The Audio Long Read

By 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.

Episodes

From the archive: ‘Parents are frightened for themselves and for their children’: an inspirational school in impossible times
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 2022: Austerity, the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis have left many schools in a parlous state. How hard do staff have to work to give kids the chances they deserve? By Aida Edemariam. Read by Lucy Scott. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
46 min
Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’
Innocent people are being frozen out of basic banking services – and it all traces back to reforms rushed through after 9/11 By Oliver Bullough. Read by Elis James. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
32 min
Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
In spring 2003, exuberance at the fall of Saddam was swiftly followed by a descent into deadly chaos. Whether moving independently or embedded with troops, Guardian reporters witnessed the violence on the ground By Ian Mayes. Read by Karl Queensborough. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
27 min
From the archive: ‘Iran was our Hogwarts’: my childhood between Tehran and Essex
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: Growing up in Essex, my summers in Iran felt like magical interludes from reality – but it was a spell that always had to be broken By Arianne Shahvisi. Read by Serena Manteghi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
39 min
‘Pretty birds and silly moos’: the women behind the Sex Discrimination Act
In the 50 years since equal rights for women were enshrined in UK law, the campaigners have been reduced to caricatures, or forgotten. But their struggle is worth remembering By Susanna Rustin. Read by Carlyss Peer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
30 min
‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? -podcast
Our current approach to mental health labelling and diagnosis has brought benefits. But as a practising doctor, I am concerned that it may be doing more harm than good By Gavin Francis. Read by Noof Ousellam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
26 min
From the archive: China’s troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism
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 2022: Hu Xijin is China’s most famous propagandist. At the Global Times, he helped establish a chest-thumping new tone for China on the world stage – but can he keep up with the forces he has unleashed? By Han Zhang. Read by Emily Woo Zeller. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
39 min
I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today
Among the many people I met, there was a pervasive feeling of hopelessness and a sense that resistance is slowly becoming a memory By Ewen MacAskill. Read by Greg Stylianou-Burns. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
37 min
Out of the ruins: will Aleppo ever be rebuilt?
Years of civil war have turned whole areas of the city into rows of empty husks. But after the fall of Assad, Syrians have returned to their old homes determined to rebuild By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad. Read by Mo Ayoub. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
28 min
From the archive: Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?
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 not about foreign trolls, filter bubbles or fake news. Technology encourages us to believe we can all have first-hand access to the ‘real’ facts – and now we can’t stop fighting about it By William Davies. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
35 min
A century in the Siberian wilderness: the Old Believers who time forgot
In 1978, Soviet scientists stumbled upon a family living in a remote part of Russia. They hadn’t interacted with outsiders for decades. Almost half a century later, one of them is still there By Sophie Pinkham. Read by Olga Koch. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
27 min
Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness?
Scientists and philosophers studying the mind have discovered how little we know about our inner experiences Written and read by Michael Pollan. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
32 min
From the archive: ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today
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 2022: Idealising the past is nothing new, but there is something peculiarly revealing about the way a certain generation of Facebook users look back fondly on tougher times By Dan Hancox. Read by Dermot Daly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
39 min
What technology takes from us – and how to take it back
Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collective effort By Rebecca Solnit. Read by Laurel Lefkow. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
38 min
The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
Whether it’s the financial crash, the climate emergency or the breakdown of the international order, historian Adam Tooze has become the go-to guide to the radical new world we’ve entered By Robert P Baird. Read by James Sobol Kelly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
48 min
From the archive: Do we need a new theory of evolution?
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 2022: A new wave of scientists argues that mainstream evolutionary theory needs an urgent overhaul. Their opponents have dismissed them as misguided careerists – and the conflict may determine the future of biology By Stephen Buranyi. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
41 min
Walking into disaster: the narcotrafficking scandal that blew up the BVI
When the new premier of the British Virgin Islands said he needed an armed security detail, his chief of police knew trouble was on its way By Edward Siddons. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
45 min
Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’
The president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights By Charlotte Higgins. Read by Evelyn Miller. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
37 min
From the archive: the free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis
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 2018: snowflake students have become the target of a new rightwing crusade. But exaggerated claims of censorship reveal a deeper anxiety at the core of modern conservatism By William Davies. Read by Lucy Scott. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
42 min
‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2
Ten years after I first followed the proposed route, I retraced my steps to see what life was like along the world’s most expensive, heavily delayed railway line By Patrick Barkham. Read by Dermot Daly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
41 min

The Audio Long Read

Episodes

From the archive: ‘Parents are frightened for themselves and for their children’: an inspirational school in impossible times

Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’

Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war

From the archive: ‘Iran was our Hogwarts’: my childhood between Tehran and Essex

‘Pretty birds and silly moos’: the women behind the Sex Discrimination Act

‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? -podcast

From the archive: China’s troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism

I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today

Out of the ruins: will Aleppo ever be rebuilt?

From the archive: Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?

A century in the Siberian wilderness: the Old Believers who time forgot

Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness?

From the archive: ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today

What technology takes from us – and how to take it back

The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age

From the archive: Do we need a new theory of evolution?

Walking into disaster: the narcotrafficking scandal that blew up the BVI

Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’

From the archive: the free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis

‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2

Saturday Morning

Mamamia Out Loud

No Straight Answers

Modern Wisdom

Behind the Bastards

Shameless

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

The Ezra Klein Show

Episodes

From the archive: ‘Parents are frightened for themselves and for their children’: an inspirational school in impossible times

Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’

Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war

From the archive: ‘Iran was our Hogwarts’: my childhood between Tehran and Essex

‘Pretty birds and silly moos’: the women behind the Sex Discrimination Act

‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? -podcast

From the archive: China’s troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism

I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today

Out of the ruins: will Aleppo ever be rebuilt?

From the archive: Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?

A century in the Siberian wilderness: the Old Believers who time forgot

Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness?

From the archive: ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today

What technology takes from us – and how to take it back

The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age

From the archive: Do we need a new theory of evolution?

Walking into disaster: the narcotrafficking scandal that blew up the BVI

Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’

From the archive: the free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis

‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2

Similar podcasts

Saturday Morning

Mamamia Out Loud

No Straight Answers

Modern Wisdom

Behind the Bastards

Shameless

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

The Ezra Klein Show