The State of Us
Tara Mills and Declan Harvey react and reflect on news stories in a BBC NI podcast.
Insights from recent episode analysis
On the show
- Tara Mills10 eps
- Declan Harvey10 eps
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Total monthly reach
Based on 1 signal.
Built from
By chart position
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom · News CommentaryHOME#2030K to 161K
- 🇮🇪Ireland · News Commentary#103.4K to 18K
- 🇦🇺Australia · News Commentary#122378 to 2.0K
- 🇸🇪Sweden · News Commentary#119114 to 603
- 🇳🇿New Zealand · News Commentary#97105 to 555
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
34K to 182K🎙 Daily cadence·167 episodes·Last published 1w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
115K to 608K🇬🇧88%🇮🇪10%🇦🇺1% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
63K to 334K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
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Total Plays
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Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/15/26 |  22. The sentencing of Jeffrey Donaldson | A special programme from The State of Us podcast. Tara Mills and Declan Harvey report on the fifteen year prison sentence handed down to Jeffrey Donaldson for child sex abuse. The former DUP leader was convicted in June of rape, gross indecency and indecent assault of two women when they were children. The programme hears what the judge said to the sixty three old former MP and knight of the realm, and also hears statements from the two victims and the police. | 28m 44s | ||||||
| 10/12/26 | 9. ‘Seismic’ court ruling | Garvaghy Road residents lost their bid to challenge the Parades Commission's decision in the Court of Appeal today. What arguments were made? Why did the right to march win out? And what does this ruling mean for other Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland? | 16m 34s | ||||||
| 10/10/26 | 8. Bryant bans parade | The Secretary of State says his decision to ban the Orange Order’s Drumcree parade was taken in the best interests of peace. His action came after an agreement couldn’t be reached between the Portadown District Lodge and the Garvaghy Road residents. Sir Chris Bryant said he received advice from the Chief Constable that allowing the march down the mainly nationalist area could lead to serious injury, disorder and wider unrest. The State of Us hears more about what prompted his decision, gets reaction from those involved and asks what happens next. | 14m 58s | ||||||
| 10/7/26 | Trial of the facts: A survivor's story | Eleanor Donaldson’s trial of the facts earlier this year, as part of her husband Jeffrey Donaldon’s sex abuse case, brought a complicated legal process into the headlines. Tara Mills and Declan Harvey explain in detail what a trial of the facts is, and why it can be difficult for victims and survivors to navigate. They also hear from a woman whose abuser faced a trial of the facts last year and why she wants changes to the system. | 16m 05s | ||||||
| 10/5/26 | 7. Back in court | The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in a bid by Garvaghy Road residents to challenge a decision to allow a controversial Orange Order parade down the predominantly nationalist road. Three judges listened to almost four hours of legal arguments inside a packed courtroom in Belfast. The deadlock over the proposed march in Portadown has lasted since the 27th of September. Declan Harvey and Tara Mills report on today’s developments and ask what happens next ? | 13m 20s | ||||||
| 9/30/26 | 6. The new legal battle lines | As the Garvaghy Road residents prepare to head back to the Court of Appeal on Friday we learn more about what police told the Parades Commission before its determination. Tara Mills and Declan Harvey discuss the latest twists in the dispute over the contentious Drumcree march, including some straight-talking remarks from the PSNI chief constable and how an AI image has generated some controversy. | 13m 39s | ||||||
| 9/29/26 | 5. Was the law broken? | First Minister Michelle O’Neill has been reported to the police by the Orange Order for attending a protest blocking the Garvaghy Road. What is the law on ‘spontaneous’ protests? | 14m 35s | ||||||
| 9/28/26 | 4. Rules v Reality | What are the rules around marching and policing. How do they play out in reality, do they apply to everyone and who enforces them? Tara Mills and Declan Harvey shed more light on the standoff at Drumcree. | 16m 35s | ||||||
| 9/27/26 | 3. Inside the court battle | How the courts gave the Drumcree march the go ahead. After the Parades Commission’s decision to allow the march, Garvaghy Rd residents and the Portadown Orange Order took their dispute to court. An overnight 15-hour legal battle ensued. | 15m 24s | ||||||
| 9/25/26 | 21. Victims face Donaldson | A special series from The State of Us podcast. The two women Jeffrey Donaldson abused as children came to court today, as his prison sentence was discussed. He will be sentenced in October. Eleanor Donaldson has been asked to attend court at a later date to hear the outcome of the verdict in her trial of the facts. | 11m 13s | ||||||
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| 9/25/26 | 2. Drumcree Now | The Parades Commission has given the Garvaghy Road march the go ahead after 28 years. We explore the arguments that tipped the scale. | 17m 50s | ||||||
| 9/23/26 | 1. Drumcree Then | How did the Drumcree dispute bring Northern Ireland to a standstill? Tara Mills and Declan Harvey explain how it all began. | 15m 10s | ||||||
| 9/17/26 | 20. Jeffrey and Eleanor to appeal | A special programme from The State of Us podcast. The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty in June 2026 of rape, gross indecency and indecent assault of two women when they were children. His wife Eleanor Donaldson was found to have done the acts in relation to five charges , including four counts of aiding and abetting her husband’s offending. Jeffrey Donaldson’s appeal was lodged earlier in the summer and today we found out his wife has applied to appeal the verdict from her trial of the facts linked to her husband’s offending. | 10m 48s | ||||||
| 9/15/26 |  80. The verdict explained | A special programme from The State of Us podcast. In the summer of 2020, 14-year-old Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast. Six days later his body was found in a storm drain. His disappearance and death have dominated headlines for the last six years. After almost six months of evidence, jurors deliver their verdict on where, when and how Noah died. | 28m 00s | ||||||
| 9/14/26 | 79. Second juror removed | A special series from The State of Us podcast. In the summer of 2020, 14-year-old Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast. Six days later his body was found in a storm drain. His disappearance and death have dominated headlines for six years. The inquest into his death will, for the first time, lay out the facts and evidence in this case. In this special series from The State of Us podcast, Tara Mills and Declan Harvey take you inside the courtroom, bringing you the evidence as it unfolds each day. After returning from the summer break, one juror is removed, leaving nine to decide where, when and how Noah died. | 4m 45s | ||||||
| 9/11/26 | inquestmissing person+5 | — | — | Belfast | Noah Donohoeinquest+5 | — | 15m 47s | ||
| 8/26/26 | court verdictlegal proceedings+4 | — | DUP | — | courtverdict+5 | — | 10m 40s | ||
| 8/25/26 | court caseBrexit+4 | — | BBC Sounds | — | Anne DonaghyArlene Foster+5 | — | 18m 52s | ||
| 8/24/26 | court caseBrexit email+3 | — | BBC Sounds | — | Anne DonaghyArlene Foster+5 | — | 20m 46s | ||
| 8/24/26 | Brexitlegal case+3 | — | — | — | BrexitAnne Donaghy+5 | — | 9m 13s | ||
| 7/3/26 | missing personcourtroom evidence+5 | — | The State of Us | Belfast | Noah DonohoeBelfast+6 | — | 11m 06s | ||
| 6/30/26 | missing personinquest+4 | — | — | Belfast | Noah Donohoeinquest+3 | — | 4m 30s | ||
| 6/30/26 | inquestcourtroom+4 | — | — | Belfast | Noah Donohoeinquest+6 | — | 13m 32s | ||
| 6/29/26 | inquestcourtroom+4 | — | — | Belfast | Noah Donohoeinquest+5 | — | 17m 04s | ||
| 6/22/26 | court trialsex abuse+3 | — | — | — | Donaldson trialverdict+4 | — | 27m 10s | ||
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Chart history for The State of Us
Peaked at #10 in Ireland, top 10 in 1 of 8 tracked markets, currently #10 in Ireland.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | — | #10 | #10 | — |
| United Kingdom | — | #20 | #20 | — |
| Ireland | — | #96 | #96 | — |
| New Zealand | — | #97 | #97 | — |
| Sweden | — | #119 | #119 | — |
| Australia | — | #122 | #122 | — |
| MY | — | #128 | #128 | — |
| United Kingdom | — | #182 | #182 | — |
Chart Positions
8 placements across 6 markets.
Chart Positions
8 placements across 6 markets.