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...
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Nov 13, 2026 · 40:45
Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt. This is the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs…
Nov 10, 2026 · 40:23
Five years ago the second deadliest terror attack in modern history happened in north Mozambique. Hundreds were left trapped under siege in a hotel, including a British man,…
Nov 6, 2026 · 22:19
For generations they trusted their royal landlords, but now frightened farmers and locals in Devon feel betrayed by the ‘urban’ Prince of Wales. Hosted on Acast. See…
Nov 3, 2026 · 32:43
When Asha visited her new therapist during covid, little did she realise she was placing her faith in the wrong individual. Her story reveals the perils of an unregulated…
Oct 29, 2026 · 34:24
The Chancellor has delivered the first budget of Andy Burnham's premiership. But what does it reveal about their vision for the UK? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for…
Oct 27, 2026 · 42:31
When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate…
Oct 23, 2026 · 26:35
Last week, a group of West Bank settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and veteran Washington Post photographer, Heidi Levine, who was there to cover the annual olive harvest. The…
Oct 20, 2026 · 35:38
In September 2025, religious leaders in the UK got a shock: protests at Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally were carrying crosses, and waving signs with Christian slogans.…
Oct 16, 2026 · 27:16
For decades, Paul Skalnik made a living telling police and prosecutors that other prisoners had confessed to crimes. The former police turned con artist and jailhouse informant…
Oct 13, 2026 · 31:37
Britain’s cultural institutions are wrestling with what to do with the human remains in their collections. But as they reckon with the ethical ramifications the sale of body…
Oct 9, 2026 · 27:28
The former Unite boss says the police investigation into alleged corruption during his tenure will clear his name after years of accusations. But whether it can erase this dark…
Oct 6, 2026 · 24:00
The former Unite boss says the police investigation into alleged corruption during his tenure will clear his name after years of accusations. But whether it can erase this dark…
Oct 2, 2026 · 33:13
James Tapper, The Observer's Science editor and a weight-loss jab user, tells the story of his journey using the weight-loss drugs. A journey that along with lost kilograms, led…
Sep 29, 2026 · 43:26
Kenyan men are leaving their country for work – and ending up on the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This is the story of the recruiters, the promises and the poverty that…
Sep 25, 2026 · 24:57
Stephanie Arcanjo spent three years building a life with her boyfriend, Eric. One day he vanished, and the police came knocking. Only then would she learn his true identity, and…
Sep 22, 2026 · 43:49
Nkechi Simms is a successful actor who’s had parts in Top Boy and BBC comedy PRU. Outwardly life is good and at 26 she’s got everything going for her. But this hasn’t always been…
Sep 18, 2026 · 22:21
What links a rare breed of flamingo and government corruption? In Albania, plans to redevelop Sazan, the country's biggest island, and disrupt the wildlife that lives there,…
Sep 15, 2026 · 32:13
In Ben Stokes, England cricket created a star....and quickly lost control of that star. This is the story of how a maverick genius built and broke the team he created. Hosted on…
Sep 11, 2026 · 25:23
What drove Syrians to rise up and overthrow a brutal dictator? ‘Days of Love and Rage’ by Anand Gopal is an intimate account of how one town in Syria joined a revolution. The…
Sep 8, 2026 · 48:19
Ten years ago Kim Edwards and her boyfriend, Lucas Markham, who were both 14 at the time, stabbed Kim’s mother and Kim’s younger sister to death. They were both sentenced to life…
Sep 4, 2026 · 31:17
In the late 1980s 14-year-old Gareth had a sexual relationship with his 27-year-old chemistry teacher, Sally-Anne Bowen. His friends told him at the time that he was a ‘lucky…
Sep 1, 2026 · 48:09
Paolo Zampolli, the Italian modelling agent who introduced Donald Trump to his future wife, Melania, has gone from the 1990s fashion world to the very top of the Trump…
Aug 28, 2026 · 23:21
Is ECT therapy safe? Postcode prescribing leaves patients at mercy of psychiatric opinions. Jessica Rawnsley has been investigating what this means for patients Hosted on Acast.…
Aug 25, 2026 · 36:27
After a spate of paranormal sightings in 1970s London, debate raged over the existence of a vampire in Highgate Cemetery. Fifty years on, the legend has been taken on by a new…
Aug 21, 2026 · 25:28
After a 2025 mass shooting on Florida State University’s campus, investigators found a year’s worth of chat history between the shooter and ChatGPT. MotherJones’ Mark Follman has…
Aug 18, 2026 · 35:50
Rupert Lowe is the MP for Great Yarmouth, and the leader of Restore Britain, a right-wing political party which launched in February this year. So, how did the leader of such a…
Aug 14, 2026 · 22:32
Nigel Farage has been re-elected as MP for Clacton. But that also means a Parliamentary investigation into Farage resumes. So what's next for Reform and their leader? Hosted on…
Aug 11, 2026 · 28:28
When Peter Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the United States over his links with Jeffrey Epstein people wondered how he ever got appointed in the first place.…
Aug 7, 2026 · 29:47
On Thursday 30th July, an avalanche hit the world's twelfth highest mountain. Ten experienced climbers were caught by it, among them one of the world's most famous and…
Aug 4, 2026 · 40:46
When World Cup Winner Phil Vickery retired in 2010, he thought his toughest physical battles were behind him. Today, like hundreds of former players, he lives with memory loss…
Jul 31, 2026 · 25:20
What are companies extracting British spring water, companies like Coca Cola and Nestle, paying for that water? The answer is extraordinary. And with the threat of…
Jul 28, 2026 · 38:30
How a mislaid phone led to a nightmare of fake reviews and claims of antisemitism. When Ali, a restaurateur, realised his mobile’s security had been breached and that random…
Jul 23, 2026 · 37:08
In early 2025, Reform hosts a fundraiser at private member’s club Oswald’s. In attendance are many of the men whose deep pockets line the party’s accounts. Reporter - Cat Neilan…
Jul 21, 2026 · 27:09
In 2019, Nigel Farage leads the Brexit Party to victory in the European Elections. But there’s a mystery at the heart of the party’s accounts. Reporter - Cat Neilan Series…
Jul 17, 2026 · 25:08
Another heartbreak for England in the World Cup, but does the tournament tell us anything about the nation's mentality? Rory Smith reveals the stories and moments that have stuck…
Jul 14, 2026 · 40:12
Ademola Adedeji was wrongfully identified as a gang member and jailed for conspiracy to commit GBH. This is the story of how a nine second clip from a rap video upended his life.…
Jul 9, 2026 · 32:06
Caesar and Sami risked everything to show the world what was truly going on in Syria after the 2011 revolution. The Caesar files are a collection of tens of thousands of photos…
Jul 7, 2026 · 43:08
When the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011, Bashar al-Assad's regime showed itself for what it really was: a brutal force, willing to capture and kill ordinary Syrians demanding…
Jul 2, 2026 · 23:45
The US celebrates 250 years of independence from the British Crown on 4th July. Accusations have flown that Trump has used the anniversary to celebrate himself, not the country.…
Jun 30, 2026 · 39:05
Criminal gangs have turned Britain's waste system into a goldmine and transformed pockets of the countryside into toxic wastelands. But how do you hide an 11,000 tonne illegal…
Jun 25, 2026 · 20:03
Each year new temperature records are threatened to be broken. But the UK seems to respond not with innovative adaptation, but with shock. Why? Ada Barumé is joined by academic…
Jun 23, 2026 · 29:12
Following Keir Starmer's resignation, Andy Burnham is now in prime position to become the UK's next prime minister. So what does he stand for? Hosted on Acast. See…
Jun 18, 2026 · 25:58
This week we’re speaking to Frank Cottrell Boyce, the children’s laureate, who has spent two years visiting schools, libraries, and communities to discover what it means to grow…
Jun 16, 2026 · 43:32
Ordinary people are turning to illegally produced peptides in the hopes of a beauty quick fix. How are these shady black market drugs slipping through the regulatory gaps?…
Jun 11, 2026 · 51:59
A Sherpa was left for dead on Everest at the end of the climbing season. Stranded for almost a week thousands of metres up in extreme conditions, he survived. But his story is…
Jun 9, 2026 · 34:06
Children are being caught in a global grooming pandemic. This is the story of a mother whose daughter was one such victim. Reporter: Rachel Sylvester Producer: Matt Russell…
Jun 4, 2026 · 21:46
The death of student Henry Nowak has shocked the country and sparked riots in Southampton. Ada Barume is joined by the Observer’s Whitehall Editor Cat Neilan and Home Affairs…
Jun 2, 2026 · 51:14
Senior executives of Swedish firm Lundin Oil stand accused of complicity in war crimes. The case against them took more than a decade to come to trial, and the trial was the…
May 28, 2026 · 32:07
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark joins The Observer to reveal why he believes there is a chance we will see human-level AI by 2028. From how AI is already changing the job market…
May 26, 2026 · 38:59
Last year in the UK, a fifth of people arrested for terrorism offences were under 18. Counter-terrorism experts warn that outlawing social media for children is a matter of…
May 21, 2026 · 24:17
With a leadership election on the horizon, there are discussions among the backbenches about how potential contenders might look to reshape and re-energise the UK's growth. The…
May 19, 2026 · 48:11
For decades, doping has hid in the shadows of elite sports. Now, for the first time, it’s out in the open. The Enhanced Games promises a new era of ‘superhumanity’ – is this the…
May 14, 2026 · 21:31
It was recently revealed by The Guardian that before he stood to be an MP in 2024, Nigel Farage received a £5 million gift from billionaire Christopher Harborne. But is there…
May 12, 2026 · 35:28
Blake Lively’s legal action against Justin Baldoni was settled just two weeks before it was due to go to trial. But the legal documents filed by both sides reveal something…
May 7, 2026 · 26:19
The elections look set to create ominous headlines for Labour. In the locals they could see massive losses across the country. But in Wales and Scotland voters go to the polls to…
May 5, 2026 · 42:08
Novak Djokovic has long been Serbia’s most successful athlete, and perhaps most famous citizen. But as political conflicts such as youth protests have fractured the country, the…
Apr 30, 2026 · 23:08
Alexi is joined by the Observer's national news editor, Claudia Williams to discuss the case of Tarryn Baird. Last week, her husband, Christopher Trybus was cleared of driving…
Apr 28, 2026 · 37:18
In 1988, a painting by Lucian Freud of his one-time friend Francis Bacon was stolen from a Berlin art gallery. It’s now worth £20 million. This week, Steve Smith goes in search…
Apr 22, 2026 · 21:40
This week, there’s one story dominating the headlines: the Peter Mandelson scandal and whether it spells the end for Keir Starmer’s troubled premiership. What does this episode…
Apr 21, 2026 · 34:40
According to United States and Israel, there's 460 kilograms of enriched uranium that Iran are just ten days away from turning into weapons grade nuclear bomb material. The story…
Apr 16, 2026 · 41:33
After sixteen years of rule in Hungary, Viktor Orbán has been voted out of office. But in that time, he’s built a deep-rooted network of soft power through think-tanks,…
Apr 14, 2026 · 31:58
Ceri Thomas revisits the appalling case of Peter Sullivan, jailed for 38 years for a murder he did not commit and offered no apology when finally released. Why does the court…
Apr 9, 2026 · 28:32
Meta and YouTube were found liable earlier this year in a social media addiction trial and ordered to pay out $6 million in damages. Could this be a blueprint for how to avoid…
Apr 7, 2026 · 33:35
Last year, a YouTuber attempted to reach an uncontacted tribe on the remote island of North Sentinel, an area that is out of bounds for everyone else on the planet. His bid for…
Apr 2, 2026 · 32:49
A businessman from Tunbridge Wells is accused of leading a double life. He’s secretly recorded planning a brutal attack with ice picks on behalf of the Chinese state. His story…
Apr 1, 2026 · 21:20
American citizens are recruited to carry out Beijing’s dirty work on home soil. A Florida correctional officer poses as an art dealer, exposing the murky world of transnational…
Mar 31, 2026 · 38:11
Alexi goes in search of the “long arm” of the Chinese state following a series of attacks and bounties on British soil. He uncovers a coordinated campaign of fear that has left…
Mar 26, 2026 · 22:00
Every year babies are abandoned by their parents. Following a long reporting project exploring the story of one foundling on a search for her biological parents, Alexi Mostrous…
Mar 24, 2026 · 41:07
Foundling is a six-part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. This is episode 1 - On the verge Journalist Lucy Greenwell goes in search of Jess following…
Mar 19, 2026 · 23:32
Last week, the New York Times ran an experiment that has far-reaching implications, especially for book lovers. It asked readers to compare five pairs of writing samples — one…
Mar 17, 2026 · 33:13
America's war against Iran has revealed plenty of gunslinging, provocative rhetoric from the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth. But is there much to learn about America's aims in…
Mar 10, 2026 · 45:54
Genetic testing start ups are a booming industry in America. Behind the headlines of 'designer babies' are companies tapping into disputed science, facing accusations that this…
Mar 5, 2026 · 17:06
Alexi sits down with the reporter of this week’s Slow Newscast, Francisco Garcia, to talk about one stop in particular on the road to Putin’s frontline, the Orthodox Church. How…
Mar 3, 2026 · 39:45
Jay Fraser was born and raised in Dunblane. Then, after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he signed up to fight...for Russia, not Ukraine. Now he and others who have followed…
Feb 24, 2026 · 45:06
Stephen Miller is the United States Homeland Security Advisor. But the vague sounding title belies his immense influence with Donald Trump behind the scenes. He’s better…
Feb 17, 2026 · 32:26
The Epstein Files are wreaking havoc across British institutions; first the Royal family and now, the government. Peter Mandelson was sacked as US Ambassador in September over…
Feb 10, 2026 · 42:50
The dating app Bumble built its identity on a promise: women make the first move. In this episode, The Observer uncovers a legal campaign by men’s rights activists that helped…
Feb 3, 2026 · 30:51
There are over a thousand oil tankers at sea that are helping finance Russia's war in Ukraine in plain sight. And they're not just trading in sanctioned oil, they're sabotaging…
Jan 27, 2026 · 41:11
Rachel hears the shocking story of “Patient A”, who explains that patients are at risk too. Her testimony raises more questions about the way sexual misconduct cases are handled…
Jan 22, 2026 · 40:53
This week Brooklyn Beckham publicly cut ties with his parents David and Victoria Beckham. Its exposed a rift in the family that seemingly dates back at least to Brooklyn's…
Jan 20, 2026 · 38:28
When an esteemed transplant surgeon is found to have sexually harassed a number of his female colleagues — sometimes in the middle of operations — the General Medical Council…
Jan 16, 2026 · 2:11
From next week, our Investigations Editor Alexi Mostrous – the man behind Sweet Bobby, Who Trolled Amber and Elon’s Spies – will take over as the new host of the Slow Newscast,…
Jan 13, 2026 · 42:28
In a small town in north Wales, an alleged theft at a local estate agents plants the seeds for a global blockbuster. To listen to episode two, just search for Tortoise…
Jan 6, 2026 · 44:57
Donald Trump is facing an unexpected fallout as one of his most loyal supporters has resigned from Congress and turned against him. With divisions widening after the attack on…
Dec 30, 2025 · 30:02
One of the stories in 2025 that seemed to capture the British public's attention was the trial for the men accused of cutting down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree. In this audio…
Dec 23, 2025 · 31:17
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…
Dec 22, 2025 · 43:08
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…
Dec 18, 2025 · 33:20
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…
Dec 16, 2025 · 28:55
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…
Dec 9, 2025 · 32:45
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…
Dec 2, 2025 · 23:50
The chancellor’s budget was supposed to be a gamechanger, but turned out to be an exercise in political survival. This is the story of how Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves took on…
Nov 25, 2025 · 29:27
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…
Nov 18, 2025 · 27:48
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…
Nov 11, 2025 · 28:52
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…
Nov 4, 2025 · 25:54
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…
Oct 28, 2025 · 29:21
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…
Oct 21, 2025 · 44:25
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…
Oct 14, 2025 · 34:49
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…
Oct 6, 2025 · 39:16
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…
Sep 30, 2025 · 31:58
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…
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