The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From wars in Ukraine and Gaza through to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations covering some of the biggest topics of the day.
Who are the people biohacking themselves in a quest for immortality? Or the man taking on an entire nation in the high seas to protect whales? And what happened when humanity's most distant messenger fell silent? From a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell.
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The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From wars in Ukraine and Gaza through to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations covering some of the biggest topics of the day.
Who are the people biohacking themselves in a quest for immortality? Or the man taking on an entire nation in the high seas to protect whales? And what happened when humanity's most distant messenger fell silent? From a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell.
Subscribe to The Observer today and get access to:
Click here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Like many public institutions across the UK, the Guildhall school of music has had to reckon with a past where abuse by staff was either ignored or dismissed. So when a second former student came forward to tell The Observer's Vanessa Thorpe their story, this time from the 1990s, how would the institution respond?
Reporter: Vanessa Thorpe
Producer: Ada Barumé
Artwork: Lola Williams
Editor: Jasper Corbett
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David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher over alleged ‘inappropriate’ behaviour.
A spokesperson for Walliams said that the author had never been informed of any allegations raised against him nor was he given the opportunity to respond to questions about them. He strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately.
Walliams came to prominence starring alongside Matt Lucas in the TV series Little Britain which ran from 2003 - 2006. Critics though accused the comedy show of trading in stereotypes and casual racism. And some of that is evident in Walliam’s children’s books too.
This episode was first published on 23rd May 2023.
Reporter: Claudia Williams
Producer: Matt Russell
Sound design: Tom Burchell
Editor: Basia Cummings
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In October reporter Hilary Andersson was selected to witness an execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Her assignment led her to the case of Tremane Wood, who had spent more than two decades on death row. This is the story of what happens to a man as he waits to die.
Reporter: Hilary Andersson
Producer: Jonathan Lewis
Artwork: Lola Williams
Sound Design: Dominic Delargy
Editor: Jasper Corbett
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Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
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In October reporter Hilary Andersson was selected to witness an execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Her assignment led her to the case of Tremane Wood, who had spent more than two decades on death row. This is the story of what happens to a man as he waits to die.
This was the first of two episodes. To listen to episode two right now you can subscribe to The Observer via the link in the episode description or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple podcasts. Episode two will be available wherever you get your podcasts for free on Thursday December 18th.
Reporter: Hilary Andersson
Producer: Jonathan Lewis
Artwork: Lola Williams
Sound Design: Dominic Delargy
Editor: Jasper Corbett
Subscribe to The Observer today: https://observer.co.uk/subscribe
And get access to:
Our podcasts before anyone else
A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week
Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
Recipes for every occasion
Free tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online
Click here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gianni Infantino is the most powerful man in world football but in the run up to the 2026 men's World Cup, his relationship with US president Donald Trump has grown very friendly. It's led to questions whether Infantino still has football's best interests at heart.
Reporter: Rory Smith
Producer: Ada Barumé
Artwork: Lola Williams
Sound Design: Dominic Delargy
Editor: Jasper Corbett
Subscribe to The Observer today and get access to:
Click here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month.
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The chancellor’s statement was supposed to be a gamechanger, but turned out to be an exercise in political survival.
Reporter: Rachel Sylvester
Producers: Jonathan Lewis and 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
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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@tortoisemedia.com
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When Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announced a new political party this summer, it had all the ingredients to be a big success. But a summer of disarray has seen them overtaken by a rival on the left. What happened?
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Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper. So she decided to investigate.
Reporter - Lydia Gard
Producer - Gary Marshall.
Music supervision and sound design - Karla Patella
Sound design - Rowan Bishop
Podcast artwork - Lola Williams
Fact checking - Poppy Bullard, Katie Gunning, Amalie Sortland, Madeleine Parr & Jess Swinburne
Executive producer - Basia Cummings
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 journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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With Prince Harry in effective exile and Andrew disgraced, the Royal family is smaller than ever before and at a potential crisis point. Prince William has already signalled his intention to be a different kind of monarch to King Charles. But can the monarchy survive, and what is its purpose?
Reporter: Rachel Sylvester
Producer: Madeleine Parr
Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp
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 listening experience curated by our journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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Over the summer, Epping, a small town on the outskirts of London became the scene of mass protests. featuring hundreds of people. Noisy and occasionally violent, the demonstrations attracted crowds from around the country and plenty of media attention.
But what really happened in Epping and what does it tell us about where the right in Britain is heading?
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 journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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Just outside Gaza is a small settlement of Israelis hoping to enter and settle inside Gaza. They may be a fringe movement, but their voice holds a powerful sway within Israel's cabinet. Could they influence the terms of a future peace plan for Gaza?
Reporter: Oliver Marsden
Producer: Poppy Bullard and 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 listening experience curated by our journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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The French President and the First Lady of France are taking American right wing commentator Candace Owens to court in Delaware over bizarre claims the First Lady is transgender and the President is part of a CIA-backed mind-control programme, among many other conspiracy theories. But how much are the French President and the First Lady risking in doing so?
Reporter: Stephen Armstrong
Producer: Ada Barumé
Artwork: Lola Williams
Sound design: Dominic Delargy
Executive Producer: Matt Russell
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 journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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Donald Trump has launched four lawsuits against major media organisations for up to $15 billion over the past year. This is the story of Trump's war on the media and the people driving it.
Reporter: Giles Whittell
Producer: Jonathan Lewis
Artwork: Lola Williams
Sound design: Dominic Delargy
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 Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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Since May, almost 900 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the vicinity of aid checkpoints. So what exactly has happened at these aid sites?
Reporter: Ruth Michaelson
Producer: Madeleine Parr
Artwork: Jon Jones & Lola Williams
Sound design: Dominic Delargy
Editors: Jasper Corbett & Matt Russell
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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.
Reporter: Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Producer: Jonathan Lewis
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 – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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.
Let’s chat! Send us your voice notes!
@WeHaveNotes_Pod on Instagram
@WeHaveNotes_Pod on TikTok
wehavenotes@observer.co.uk via email
Watch the full episode on YouTube - HERE
Hosts: Liv Little and Miranda Sawyer
Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore
Producer: Casey Magloire
Artwork: Lola Williams and Blythe Walker Sibthorp
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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 – for a listening experience curated by our journalists
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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
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 journalists
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@tortoisemedia.com
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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
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