The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

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.

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57 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 40 min
English

Episodes 57

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Today · 41 min
A tale of two trap houses: being cuckooed ruined my friend’s life – but did it then help save him?
Drug gangs have moved off Britain’s streets and into vulnerable people’s homes. Addicts like my friend are easy targets, but the reality can be more complicated than it seems By Max Daly. Read by Simon Darwen
Yesterday · 57 min
‘Austerity is inevitably painful’. How Michael Gove justifies his politics | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty
In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, the Conservative stalwart Michael Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity and the Spectator’s position on Islam
Friday · 40 min
‘A completely unique opportunity’: the secretive process that will decide the BBC’s future
Every decade, the BBC’s continued existence must be secured through an elaborate multi-year negotiation with the government. But what does charter renewal actually involve – and will it secure the BBC’s long-term future? By Barbara Speed. Read by Carlyss Peer
Wednesday · 35 min
From the archive: ‘Voters are unhappier with the NHS than they’ve been for 30 years. As a GP, I feel the same’
This week, from 2023: Even those at the top admit the NHS can’t do what is being asked of it today. But it is far from unsalvageable – we just need serious politicians who will commit to funding it By Gavin Francis. Read by Greg Miller Burns
October 12 · 36 min
‘A crisis of authenticity’: the truth about food influencers
Instagrammers have upended the British restaurant scene and amassed followings in the millions. But has their moment already passed? By Stephen Buranyi. Read by Josh Berry
October 11 · 50 min
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor speak to Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian with Aditya Chakrabortty
October 9 · 39 min
Labour’s last chance? The people shaping Andy Burnham’s grand plans for Britain
The new prime minister has declared he wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism. But is he really prepared to be that radical? By Hettie O’Brien. Read by Philip Whitchurch
October 7 · 35 min
From the archive – No place like home: my bitter return to Palestine
This week, from 2022: All my life, my exiled parents had told me about the tragedy of Palestine. Then, when I was in my early 20s, my family moved back – and I saw it with my own eyes By Fida Jiryis. Read by Sarah Agha
October 5 · 43 min
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within it By Samanth Subramanian. Read by Mikhail Sen
October 4 · 52 min
Introducing Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty
Who is really in charge? The people or the markets? Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis
October 2 · 35 min
The end times fascists are plotting their escape from our world. Our mission is clear
An unholy alliance is working toward an apocalyptic future from which only a chosen few will emerge unscathed. It’s becoming clear how we stop them By Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor. Read by Katherine Fenton
September 30 · 47 min
From the archive: How Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking
This week, from 2023: Our two-year investigation suggests that the tech giant Meta is struggling to prevent criminals from using its platforms to buy and sell children for sex. By Katie McQue and Mei-Ling McNamara. Read by Jeanette Robinson Content warning – the following article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking.
September 28 · 27 min
The flat-pack skyscraper: how wood can shape the cities of the future
Our buildings are monuments to extraction and extreme emissions. But what if we turned from destructive concrete to timber? By James Crawford. Read by David Carlyle
September 25 · 27 min
The other Post Office scandal: how organised crime launders money on the high street
Hundreds of millions of pounds of dirty money are being deposited at post offices every year. So why are the police reluctant to investigate the scale of the problem? By Oliver Bullough
September 23 · 54 min
From the archive: ‘I know where the bodies are buried’: one woman’s mission to change how the police investigate rape
This week, from 2023: For the past two years, Betsy Stanko has been leading an unprecedented investigation into why the police have been failing so badly to tackle sexual violence. But is there any chance of fixing a system that seems so broken? By Melissa Denes. Read by Ruth Lass
September 21 · 51 min
A bungled bomb plot in Poland exposed a spy – but whose spy was he?
When exiled Russian opposition campaigner Igor Rogov was accused of working for the Kremlin, his friends were shocked. Could this young activist have really been an undercover agent? By Shaun Walker. Read by Kobna Holdbrook Smith. Additional reporting by Ada Petriczko
September 18 · 28 min
‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?
We are used to the idea that our fellow humans might intentionally mislead or manipulate us, but the idea that machines can now do the same is deeply unsettling. Researchers are racing to find solutions before it’s too late. By Snigdha Poonam. Read by Maya Saroya
September 16 · 28 min
From the archive: The rubbishscapes of Essex: why our buried trash is back to haunt us
This week, from 2023: 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 By Tim Burrows. Read by Sam Swainsbury
September 14 · 46 min
Democracy v the machine: the birth of the digital age and the warnings that were ignored
Many hoped that the march of technology would usher in an egalitarian utopia – but some foresaw the threat it would pose to liberal society. Why did nobody listen? By Jill Lepore. Read by Laurel Lefkow
September 11 · 43 min
The long shadow of Argentina’s dictatorship: she wasn’t who she thought she was. Neither was her father
A young activist thought her father’s disapproval of her leftwing views was purely political. Then one evening, a kiss goodbye sent her on a remarkable journey that continues today By Meaghan Beatley. Read by Cynthia Farrell

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