. The sun was unseasonably warm and bright. I was pleased when the BBC staffer moved us down the side street, though even that was too short to accommodate us.

In the end, over forty people were turned away, the event way oversubscribed. I suspect the BBC's ticketing department didn't realise The Stand has a lower seating capacity than Drygate. They certainly didn't comprehend that the Stand has a tiny footprint for waiting. We squeezed into a corner near the door so we could hear when they called out the numbers for going in. Only that didn't happen. They called Accessibility forward first, and then Purple stickers. We had purple stickers for numbers 175 and 176, so by the time we got in, most of the seats in the centre were already filled. We ended up on a hard pew at the side, near the entrance. 

I then realised two things:

1. The programme was being recorded for TV, not Radio, to be shown over the festive period, with multiple cameras set up to face the stage.

2. The room was far deeper than we'd experienced at Josie Long, double the depth of that event. 

The recording was brilliant. The comedians had a blast, providing hilarious answers that wouldn't make the edit. Des showed off his talent for mimicry, showcasing his impressions of The Donald, George Galloway, and Raymond Mearns. Mark Nelson cracked some hilarious jokes, such as "I've been inside a voting booth more often in the last ten years than I've been inside my wife." Stuart Mitchell had some dark humour lines, too. This is in relation to DJT's second state visit: "Usually, the only time Americans return to Scotland a second time is to get scattered."

The only downside to the recording was that it ran over by fifty minutes. By the time Des was recording his pick-ups at the end, many in the audience had decided to slip away, causing a noise problem as chairs scraped and footfalls echoed on the steps. 

At the very end, the producer presented a candlelit caterpillar cake to Des, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to the show. 

On the journey home, intending to collect the dogs first from doggy daycare, I entered our destination incorrectly into the sat nav. Fortunately, as I crossed the Squinty Bridge, I saw the journey time was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and I realised my mistake. I'd hit the Favourite button 12. Cruden Bay, instead of 13. Pawz & Co. The joys of a touchscreen. 

I'm pleased future recordings of the show are returning to Drygate. Fingers crossed my ticket application is accepted.

Our view of the stage

Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows

Screenshots from the broadcast show:

CANCELLED Tom Davis & Friends, Paisley Town Hall. Friday 19th September, 2025

This was the email I received informing me that the event had been cancelled:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event on Friday, 19th September 2025, at Paisley Town Hall has been cancelled.

It’s hoped that the show can be rescheduled at some time in the future. We will be in touch to let you know if that happens. We apologise for any disappointment.

Ticket Price: 2 x  £25 plus £5 fees = £55 from One Ren. 

FULLY REFUNDED inc Fees.

Breaking The News Radio Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 19th June, 2025

Host: Des Clarke

Panellists:
Mark Nelson
Ria Lina
Elaine Malcolmson
Stuart McPherson

The audience question for today's show was: "What is the biggest mistake you've ever made in  your life?" 

This isn't my biggest, but it's certainly my most recent.

Let me explain...

I received two texts congratulating me on my successful application to this show, along with another date, advising me to look out for emails with the tickets attached. 

Time passes. 

Then, yesterday, I realised those emails never arrived. 

No problem. I'll contact them. 

Searches for email application confirmation to find the contact info. I can't find that email either.  

I check the BBC Tours and Shows website for advice. "Contact us via our X account or the BBC Questions webpage."

I no longer have X, having deactivated my account after old Elon's Nazi salute. 

I follow the link to the BBC Questions page. How can I ask a question about a BBC programme or service? 

Try checking to see if it is answered on a dedicated programme page BBC - Programmes - A to Z.

I check. There is no contact tab on the Breaking the News webpage. What to do now?  

I stress out. I message comedian Ria Lina, hoping she can put me in touch with someone on the production team. She doesn't reply, not surprisingly, so I message her again, apologising for messaging her in the first place.

I jump through hoops to open a new X account, only to discover that there is no direct messaging service available on any of the BBC's X accounts, at least not for my new, unverified profile. I post a polite comment on their page asking for advice about my situation.

Eventually, after spending an eternity reading various FAQ posts on the BBC Website, I find the direct phone number for BBC Tours and Shows. 

The first call tells me to try again later. 

The second call tells me to try again later. 

The third asks me if I want to participate in a short survey to provide feedback about the service. I resist the urge to press 1 and opt for 'no'. Then, I'm put through to an Irish lassie. She was brilliant and didn't make me feel stupid at all. I did that all by myself.

It turned out that I had mistyped my email address; hence, no email response and no tickets. She assures me that the production team will resend the ticket emails, but also provides me with my ticket numbers, just in case. 

A few hours later, I receive the ticket emails. Sorted.

I messaged Ria again to let her know. She might have been worried. 

No reply. 

I don't think she's blocked me yet.

Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the recording. It was a lovely day, the hottest of the year so far (how many more times will we repeat that phrase this year?). As usual, the funniest bits won't make it air.

Ticket Price: Free, but the stress probably cost me a few months of my life. 

Before the show

After the show - Stuart's already away