Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace. In this, the final episode of the series, Donald Macintyre looks into Benjanmin Netanyahu's leadership from 2023 until the present day. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Pod...
Mar 22, 2024•46 min•Ep 264•Transcript available on Metacast To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app. Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace. This is the second episode in our three-part series, as Donald Macintyre looks into a pivotal period in Netanyahu's leadership, the eleven year period from 2009 right up until the pandemic, 2020 To find out more about Tortoise: Download ...
Mar 21, 2024•52 min•Ep 263•Transcript available on Metacast To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app. Benjamin Netanyahu has arguably shaped his country's image more than anyone else in the world. But his actions have put at risk Israel's relationship with its closest allies and potential partners for peace. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tor...
Mar 19, 2024•43 min•Ep 262•Transcript available on Metacast Modern brokerage firms in the City are an echo of another age. Not just because they still rely on people - rather than technology - to facilitate trade, but also because they have never shaken off the reputation of a culture of excess and bad behaviour. The City regulator, the FCA, has been aware for years that there’s an issue with some broking firms. This is the story of what happens behind closed doors in one company. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - f...
Mar 12, 2024•34 min•Ep 261•Transcript available on Metacast Anna Wintour is one of the most important people in fashion. She is arguably one of the world's most influential and powerful people. A brand in her own right. But aged 74 and tasked with saving a global legacy media company in a digital age, is this a step too far for the last great editor? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a membe...
Mar 05, 2024•36 min•Ep 260•Transcript available on Metacast To listen to episode two follow the Tortoise Investigates feed. To get the full series now, download the Tortoise app. What comes to mind when you think of Amber Heard? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was vindicated. But what if Amber was actually the victim of an organised trolling campaign? What if the online hate against her was manufactured? Alexi Mostrous, the reporter who br...
Feb 27, 2024•38 min•Ep 259•Transcript available on Metacast In a town in Kent, there is a place where vulnerable and volatile boys are locked away for "days on end", where weapons are widespread and living conditions are dire. All on the government's watch. This is the story of the chaos behind locked doors. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premi...
Feb 20, 2024•38 min•Ep 258•Transcript available on Metacast This episode was first published in March 2022. In early 2021 Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya returned to Russia where a year earlier he had been poisoned with Novichok nerve agent. It was a decision that likely led directly to his death. On arrival in Moscow Alexei and Yulia were separated. He was detained, put on trial and ended up in one of Russia’s toughest penal colonies where he died. This is their story. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise ...
Feb 16, 2024•34 min•Ep 257•Transcript available on Metacast Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager, campaigned successfully to topple Harvard’s first black leader, Claudine Gay, in a row over anti-semitism. But his mission is much grander, he’s spearheading a broader backlash against ‘woke’ politics that is energising the American right, fracturing the left and upending society. Since the recording of this podcast, Yashcha Mounk has been accused, on X, of sexual assault and suspended from the editorial board of Die Zeit and by The Atlantic magazin...
Feb 13, 2024•35 min•Ep 256•Transcript available on Metacast When a man in Birmingham died unexpectedly last year, a question was asked: was he assassinated? At first, it sounds unbelievable, but as the story unfolds the answer becomes less clear and the world more complicated. This is the story of India's assassins. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise...
Feb 06, 2024•35 min•Ep 255•Transcript available on Metacast The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation. This is the story of the fallout. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio o...
Feb 02, 2024•27 min•Ep 254•Transcript available on Metacast The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation. To get early access to the second episode or to find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's prem...
Jan 30, 2024•35 min•Ep 253•Transcript available on Metacast Paul Caruana Galizia investigates a new dimension to the phone hacking story; allegations that Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group hacked phones not for tabloid headlines but for corporate reasons. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If ...
Jan 23, 2024•42 min•Ep 252•Transcript available on Metacast From Harry and Meghan to David Beckham and Lizzo, our TV screens are awash with celebrity documentaries like never before. But what story are they telling – and who’s behind them? You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want to get in touch with us d...
Jan 16, 2024•39 min•Ep 251•Transcript available on Metacast It may be a re-fight of the 2020 elections, but in this year's US presidential elections, the stakes feel much higher. And that's got a lot of Democrats worrying. This is the story of the backroom discussions going on trying to work out the answer to one question: is Joe Biden the right man to lead the Dems and take on Donald Trump? You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for ...
Jan 09, 2024•29 min•Ep 250•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader is up. The party faces an uphill battle to mount a credible challenge to the Conservative majority at the next election. So who will the party turn to in its hour of need? And what will that person do with all the supporters of Jeremy Corbyn left in the party? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Be...
Jan 05, 2024•45 min•Ep 249•Transcript available on Metacast Parliament can’t find a way through the Brexit labyrinth. Jeremy Corbyn’s position is as muddy as ever. Keir Starmer, now Shadow Brexit Secretary, openly defies his leader’s position. But the rise of Boris Johnson and a snap election forces Corbyn on to the back foot. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access t...
Jan 05, 2024•35 min•Ep 248•Transcript available on Metacast An old Facebook comment from Jeremy Corbyn resurfaces. The Labour leader is forced to to explain why he publicly supported a graffiti artist accused of painting an antisemitic mural in East London. Allegations of antisemitism against Corbyn’s Labour Party grow. Some Jewish Labour MPs are exposed to abuse and death threats. Jeremy Corbyn’s response to the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury lead some to question his suitability to be PM. You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the To...
Jan 04, 2024•39 min•Ep 247•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy Corbyn faces an unexpected general election, called by Theresa May. Against the odds Labour does better than expected, although it’s still not the biggest party in Westminster. But Jeremy Corbyn’s star is undimmed. He is greeted with a rapturous reception on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Be...
Jan 04, 2024•28 min•Ep 246•Transcript available on Metacast Murmurings of discontent grow among some Labour MPs. The blame the Brexit referendum result on Jeremy Corbyn’s half hearted campaigning efforts. They launch a dramatic attempt to get rid of him. Sir Keir Starmer has to decide who he’s going to back. You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's ...
Jan 03, 2024•39 min•Ep 245•Transcript available on Metacast In 2015 Labour is back in opposition after another election defeat. The party needs a new leader. It chooses Jeremy Corbyn, a long serving left-wing MP who’s never run anything. He is the party’s most radical and unlikely leader in its history. The newly elected former Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Keir Starmer, takes a job under Corbyn as a shadow minister. You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscr...
Jan 03, 2024•38 min•Ep 244•Transcript available on Metacast The story of motherhood is strangely absent from a lot of literature. After her own experience of childbirth, Catherine Nixey takes on millennia of canonical literature and asks: why the start of the story is never fully told? To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and ...
Jan 02, 2024•17 min•Ep 243•Transcript available on Metacast Arifa Akbar lost her sister far too young. She died from a 19th century illness in a 21st century hospital. Arifa’s journey through grief takes her to Rome, Keats…and gentle words of reflection. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want to get in touch...
Dec 26, 2023•26 min•Ep 242•Transcript available on Metacast Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner calls herself an “effective altruist”. That philosophical movement fuelled the firing and rehiring of Sam Altman last month – and has tried to steer the future of AI to the tune of half a billion dollars. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium aud...
Dec 19, 2023•38 min•Ep 241•Transcript available on Metacast President Assad has won the war in Syria and to consolidate his power he’s demolishing opposition neighbourhoods in order to create a shiny new Syria - one in which dissent never existed. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want to get in touch with u...
Dec 12, 2023•41 min•Ep 240•Transcript available on Metacast From the middle of Sep 2020 to the end of October, Boris Johnson’s government dithered and delayed the decision over a second national lockdown. This is the story of those 43 days, laid bare at the Covid Inquiry: a story of chaos. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premiu...
Dec 04, 2023•51 min•Ep 239•Transcript available on Metacast This is the inside story of two revolutions in the Labour party in eight short years. From the takeover by the far left under Jeremy Corbyn to the election of Keir Starmer who set about erasing all traces of his predecessor. To listen to the full series subscribe to the feed. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to furt...
Nov 28, 2023•38 min•Ep 238•Transcript available on Metacast To listen to the full series subscribe to the Tortoise Investigates feed. It’s London, 2012. Oliver is a dashing diplomat. Charlie is a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. They meet online and she falls in love. A few months into the relationship, and with his encouragement, Charlie applies for a job in British intelligence. She's feeling optimistic, the interview goes well. Then, she receives a text message that turns her life - and her relationship - upside down. 10 year...
Nov 21, 2023•32 min•Ep 237•Transcript available on Metacast The deal between Kanye West and Adidas was no ordinary celebrity endorsement. Now under renewed scrutiny after West’s outrageous behaviour, how can one rapper’s departure cause such chaos at a multinational sportswear brand? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different...
Nov 14, 2023•42 min•Ep 236•Transcript available on Metacast Paul Caruana Galizia investigates how a lucrative contract to run the UK’s National Lottery was awarded to a company whose Czech billionaire owner retains links with Russia. Note: Clive Efford MP referred to “a Gazprom owned oil storage unit in the Czech Republic”. It was in fact a “Gazprom owned gas storage unit”. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Ap...
Nov 07, 2023•46 min•Ep 235•Transcript available on Metacast 
