Show overview
Americast has been publishing since 2020, and across the 6 years since has built a catalogue of 585 episodes. That works out to roughly 320 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a several-times-a-week cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 28 min and 38 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed earlier today, with 64 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 177 episodes published. Published by BBC.
From the publisher
Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday on the World Service. Oh, and by the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.You can register for Castfest tickets here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026
Latest Episodes
View all 585 episodesDoes Trump need China to end the war in Iran?
Americanswers! Vance vs Rubio… who will take over from Trump in 2028?
Trump takes his revenge on disloyal Republicans
Is Donald Trump close to finishing his war with Iran?
Americanswers… LIVE at Castfest! Who could lead the Democrats into 2028?
Will ICE agents stay away from the 2026 World Cup?
LIVE at Castfest! How popular is Donald Trump?
Why is Donald Trump calling for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired... again?
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Could Trump have been evacuated from the shooting more quickly?
Who is Trump’s “would-be assassin”… were there security failings at DC shooting?
Donald Trump gets on the phone... with Sarah
Democrats fight back against Trump in Virginia… and win
Americanswers… on 5 Live! Is insider trading corrupting Trump's White House?
Have the Democrats found a new strategy to scare Trump?
Has Trump given up on the midterms?
Americanswers... on 5 Live! Donald Trump vs Pope Leo on Iran
Is Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth waging a holy war against Iran?
Trump pulls back from the brink... but for how long?
Americanswers! Can Zohran Mamdani keep his promises as New York mayor?
Are the Democrats ready to win back Congress?
Excitement has been building among some Democrats after the party won a special election in Florida last week in a district that includes Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach. This win, along with several others recently, suggests the party may have the momentum heading into November’s midterm elections, when they’ll be looking to reclaim control of the House, and possibly even the Senate. Despite the optimism, some Democrats are cautious about the party’s progress as frustration builds over internal divisions within the party.In today’s episode, Justin and Sumi sit down with key Democratic advisor Jim Messina, who was deputy chief of staff to Barack Obama and the mastermind behind his successful 2012 presidential campaign. He gives his thoughts on how the party needs to approach the midterm elections and the main contenders to take over leadership of the party.HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sumi Somaskanda, BBC chief presenterGUEST: * Jim Messina, former deputy chief of staff to Barack ObamaGET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 * Email [email protected] * Or use #AmericastThis episode was made by Emma Close with Alix Pickles and led by George Dabby. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm