Episodes

  • How does woke start winning again?

    How does woke start winning again?
    Jul 11 2025
    British progressives have suffered major setbacks in recent years, in both public opinion and court rulings. Was a backlash inevitable, and are new tactics needed? By Gaby Hinsliff. Read by Carlyss Peer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • From the archive: The death of the department store

    From the archive: The death of the department store
    Jul 9 2025
    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: the closure of John Lewis’s store in Sheffield after almost 60 years was a bitter blow. As debate rages over what to do with the huge empty site, the city is becoming a test case for where Britain’s urban centres may be heading Written and read by John Harris. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • ‘Do you have a family?’: midlife with no kids, ageing parents – and no crisis

    ‘Do you have a family?’: midlife with no kids, ageing parents – and no crisis
    Jul 7 2025
    In my 40s, I found myself with a life that didn’t look like it was ‘supposed’ to. What was I doing? On trips to South Korea with my mother, an answer began to emerge By E Tammy Kim. Read by Jennifer J Kim. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    31 mins
  • Why does Switzerland have more nuclear bunkers than any other country?

    Why does Switzerland have more nuclear bunkers than any other country?
    Jul 4 2025
    Switzerland is home to more than 370,000 nuclear bunkers – enough to shelter every member of the population. But if the worst should happen, would they actually work? By Jessi Jezewska Stevens. Read by Rachel Handshaw. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    28 mins
  • From the archive: ‘You can’t be the player’s friend’: inside the secret world of tennis umpires

    From the archive: ‘You can’t be the player’s friend’: inside the secret world of tennis umpires
    Jul 2 2025
    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: new technology was supposed to make umpiring easy. It hasn’t worked out that way By William Ralston. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    46 mins
  • My husband and son suffered strokes, 30 years apart. Shockingly little had changed

    My husband and son suffered strokes, 30 years apart. Shockingly little had changed
    Jun 30 2025
    I was told my husband would never talk again, while physiotherapy was dismissed entirely. My son was failed in similar ways, but for the brilliance of some medical staff who refuse to believe a stroke is the end By Sheila Hale. Read by Phyllida Nash. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    31 mins
  • ‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star

    ‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star
    Jun 27 2025
    He’s spent 24 hours immersed in slime, two days buried alive – and showered vast amounts of cash on lucky participants. But are MrBeast’s videos simply very savvy clickbait – or acts of avant garde genius? Written and read by Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    35 mins
  • From the archive: ‘A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class

    From the archive: ‘A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class
    Jun 25 2025
    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: at the Oxford university debating society in the 80s, a generation of aspiring politicians honed the art of winning using jokes, rather than facts By Simon Kuper. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 mins