More than 1.8 million people streamed, viewed, or downloaded The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Politics: US in under 24 hours, after both shows released emergency episodes in response to the US bombing of Iran over the weekend.
In a sign of just how central podcasts have become during global breaking news events, over 1.1 million views were recorded on YouTube alone, with 685,000 audio streams across platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Peak live audience numbers surpassed 50,000 viewers, many of whom tuned in via smart TVs — further blurring the line between podcasting and traditional broadcast.
The UK edition, hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell, offered instant reaction and analysis to the US entering Israel’s war with Iran, asking whether the strikes could spark a wider regional or global conflict. Simultaneously, the US version, fronted by Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci, dug into Donald Trump’s motivations, the implications for his base, and what this latest intervention means for US foreign policy.
Tony Pastor, co-founder of Goalhanger – the podcast production company behind both shows – said the response underlined how audiences increasingly seek clarity and commentary from podcasts in moments of geopolitical tension.
“Once again, we’re seeing that in moments of fast-breaking news, audiences turn to podcasts for explanation and analysis,” Pastor said. “What’s particularly striking is how many people chose to watch these episodes on their television. The line between podcast and TV show is blurring – and it’s happening faster than ever.”
The episodes’ success follows recent findings from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025, which confirmed The Rest Is Politics as the UK’s most popular news podcast and named Goalhanger the country’s top-ranked news podcast producer – ahead of BBC Sounds and Global. The podcast is also now the most-mentioned news show in the UK.
Pastor added: “These numbers show not just the trust that listeners place in our hosts, but the agility of the format. We were able to respond to a major global event in real time — and reach an audience on the scale of a primetime broadcast.”
The emergency episodes are available now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms.
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1.8 million tune in as emergency Iran episodes of The Rest Is Politics break records in 24 hours