Mercedes-Benz Vans partners with radio favourite to celebrate 30 years of the Sprinter and Britain’s unsung road heroes
LONDON, UK — MONDAY 2 JUNE 2025: Breakfast show DJ and national treasure Scott Mills has launched the UK’s first ever podcast dedicated to van drivers, shining a spotlight on the people who keep Britain moving.
Titled Under the Bonnet, the podcast is produced in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans and celebrates 30 years of the iconic Sprinter – the vehicle that has become synonymous with tradespeople, couriers, small business owners and service professionals across the country.
Recorded from the front seat of a specially-adapted Sprinter, each 30-minute episode sees Mills in relaxed conversation with celebrities and van-driving guests to explore the world behind the windscreen.
The launch episode features Celebrity MasterChef judge and restaurant critic Grace Dent, who confesses a soft spot for Britain’s motorway service stations – revealing that even foodies can’t resist a Greggs sausage roll or a surprise M&S Simply Food find off the M6.
In later episodes, the tone shifts as Scott shares his own personal experiences with mental health, opening up in a heartfelt exchange with van driver David Curtis. The conversation highlights a growing concern in the community, as revealed by new findings in the second annual Mercedes-Benz Vans Under the Bonnet Report. According to the research, 65% of van drivers have experienced depression or anxiety, underscoring the emotional toll of long hours, traffic pressure and working alone.
The report also offers a unique glimpse into how van drivers are becoming an unexpected gauge for the country’s wellbeing. An overwhelming 84% of drivers say they can sense the national mood based on road behaviour – an insight that positions them as a kind of mobile barometer for modern Britain. And while football has traditionally dominated small talk at delivery depots and job sites, potholes have now officially taken pole position as the UK’s most common driver-to-driver icebreaker.
For Mills, whose father Pete once ran a removals company, this podcast marks a full-circle moment.
“As a child I spent hours sitting in the front of my dad’s van, so recording a podcast in a Sprinter wasn’t strange for me at all,” he said. “Having grown up around it, I’ve seen first-hand the invaluable role van drivers play in the UK. I’m proud to bring Under the Bonnet to the van driver community who work so hard round-the-clock to keep our businesses moving, our shops stocked and our deliveries made.”
Iain Forsyth, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, believes the podcast couldn’t come at a better time.
“Scott Mills is the voice of the UK in the mornings, so who better to become the voice of Under the Bonnet as we mark 30 years of the Sprinter van.
Since we launched the Sprinter in 1995, the world has changed – and so have our drivers. Back then it was just the radio keeping them company. Today, it’s podcasts. This is a show that talks to drivers, not at them, offering real connection around the topics they care about.”
As the UK faces fresh conversations around infrastructure, wellbeing and what life looks like on the open road, Under the Bonnet offers van drivers a moment to be seen, heard – and, crucially, understood.
New episodes of Under the Bonnet drop weekly and are available on all major podcast platforms.
