Unite was once the biggest trade union in Britain, and the largest funder of the Labour Party. In the past its reputation has come under scrutiny. Four years after its first female leader was elected on a promise of restoring trust… it remains mired by in-fighting. In our podcast called “An uncivil war inside Unite”, which was released on 30 September 2025, we failed to convey Unite’s position that it is in good financial health and that the submission of its accounts has been delayed by a re-au...
Sep 30, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 356
The week in culture, annotated. Writer and journalist Liv Little and Observer critic Miranda Sawyer get notes from editors all the time - now it’s their turn to hand them out. Every Wednesday morning, Liv and Miranda weigh in on the latest cultural happenings, from reality TV meltdowns and art house films, to gallery openings and TikTok trends. Smart, funny, and full of sharp observations. We Have Notes is culture with commentary. To listen to We Have Notes click HERE Let’s chat! Send us your vo...
Sep 25, 2025•5 min•Season 1Ep. 355
Insiders tell the story of how the US Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has hollowed out the Center for Disease Control putting the whole world at risk in the event of another pandemic. Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Ada Barumé Sound design: Dominic Delargy Art work: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – fo...
Sep 23, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 354
What happens when you get new blood and new DNA from a complete stranger? This is the story of a woman whose own features began to change following a stem cell transplant. Reporter: Eva Wiseman Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett Commissioning editor: Matt Russell To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoi...
Sep 16, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 353
A city in Honduras is home to a start-up selling experimental gene therapies for $25,000 a dose. Now, those radical ideas are reaching the United States. What happens when biohacking leaves libertarian fringes… and reaches Capitol Hill? Reporter: Patricia Clarke Producer: Madeleine Parr Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Executive Producer: Matt Russell Editor: Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 09, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 352
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Anna Netrebko was the biggest opera star in a generation. Since the war, due to past support for Vladimir Putin, she has effectively been boycotted by theatres around the world. Except, this autumn, she’ll be headlining the Royal Opera House’s new season. Reporters: Vanessa Thorpe, Nina Kuryata and Lauren Crosby Medlicott Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Matt Russell To find out more about The Observer: Subs...
Sep 02, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 351
For nearly a decade beekeepers around the world have been saying that there’s something very wrong with the honey industry. Prices are down, and so is production, but there’s more honey being sold than ever before. So what exactly is in that jar in your kitchen cupboard? An investigation by The Observer reveals a global honey fraud that begins in China and ends with allegations of adulterated jars on UK supermarkets shelves Reporter: Jon Ungoed-Thomas Producer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola Williams ...
Aug 26, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 350
The number of teenage boys killed on our streets has more than doubled in a decade. This is the story of a mother trying to stop it, while dealing with grief and anger for her son. Reporter: Francisco Garcia Producer: Matt Russell Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curate...
Aug 19, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 349
HS2 should have been a symbol of engineering excellence. Instead half of it has been scrapped and it's still running £50 billion over budget. This is the story of how Britain’s largest infrastructure project became its biggest scandal. Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett This episode is sponsored by The Life of Chuck. Join us across the UK for a preview screening on Wednesday 13 August, before it hits ci...
Aug 12, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 348
As a tax haven Jersey has a reputation for welcoming the wealthy with open arms, but how does it treat other kinds of immigrants? Jane Kiiti came from Kenya to work in Jersey’s hotels for more than twenty years. Her death raises questions about the conditions migrant workers face and whether the island is doing enough to prevent their exploitation. You can read Orlando Crowcroft's article 'The never-ending fear that haunts Jersey's troubled migrant workers' here . Reporter: Orlando Crowcroft Pro...
Aug 05, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 347
Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. But the truth behind the hit memoir is very different. Reporter: Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer: Matt Russell Field Producers: Leonie Thomas and Helen Clifton Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Tom Burchell Editor: Jasper Corbett Original article The News Meeting To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to ou...
Jul 29, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 346
Kathleen Folbigg was known as ‘Australia's worst female serial killer’ - she’d lost all four of her infant children and was convicted for killing them. Until, after spending decades in jail, a scientist working in a lab uncovered the truth behind the deaths. The Lab detective is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, and an investigation into why Kathleen’s story might not be the last. To listen to more episodes of The Lab Detective, go to Tortoise Investigates . Our thanks to The Franc...
Jul 22, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 345
This is the story of how and why a small Central European country became the epicenter of global conservatism. It’s the tale of two men…and what happens when we ignore the powerful forces behind a government. Reporter: David Aaronovitch Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening ex...
Jul 15, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 344
This is the story of how a boxing match helped solve a 50-year art world mystery. And how, when a man named Ted wades in to stop a mugging in Soho, it leads to a most unlikely life-altering friendship with an artist who makes him, or his picture, immortal. Reporter: Stephen Smith Producer: Katie Gunning Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorpe Sound Designer: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-fr...
Jul 08, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 343
We are partnering with the podcast Drilled, to share something extra with you this week so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations on The Slow Newscast and across The Observer audio network. You can discover more at https://observer.co.uk/listen . This season, Drilled follows reporter Alleen Brown through a legal trial that will change the course of activism in the U.S. and beyond. Greenpeace, which was only tangentially involved in the Standing Rock protests, has be...
Jul 07, 2025•44 min
Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest serving prime minister, but since leaving office she’s continued to buck the trend. Post premiership, she’s become one of the most vocal among her peers. What has driven her into the arms of the populist right? And what does it tell us about the state of the party she has left behind? Reporter: Philip Collins Producer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Designer: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObser...
Jul 01, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 342
In the UK, a person is reported missing every 90 seconds. But how in a society of internet, phones and social media is it so easy to go missing? This is the story of two men...and how sometimes people don't even realise they've gone missing. Reporter: Francisco Garcia Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our we...
Jun 24, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 341
The police have an increasingly bad reputation when it comes to dealing with violence against women and girls. Forces in England and Wales say they’re trying to fix that, but its track record within its own ranks paints a very different picture. This is the story of three women with one shared experience- being a police officer whose own institution can’t help them escape the abuse of their partners. Reporter: Eve Livingstone Producer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Dela...
Jun 17, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 340
A bunker. A scenario. A group of former senior ministers, military chiefs and other experts. Russia knows our weaknesses – but do you? Sky News' security and defence editor Deborah Haynes presents The Wargame. From Sky News and Tortoise, it imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out... and how military chiefs and politicians might try to defend the country. Episodes will be released weekly - search for The Wargame wherever you listen to your podcasts. To find out more about The Obser...
Jun 10, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 339
What happens when the business interests and private passions of one of the world’s richest men collide with the world’s most powerful man? This is the story of Jeff Bezos...and Donald Trump. Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Katie Gunning Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app –...
Jun 03, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 338
After thirteen years, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester City. His time at the club is an example of not one, but two underdogs succeeding against the odds. Could anything like this happen again in the Premier League? To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@...
May 27, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 337
Tesla saw their stock price soar with President Trump's election. But since January, it has come plummeting back down. Has Musk crashed Tesla? Reporter: Giles Whittell Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalist...
May 20, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 336
The radical climate protest group Just Stop Oil delighted supporters and infuriated opponents in equal measure. But then the government began to crack down on them. So where are they now? Reporter: David Taylor Producer: Matt Russell Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a lis...
May 13, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 335
The brutal circumstances of Sara Sharif’s death were described by the judge that sent her killers to prison as torture. But when it emerged that the two adults who murdered her were granted parental responsibility by a family court judge four years earlier, the finger of blame began to wander. Who could have saved Sara Sharif? Reporter: Louise Tickle Producer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to ...
May 06, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 334
Police officers aren’t allowed to strike or join a trade union. They rely instead on an organisation called the Police Federation to represent their interests. It’s a surprisingly powerful body that ultimately affects the way all of us are policed. This is the story of how it lost its way. Reporter: John Simpson Producer: Katie Gunning Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podca...
Apr 29, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 333
North Korean troops are in combat, likely for the first time since the Korean war in the 1950s. Not in Korea, but in Europe. Because last summer Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk, Russia. Since then, Russia have retaken most of the land taken. To do so, Russia looked towards North Korea. This is the story of Kursk...and how North Korea came to play a potentially key role in the war. Reporter: Claudia Williams Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola William...
Apr 22, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 332
Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt. This is the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart. Reporter: Xavier Greenwood Producer: Xavier Greenwood Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 15, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 331
Earlier this year the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, wrote about a group of people he called zealots. And he identified one man in particular who the Prime Minister claimed was costing the country its future. But maybe he's saving it? This is the story of that man, the so-called zealots, and a prime minister who wants to take them on. Reporter: Katie Gunning Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about Tortoise: Download...
Apr 08, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 330
Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and corporate America has supposedly followed suit. But this has someone else's fingerprints all over it. This is the story of how one man tried to kill an idea. Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Ada Barumé Sound design: Karla Patella Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalis...
Apr 01, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 329
Memecoins started as a fad. A niche but fun way to bet on the longevity of internet trends. But then, days before his second inauguration, Donald Trump launched his own, $TRUMP… and changed the game. The value soared as supporters piled in, before crashing when his wife, Melania Trump, also released one. Amid the mayhem, one early buyer of the coin walked away with $109 million. The path to finding out who profited from $TRUMP goes through Argentina, where a young and naive entrepreneur called H...
Mar 25, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 328
