As violence, drug use and suicide at HMP Nottingham reached shocking new levels, the prison became a symbol of a system crumbling into crisis. By Isobel Thompson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

New technology was supposed to make umpiring easy. It hasn’t worked out that way. By William Ralston. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2015: On 26 November 2010, Yara Gambirasio, 13, went missing. Three months later her body was discovered in scrubland nearby. So began one of the most complex murder investigations in Italian history, which will reach its climax later this year. By Tobias Jones. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

In October 2020, an emergency call was received from a ship in British waters. After a full-scale commando raid, seven Nigerians were taken off in handcuffs – but no one was ever charged. What really happened on board? By Samira Shackle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

After so many other Olympic sites ended up left to rot, London 2012 was supposed to be different. But who has really benefited from this orgy of development? By Oliver Wainwright. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2015: It began with a test-fixing scandal so massive that it led to 2,000 arrests, including top politicians, academics and doctors. Then suspects started turning up dead. What is the truth behind India’s Vyapam scam? By Aman Sethi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

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. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Emmanuel Carrère was no stranger to depression, but it was late in life that a major episode got him hospitalised and diagnosed as bipolar. In some ways it made sense of his problems, but in the midst of it, everything was broken. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2016: Whether he wins the US presidency or not, his rise reveals a growing attraction to political demagogues – and points to a wider crisis of democracy. By Jonathan Freedland. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The story of the modern web is often told through the stories of Google, Facebook, Amazon. But eBay was the first conqueror. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod