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The Audio Long Read podcast

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The Audio Long Read

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  The Guardian  

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.

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.

 

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Release Date

#300

The ‘mad egghead’ who built a mouse utopia

John Calhoun designed an apartment complex for mice to examine the effects of overcrowding. It was hailed as a groundbreaking study of social breakdown, but is largely forgotten. So what happened? By Lee Alan Dugatkin. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

Yesterday

26 MINS

26:23

Yesterday

#299

From the archive: Cold comfort: how cold water swimming cured my broken heart

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: After a painful breakup and the death of her father, one writer retreated to the coast of Brittany in winter where she tested the powerful effects of a daily swim in the icy sea. By Wendell Steavenson. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

08 Jan 2025

35 MINS

35:49

08 Jan 2025

#298

Teeth as time capsules: Soviet secrets and my dentist grandmother

In postwar Warsaw, my grandmother Zosia fixed the teeth of prisoners and spies. In doing so, she came into contact with the hidden history of her times in a way few others could. By Jacob Mikanowski. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

06 Jan 2025

30 MINS

30:18

06 Jan 2025

#297

The brain collector: the scientist unravelling the mysteries of grey matter

Using cutting-edge methods, Alexandra Morton-Hayward is cracking the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays her. By Kermit Pattison. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

03 Jan 2025

34 MINS

34:02

03 Jan 2025

#296

From the archive: The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine?

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: Caffeine makes us more energetic, efficient and faster. But we have become so dependent that we need it just to get to our baseline. By Michael Pollan. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

01 Jan 2025

33 MINS

33:28

01 Jan 2025

#295

The rollercoaster king: the man behind the UK’s fastest thrill-ride

John Burton was just 27 when he was put in charge of creating Thorpe Park’s biggest-ever project. Once too scared to go on rides himself, how did he become the architect of so many daredevils’ dreams? By Tom Lamont. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

30 Dec 2024

45 MINS

45:44

30 Dec 2024

#294

Best of 2024: ‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries prov...

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December 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. From July: In 2024, libraries are unofficial creches, homeless shelters, language schools and asylum support providers – filling the gaps left by a state that has reneged on its responsibilities. By Aida Edemariam. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

27 Dec 2024

35 MINS

35:44

27 Dec 2024

#293

Best of 2024: As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That wa...

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December 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. From June: Indeterminate sentences are devastating to mental health, but prisoners with mental illness are less likely to be released. The result is a vicious cycle whereby the most vulnerable inmates often have the least chance of getting out – as John’s case shows. By Sophie Atkinson. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

23 Dec 2024

43 MINS

43:24

23 Dec 2024

#292

Best of 2024: ‘It comes for your very soul’: how Alzheimer’s undid my dazzling, creative wife in her...

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2024, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. From August: By the time my wife got a diagnosis, her long and harrowing deterioration had already begun. By the end, I was in awe of her. By Michael Aylwin. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

20 Dec 2024

44 MINS

44:44

20 Dec 2024

#291

Best of 2024: Nairobi to New York and back: the loneliness of the internationally educated elite

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2024, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. From June: Every year, hundreds of Kenyans head off to study at elite universities in the US and UK. On graduating, many find themselves in a strange position: unable to fit in abroad, but no longer feeling like they belong back home. By Carey Baraka. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

16 Dec 2024

34 MINS

34:56

16 Dec 2024

#290

Revisited: Two poems, four years in detention: the Chinese dissident who smuggled his writing out of...

My poems were written in anger after Tiananmen Square. But what motivates most prison writing is a fear of forgetting. Today I am free, but the regime has never stopped its war on words. By Liao Yiwu Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, we are re-running an episode from earlier in the year. For more information please head to theguardian.com. We’ll be back with new episodes soon.. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

13 Dec 2024

32 MINS

32:07

13 Dec 2024

#289

10 years of the long read: Ukraine’s death-defying art rescuers (2024)

As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2024: When Putin invaded, a historian in Kyiv saw that Ukraine’s cultural heritage was in danger. So he set out to save as much of it as he could. By Charlotte Higgins. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

11 Dec 2024

48 MINS

48:36

11 Dec 2024

#288

10 years of the long read: ‘All that we had is gone’: my lament for war-torn Khartoum (2023)

As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2023: Since Sudan’s capital was engulfed by violence in April, life there has been all but destroyed. As we tried to get family members to safety, the ruination of my former home became hard to fathom. By Nesrine Malik. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

09 Dec 2024

39 MINS

39:41

09 Dec 2024

#287

A new nuclear arms race is beginning. It will be far more dangerous than the last one

With Putin’s threats in Ukraine, China’s accelerated weapons programme and the US’s desire for superiority, what will it take for leaders to step back from the brink? By Jessica T Mathews. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

06 Dec 2024

33 MINS

33:05

06 Dec 2024

#286

Revisited: Too much stuff: can we solve our addiction to consumerism?

Alarmed by the rising tide of waste we are all creating, my family and I decided to try to make do with much less. But while individual behaviour is important, real change will require action on a far bigger scale. By Chip Colwell Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, we are re-running an episode from earlier in the year. For more information please head to theguardian.com. We’ll be back with new episodes soon.. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

04 Dec 2024

30 MINS

30:47

04 Dec 2024

#285

The scandal of food waste – and how we can stop it

Every informed observer agrees that food waste and loss must be reduced if we are to feed all humans. What’s stopping us? By Julian Baggini. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

02 Dec 2024

25 MINS

25:52

02 Dec 2024

#284

‘I couldn’t cry over my children like everyone else’: the tragedy of Palestinian journalist Wael al-...

After his wife and two of his children were killed in Gaza, Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh became famous around the world for his decision to keep reporting. But this was just the start of his heartbreaking journey. By Nesrine Malik. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

29 Nov 2024

47 MINS

47:23

29 Nov 2024

#283

10 years of the long read: Seven stowaways and a hijacked oil tanker: the strange case of the Nave A...

As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2022: In October 2020 an emergency call was received from a ship in British waters. After a full-scale commando raid, seven Nigerians were taken off in handcuffs – but no one was ever charged. What really happened on board? By Samira Shackle. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

27 Nov 2024

47 MINS

47:40

27 Nov 2024

#282

A cool flame: how Gaia theory was born out of a secret love affair

Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

25 Nov 2024

31 MINS

31:32

25 Nov 2024

#281

‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the v...

In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman. Help support our independent journalism at [theguardian.com/longreadpod] (https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod) ... Read more

22 Nov 2024

47 MINS

47:45

22 Nov 2024