The Audio Long Read
News & Politics
About
Three times a week, The Audio Long Read podcast brings you the Guardian’s exceptional longform journalism in audio form. Covering topics from politics and culture to philosophy and sport, as well as investigations and current affairs.
Episodes
- ‘I see it as trafficking’: the brutal reality of life as a foreign student in the UK
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses the challenges faced by foreign students in the UK, focusing on recruitment practices and resulting debt. It explores the experiences of these students and their families.
- No cults, no politics, no ghouls: how China censors the video game world
This episode from The Audio Long Read examines China's increasingly harsh censorship rules for video games, and the impact on international developers seeking entry into the world's largest video game market. It discusses the compromises d…
- Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother
Dan Fox discusses his experience learning Welsh, the language of his family, and its role in contemporary daily life. The episode explores the limitations of Duolingo in this learning journey. It is read by Matt Addis.
- ‘Any other child would have died’: the miraculous survival of Nada Itrab
This episode of The Audio Long Read tells the story of Nada Itrab, a nine-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Spain and later found in the Bolivian rainforest. The episode details her miraculous survival after being found by authorities.
- From the archive: the impossible job: inside the world of Premier League referees
This episode from The Audio Long Read's archive re-examines the challenges of officiating in the Premier League. It discusses criticisms leveled against referees by players, pundits, and fans, questioning the fairness of claims that refere…
- Inside China’s robotics revolution
This episode of The Audio Long Read explores China's robotics revolution. Chang Che investigates the development of autonomous humanoid robots through visits to various companies in Chinese cities.
- Endo dreams of sushi: a trip around Japan with one of the world’s greatest chefs
Chef Endo Kazutoshi's culinary journey is explored as he travels through Japan to visit those instrumental in his career, especially after a fire. The episode is written and read by Kieran Morris.
- From the archive: The high cost of living in a disabling world
This episode from The Audio Long Read archives features a 2021 piece by Jan Grue, read by Giles Abbott. It discusses the high cost of living in a disabling world and how disabled people cannot yet participate equally in society, with prote…
- Teacher v chatbot: my journey into the classroom in the age of AI
Peter C Baker describes his initial experiences teaching in a classroom, with the added complexity of artificial intelligence. The episode explores the challenges and impact of AI in this new teaching environment. Read by Adam Sims.
- 35,000 pints of stolen Guinness, 950 wheels of pilfered cheese: can the UK’s cargo theft crisis be stopped?
This episode of The Audio Long Read examines the UK's cargo theft crisis, which costs the economy £700 million annually. It highlights the investigations carried out by Mike Dawber into incidents of lorry robberies, raids, and hijackings.
- From the archive: Foreign mothers, foreign tongues: ‘In another universe, she could have been my friend’
This episode from The Audio Long Read features Dina Nayeri reflecting on her relationship with her mother, exploring themes of cultural differences and evolving perspectives as she raises her own daughter. The piece was originally publishe…
- How the US far right bought into the myth of white South Africa’s persecution
This episode of The Audio Long Read examines the narrative of white South African persecution, a myth that has resonated with the US far right. It explores how this falsehood influenced political discourse, including Trump's stance on refu…
- AI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is far more worrying
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses the Iran school bombing, examining how human decisions over many years led to the atrocity, contrasting with initial reports that blamed AI.
- From the archive: Freedom without constraints: how the US squandered its cold war victory
This episode, from the Guardian long read archives, features a piece from 2020 by Andrew Bacevich. It discusses how the US believed the American way of life was humankind’s ultimate destiny, but unrestrained greed led to injustice and divi…
- My maddening battle with chronic fatigue syndrome: ‘On my worst days, it feels almost demonic’
Hermione Hoby recounts her ongoing struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness she battled for decades before receiving a diagnosis. The episode explores whether retraining her brain could offer a potential solution.
- Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong
This episode challenges traditional views on the Maya civilization, focusing on their survival rather than their collapse. It features insights by Marcus Haraldsson and is read by Diana Bermudez.
- From the archive: the butcher’s shop that lasted 300 years (give or take)
This episode from The Audio Long Read revisits a 2020 article about Frank Fisher, a butcher whose family maintained a shop for 300 years, examining his lengthy career and eventual retirement. The story, read by Jonathan Andrew Hume, reflec…
- ‘I felt betrayed, naked’: did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story?
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses a legal battle where a prize-winning novelist is accused of stealing a woman's life story. The controversy questions literary ethics and the origins of the acclaimed novel.
- What was Doge? How Elon Musk tried to gamify government
This episode examines Elon Musk's endeavor to gamify government, influenced by gaming and right-wing cultural conflicts. The discussion is based on analysis by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian.
- From the archive: Are we really prisoners of geography?
This episode from The Audio Long Read revisits a 2022 article by Daniel Immerwahr, examining the long-debated question of whether global affairs are primarily shaped by geographical factors. It discusses authors who argue for geography's i…
- Power without a throne: how Khalifa Haftar controls Libya
This episode discusses Khalifa Haftar's control over Libya more than a decade after the overthrow of Gaddafi, analyzing the unintended consequences of foreign intervention in the country. The piece is by Anas El Gomati and read by Mo Ayoub.
- Off Duty: The Crime
This episode, "The Crime," from The Audio Long Read podcast, recounts the December 29, 2011, shooting of Officer Clifton Lewis while he was working as a security guard. It covers the subsequent police investigation and the identification o…
- ‘The children are not safe here’: the Nigerian couple fighting infanticide
This episode of The Audio Long Read focuses on a Nigerian couple, Olusola and Chinwe Stevens, who operate a home for at-risk babies in communities where infanticide is practiced due to beliefs about bad omens. It discusses their efforts an…
- From the archive: ‘Parents are frightened for themselves and for their children’: an inspirational school in impossible times
This archival episode from The Audio Long Read examines the impact of austerity, the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis on schools. It explores the dedication of school staff in providing opportunities for children during these challe…
- Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’
This episode of The Audio Long Read examines how Muslims worldwide are being "debanked." The discussion traces this issue back to reforms implemented after 9/11.
- Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
This episode of The Audio Long Read covers the Guardian's reporting on the outbreak of the Iraq war in 2003, including the fall of Saddam and the ensuing chaos. Reporters witnessed the events on the ground, from the initial exuberance to t…
- From the archive: ‘Iran was our Hogwarts’: my childhood between Tehran and Essex
This episode from the Guardian's Audio Long Read archives features Arianne Shahvisi's 2021 piece about her childhood experiences.
- ‘Pretty birds and silly moos’: the women behind the Sex Discrimination Act
This episode from The Audio Long Read discusses the women who campaigned for the Sex Discrimination Act in the UK, passed 50 years ago. It highlights their efforts and the subsequent historical interpretations of their contributions.
- ‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? -podcast
This episode discusses concerns about the potential overdiagnosis of mental illness. It examines the current approach to mental health labeling and diagnosis and its possible drawbacks.
- From the archive: China’s troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism
This episode from The Audio Long Read archive discusses Hu Xijin, a tabloid editor who became a prominent voice of Chinese nationalism. It explores his impact on China's presence on the world stage.
- I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today
Ewen MacAskill revisits the West Bank after twenty years, observing a significant decline in conditions and a widespread sense of hopelessness. He finds that the spirit of resistance is diminishing among the people he encounters.
- Out of the ruins: will Aleppo ever be rebuilt?
This episode discusses the rebuilding of Aleppo after years of civil war. Syrians are returning to their homes with the aim of reconstruction.
- From the archive: Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?
This episode from The Audio Long Read revisits a 2019 article by William Davies arguing that technology encourages a belief in first-hand access to facts, leading to disagreements about what's true. The piece explores the reasons behind ou…
- A century in the Siberian wilderness: the Old Believers who time forgot
This episode of The Audio Long Read tells the story of a family of Old Believers discovered in the Siberian wilderness in 1978. They had lived without outside contact for decades, and one family member remains there almost 50 years later.
- Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness?
This episode of The Audio Long Read explores the concept of "inside voice" and how little is known about our inner experiences, according to scientists and philosophers. The discussion delves into the nature of consciousness. Written and r…
- From the archive: ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today
This episode from The Audio Long Read delves into nostalgia memes from 2022, analyzing how idealizing the past, particularly tougher times, reflects on present-day Britain. It features a classic piece by Dan Hancox, read by Dermot Daly, fr…
- What technology takes from us – and how to take it back
This episode discusses the impact of technology on human connection and the natural world, exploring how to reclaim what has been lost. It features insights from Rebecca Solnit, read by Laurel Lefkow.
- The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
This episode features historian Adam Tooze, who discusses various global crises including the financial crash, climate emergency and the breakdown of international order. The episode is presented by Robert P Baird and read by James Sobol K…
- From the archive: Do we need a new theory of evolution?
This episode, from The Audio Long Read archives, discusses if evolutionary theory needs an urgent overhaul, featuring a 2022 piece by Stephen Buranyi. Scientists debate the future of biology.
- Walking into disaster: the narcotrafficking scandal that blew up the BVI
This episode discusses a narcotrafficking scandal in the British Virgin Islands. It covers the events that unfolded when the new premier requested an armed security detail.
- Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses the potential impact of a president's political agenda on the Smithsonian. The conversation centers on the idea of reframing US culture.
- From the archive: the free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis
This archived episode of The Audio Long Read features a 2018 piece by William Davies about the "free speech panic." The article examines claims of censorship and their connection to modern conservatism. Lucy Scott reads the piece.
- ‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2
This episode explores the real cost of HS2, with Patrick Barkham revisiting the proposed route of the railway he first followed ten years ago. The discussion focuses on the impact of this expensive and delayed project.
- Death on the inside: as a prison officer, I saw how the system perpetuates violence
This episode explores the issue of violence within the prison system, as seen through the eyes of a prison officer. It addresses the impact on both inmates and staff and suggests that violence is not an inevitable part of prison life.
- From the archive: The King of Kowloon: my search for the cult graffiti prophet of Hong Kong
This episode from The Audio Long Read archive revisits the story of Tsang Tsou-choi, the King of Kowloon. It explores how his defiant graffiti in Hong Kong reappeared during the city's protest movements, originally from 2022.
- We published explosive stories about the president of El Salvador. Now we can’t go home
This episode discusses investigative stories regarding alleged connections between gang leaders and the president of El Salvador, which resulted in the journalists' exile. The journalists fear they may not be able to return home.
- ‘We were forced to burn bodies’: will survivors of the Tadamon massacres see justice?
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses the Tadamon massacres during the Syrian conflict and the potential for justice for survivors. Some individuals involved are reportedly still working with the government.
- From the archive: The last humanist: how Paul Gilroy became the most vital guide to our age of crisis
This episode from The Audio Long Read archive features Paul Gilroy, a British scholar known for his work on race and racism. It revisits a 2021 piece by Yohann Koshy, exploring whether people are finally ready to engage with his insights.
- ‘The English person with a Chinese stomach’: how Fuchsia Dunlop became a Sichuan food hero
This episode explores how Fuchsia Dunlop, also known as 'Fu Xia', became a prominent figure in Sichuan cuisine, influencing both Western and Chinese food enthusiasts. Her decades of work have focused on explaining Sichuan cuisine.
- The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
This episode of The Audio Long Read discusses the rise of Buddhist extremism in Southeast Asia. It examines how the religion has been used to serve nationalist goals in the region.