Under the bonnet podcast launched for van drivers
Wed, 04 Jun 2025
One of Britain’s most well-known breakfast broadcasters has launched a new podcast aimed specifically at those who spend their lives behind the wheel of a van.
The Under the Bonnet podcast is a series of 30-minute episodes in conversation with celebrities and guests to understand what makes Britain’s van drivers tick and is hosted by BBC Radio 2 breakfast DJ, Scott Mills.
Mills, whose dad ran a removals company and drove a van, recorded the series in the front of a specially adapted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van as he discussed everything from his enduring love of service stations to the changing face of van drivers.
Launched to celebrate 30 years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the report also delves into findings from the second annual Mercedes-Benz Vans Under the Bonnet report, which shows how van drivers have become a barometer for modern Britain.
The report revealed 84% of drivers said they can sense the mood of the nation by what happens out on the road and the behaviour of fellow road users – and that conversations about potholes have overtaken football as the number one ice-breaker when talking to a stranger.
In the launch episode, Mills chats with BBC Celebrity MasterChef judge and food critic Grace Dent, who reveals that her guilty pleasure is dining out at a motorway service station.
And for the second episode, Mills opens up about his own mental health challenges as he talks to van driver David Curtis about the mental load of life on the road. The Mercedes-Benz Van Under the Bonnet report reveals 65% of van drivers have suffered from depression or anxiety.
Iain Forsyth, managing director at Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, says: "It made sense to create a dedicated podcast just for our drivers that talks to them about the challenges that van drivers face day-to-day."
