The Audio Long Read podcast is a selection of the Guardian’s long reads, giving you the opportunity to get on with your day while listening to some of the finest longform journalism the Guardian has to offer, including in-depth writing from around the world on current affairs, climate change, global warming, immigration, crime, business, the arts and much more. The podcast explores a range of subjects and news across business, global politics (including Trump, Israel, Palestine and Gaza), money, philosophy, science, internet culture, modern life, war, climate change, current affairs, music and trends, and seeks to answer key questions around them through in depth interviews explainers, and analysis with quality Guardian reporting. Through first person accounts, narrative audio storytelling and investigative reporting, the Audio Long Read seeks to dive deep, debunk myths and uncover hidden histories. In previous episodes we have asked questions like: do we need a new theory of evolution? Whether Trump can win the US presidency or not? Why can't we stop quantifying our lives? Why have our nuclear fears faded? Why do so many bikes end up underwater? How did Germany get hooked on Russian energy? Are we all prisoners of geography? How was London's Olympic legacy sold out? Who owns Einstein? Is free will an illusion? What lies beghind the Arctic's Indigenous suicide crisis? What is the mystery of India's deadly exam scam? Who is the man who built his own cathedral? And, how did the world get hooked on palm oil? Other topics range from: history including empire to politics, conflict, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, philosophy, science, psychology, health and finance. Audio Long Read journalists include Samira Shackle, Tom Lamont, Sophie Elmhirst, Samanth Subramanian, Imogen West-Knights, Sirin Kale, Daniel Trilling and Giles Tremlett.
Every Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2023, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from February: When a US businessman took over a beloved garden a decade ago, he decided on a radical new approach, all in the name of sustainability. But angry critics claim it’s just plain neglect. By Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod...
Aug 04, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Before she was killed by a Russian missile strike, the acclaimed novelist and war crimes researcher wrote about growing up in Moscow’s shadow, and how she came to understand what being Ukrainian really meant. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 31, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast
It has been said that condoms share marketing characteristics with napalm and funerals. But it is Ben Wilson’s mission to make us believe they are key to human happiness. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 28, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: Gene and Sandy Ralston are a married couple in their 70s, who also happen to be among North America’s leading experts at searching for the dead. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 26, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We cannot let our cities descend into islands of privilege amid seas of disadvantage. With the right policies and investments, a better future is possible. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 24, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Hoarding can be distressing and dangerous. But it’s not just a matter of ‘too much stuff’ – it’s a complex condition that requires careful, targeted help. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 21, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: For decades, one company has ruled the world of tampons. But a new wave of brands has emerged, selling themselves as more ethical, more feminist and more ecological. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 19, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The soup of my childhood, borsch, has become emblematic of Putin’s assault on Ukrainian land, culture and heritage, of his drive to plunder and obliterate Ukraine. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 17, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Malcolm Macarthur was the wealthy, bookish socialite who shocked Ireland with a brutal double killing in 1982, and caused a major political scandal. I tracked him down and heard, for the first time, the tale he told about himself. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 14, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: The Windrush scandal brought the cruelty of Britain’s deportation policies to light, but the practice continues to this day – and shockingly, it is made possible by UK aid money. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 12, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast
While the world becomes drier, profit and pollution are draining our resources. We have to change our approach. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 10, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 07, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2021: Richard Amoah went to Ghana for his father’s funeral and found himself barred from Britain for two years. Like other victims of the Windrush scandal, he is owed compensation – but what will he get?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 05, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Her hit book Doughnut Economics laid out a path to a greener, more equal society. But can she turn her ideas into meaningful change?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jul 03, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast
When my father began to forget words, and then basic skills, I sensed his fear. After my own alcoholic blackouts, I understood what he was going through. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 30, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: A police raid on a gay bar in New York led to the birth of the Pride movement half a century ago – but the fight for LGBTQ+ rights goes back much further than that. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 28, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Read more in this series: Cotton Capital More and more institutions are commissioning investigations into their historical links to slavery – but the fallout at one Cambridge college suggests these projects are meeting growing resistance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 26, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast
A flood of new research is overturning old assumptions about what animal minds are and aren’t capable of – and changing how we think about our own species. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 23, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: Calculating the patterns and cycles of the past could lead us to a better understanding of history. Could it also help us prevent a looming crisis?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 21, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast
For more than half a century, one organisation has been cataloguing all of life’s superlatives. But has it gone from being about the pursuit of knowledge to simply another big business?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 19, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast
How a mind-altering, addictive substance was used as a weapon by one empire to subdue another. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 16, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: It’s known for being the home of Mount Rushmore – and not much else. But thanks to its relish for deregulation, the state is fast becoming the most profitable place for the mega-wealthy to park their billions. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 14, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Landfill sites have swallowed many a beauty spot along the Thames estuary in the past 50 years. Now, as those dumps start to disgorge tonnes of mouldering detritus into the river, it truly feels like the Age of Consequences. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 12, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The Clipper round the world yacht race was created for amateurs seeking the ultimate challenge. But did they underestimate the risks?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 09, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: Hong Kong used to be seen as cautious, pragmatic and materialistic. But protests have transformed the city. As Beijing tightens its grip, how much longer can the movement survive?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 07, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Once hailed as a ‘handsome’ import, this most rampant of plants has come to be seen as a sinister, ruinous enemy. Can it be stopped?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 05, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Despite vows to tighten the rules after the 1999 quake, cronyism and complacency have undermined Turkish building regulations – at the cost of many thousands of lives. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Jun 02, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: When he was six, Paul Alexander contracted polio and was paralysed for life. Today he is 74, and one of the last people in the world still using an iron lung. But after surviving one deadly outbreak, he did not expect to find himself threatened by another. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod...
May 31, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Bulgaria in the 1980s became known as the ‘virus factory’, where hundreds of malicious computer programs were unleashed to wreak havoc. But who was writing them, and why?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
May 29, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Since being laid low with the virus more than a year ago, Catherine Heymans can only operate in half-hour bursts. But her work could still change the way we understand the universe. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
May 26, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast
