The Guardian's Audio Long Reads

By The Guardian

Society & Culture

What's The Guardian's Audio Long Reads about?

The Guardian's Audio Long Reads podcasts are a selection of the Guardian’s long read articles which are published in the paper and online. It gives you the opportunity to get on with your day whilst listening to some of the finest journalism the Guardian has to offer: in-depth writing from around the world on immigration, crime, business, the arts and much more.

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'You have to take action': ...

07.13.2020

After years of outsourcing, many essential staff work for the NHS without receiving its benefits. In one London hospital, the fight is on for a better deal. By Sophie Elmhirst. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The Guardian's Audio Long Reads episodes:

07.13.2020 'You have to take action': one hospital cleaner’s journey through the pandemic After years of outsourcing, many essential staff work for the NHS without receiving its benefits. In one London hospital, the fight is on for a better deal. By Sophie Elmhirst. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
07.10.2020 The end of tourism? The pandemic has devastated global tourism, and many will say ‘good riddance’ to overcrowded cities and rubbish-strewn natural wonders. Is there any way to reinvent an industry that does so much damage? By Christopher de Bellaigue. Help support our independent ...
07.08.2020 From the archives – Karachi vice: inside the city torn apart by killings, extortion and terrorism We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2015: Amid the mayhem that has turned parts of Karachi into no-go zones, reporters ...
07.06.2020 My four miscarriages: why is losing a pregnancy so shrouded in mystery? After losing four pregnancies, Jennie Agg set out to unravel the science of miscarriage. Then, a few months in, she found out she was pregnant again – just as the coronavirus pandemic hit. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
07.03.2020 How a small Spanish town became one of Europe's worst Covid-19 hotspots In the northern region of La Rioja, one medieval town has suffered a particularly deadly outbreak. And in such a tight-knit community, suspicion and recrimination can spread as fast as the virus. By Giles Tremlett. Help support our independent journalism ...
07.01.2020 From the archives: The clean, green and slightly bonkers world of CBeebies We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2016: CBeebies isn’t just a channel, it’s a culture – and as a new ...
06.29.2020 How Hong Kong caught fire: the story of a radical uprising Hong Kong used to be seen as cautious, pragmatic and materialistic. But in the past year, an increasingly bold protest movement has transformed the city. Now, as Beijing tightens its grip, how much longer can the movement survive? By Tania ...
06.26.2020 The power of crowds Even before the pandemic, mass gatherings were under threat from draconian laws and corporate seizure of public space. Yet history shows that the crowd always finds a way to return. By Dan Hancox. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
06.24.2020 From the archive: One lawyer’s crusade to defend extreme pornography We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2015: Myles Jackman is on a mission to change Britain’s obscenity laws. For him, ...
06.22.2020 What black America means to Europe Many have attempted to claim that ‘things are better here’ for black people than in the US. This ignores both Europe’s colonial past and its own racist present. By Gary Younge. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
06.19.2020 The man in the iron lung When he was six, Paul Alexander contracted polio and was paralysed for life. Today he is 74, and one of the last people in the world still using an iron lung. But after surviving one deadly outbreak, he did not ...
06.17.2020 From the archives: The gangsters on England's doorstep We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This time we revisit Felicity Lawrence’s 2016 report on the exploitation of migrant labour in the UK: ...
06.15.2020 Extremist cops: how US law enforcement is failing to police itself For decades, anti-government and white supremacist groups have been attempting to recruit police officers – and the authorities themselves aren’t even certain about the scale of the problem. By Maddy Crowell and Sylvia Varnham O’Regan. Help support our independent journalism ...
06.12.2020 Bad ancestors: does the climate crisis violate the rights of those yet to be born? Our environmental vandalism has made urgent the question of ethical responsibilities across decades and centuries. By Astra Taylor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
06.10.2020 From the archive: Why would someone steal the world’s rarest water lily? For the next few weeks we will be raiding the Audio Long Reads archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week’s pick: In January 2014, an endangered plant was taken ...
06.08.2020 Cholera and coronavirus: why we must not repeat the same mistakes Cholera has largely been beaten in the west, but it still kills tens of thousands of people in poorer countries every year. As we search for a cure for coronavirus, we have to make sure it will be available to ...
06.05.2020 'The way we get through this is together': the rise of mutual aid under coronavirus Amid this unfolding disaster, we have seen countless acts of kindness and solidarity. It’s this spirit of generosity that will help guide us out of this crisis and into a better future. By Rebecca Solnit. Help support our independent journalism ...
06.03.2020 From the archives: Gary Younge: Farewell to America For the next couple of months we will be raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week’s article: In 2015, after 12 years living in ...
06.01.2020 Can computers ever replace the classroom? With millions of children shut out of schools worldwide, tech evangelists claim now is the time for AI education. But as the technology’s power grows, so too do the dangers that come with it. By Alex Beard. Help support our ...
05.29.2020 The sound of icebergs melting: my journey into the Antarctic Not long after Antarctica recorded some its highest-ever temperatures, I joined a group of scientists studying how human activity is transforming the continent. It wasn’t what we saw that was most astonishing – but what we heard. By Jonathan Watts. ...
05.27.2020 From the archives: The death and life of the great British pub For the next couple of months we will be raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. First up is Tom Lamont’s 2015 account of one London ...
05.25.2020 'The past six weeks have been unlike anything I’ve known': a GP on how the pandemic has changed his work Following his previous in-depth account of the early days of the outbreak, Edinburgh GP Gavin Francis reports on how he and his practice have dealt with the escalating crisis since lockdown. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
05.22.2020 'If one of us gets sick, we all get sick': the food workers on the coronavirus front line Low-paid women in US poultry factories are leading the struggle for fair conditions and basic safety. As Covid-19 rips through plants across the country, they have a fight on their hands. By Mya Frazier. Help support our independent journalism at ...
05.21.2020 Our new series, Forgotten stories of football: Manchester United v Galatasaray, 1993 The Guardian has launched a brand new podcast series, Forgotten stories of football, which is something like a football version of Audio Long Reads – some of the best tales from the beautiful game that you might not have heard ...
05.18.2020 Therapy under lockdown: 'I’m just as terrified as my patients are' In a pandemic, the best we can do to take care of one another is to stay away from one another. Even Freud at his most misanthropic could never have come up with that. By Gary Greenberg. Help support our ...
05.15.2020 Italian lessons: what we've learned from two months of home schooling Schools in northern Italy were the first in Europe to close. Since then, teachers, parents and kids across the country have all had to adapt to a new existence – and the results have surprised everyone. By Tobias Jones. Help ...
05.11.2020 How the face mask became the world's most coveted commodity The global scramble for this vital item has exposed the harsh realities of international politics and the limits of the free market. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
05.08.2020 ‘Feasting on fantasy’: my month of extreme immersion in Disney Plus Disney’s new streaming service arrived in the UK just as the coronavirus lockdown kicked in. With so many hours to fill, it seemed like a sensible investment. Pretty soon, it was infiltrating my every waking hour. By Sophie Elmhirst. Help ...
05.04.2020 How coronavirus almost brought down the global financial system The crisis has brought the economy to a near halt, and left millions of people out of work. But thanks to intervention on an unprecedented scale, a full-scale meltdown has been averted – for now. By Adam Tooze. Help support ...
05.01.2020 The WHO v coronavirus: why it can't handle the pandemic Attacked by Trump and ignored by many of its most powerful members, the World Health Organization is facing a major crisis – just at the moment we need it most. By Stephen Buranyi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.27.2020 'The impossible has already happened': what coronavirus can teach us about hope In the midst of fear and isolation, we are learning that profound, positive change is possible. By Rebecca Solnit. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.24.2020 Splendid isolation: how I stopped time by sitting in a forest for 24 hours My life seemed to be getting busier, faster: I felt constantly short of time – so I stepped outside it for a day and a night and did nothing. By Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.20.2020 ‘We can’t go back to normal’: how will coronavirus change the world? Times of upheaval are always times of radical change. Some believe the pandemic is a once-in-a-generation chance to remake society and build a better future. Others fear it may only make existing injustices worse. By Peter C Baker. Help support ...
04.17.2020 Real estate for the apocalypse: my journey into a survival bunker Doomsday luxury accommodation is a booming business, offering customers a chance to sit out global pandemics and nuclear wars in comfort – as long as they have the money to pay for it. By Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent ...
04.13.2020 'It’s a razor’s edge we’re walking': inside the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine Around the world, more than 40 teams are working on a vaccine for Covid-19. We followed one doctor in the most urgent quest of his life. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.10.2020 Cod wars to food banks: how a Lancashire fishing town is hanging on When I grew up there, Fleetwood was a tough but proud fishing port. It’s taken some knocks in the years since, but not everyone has given up on it. By Luke Brown. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.06.2020 The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground After decades among the hidden homeless, Dominic Van Allen dug himself a bunker beneath a public park. But his life would get even more precarious. By Tom Lamont. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
04.03.2020 How the killing of an abusive father by his daughters fuelled Russia's culture wars The notorious case of three teenage sisters inspired a campaign for change – and a backlash from the patriarchy. By Matthew Luxmoore. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
03.30.2020 Was the Millennium Dome really so bad? The inside story of a (not so) total disaster Even before it opened, the Dome had become a byword for failure. But two decades on, it could be time for a reassessment. By Imogen West-Knights. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
03.27.2020 Golden Dawn: the rise and fall of Greece’s neo-Nazis A decade ago, violent racists exploited a national crisis and entered mainstream politics in Greece. The party has since been caught up in the biggest trial of Nazis since Nuremberg, and is now crumbling – but its success remains a ...
03.23.2020 Why we need worst-case thinking to prevent pandemics Threats to humanity, and how we address them, define our time. Why are we still so complacent about facing up to existential risk? By Toby Ord. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
03.20.2020 What Noma did next: how the ‘New Nordic’ is reshaping the food world In our time of climate crisis and inequality, as top chefs dream less of Michelin stars and more of changing the world, the New Nordic movement is reaching beyond haute cuisine into classrooms, supermarkets and parliaments. By Kieran Morris. Help ...
03.16.2020 Question time: my life as a quiz obsessive I’ve taken part in quizzes all my life: in schools, in pubs and on TV shows, from India to the US. But the biggest secret is that curiosity, not knowledge, is the key to success. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support ...
03.13.2020 The end of farming? For decades, the way we farm has been degrading land and destroying wildlife. Now there’s a revolution coming – but is it going to create more problems than it solves? By Christopher de Bellaigue. Help support our independent journalism at ...
03.09.2020 Inside the mind of Dominic Cummings He is now the country’s de facto project manager, but what does he actually believe? In a bid to find out, I read (almost) everything Cummings has written in the last decade. By Stefan Collini. Help support our independent journalism ...
03.06.2020 How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket It’s cheap, attractive and convenient, and we eat it every day – it’s difficult not to. But is ultra-processed food making us ill and driving the global obesity crisis? By Bee Wilson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
03.02.2020 Tampon wars: the battle to overthrow the Tampax empire For decades, one company has ruled the world of tampons. But a new wave of brands has emerged, selling themselves as more ethical, more feminist and more ecological. By Sophie Elmhirst. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
02.28.2020 History as a giant data set: how analysing the past could help save the future Calculating the patterns and cycles of the past could lead us to a better understanding of history. Could it also help us prevent a looming crisis? By Laura Spinney. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
02.21.2020 Magic moments: the indestructible appeal of easy listening radio In the age of streaming and limitless choice, Magic Radio pulls in millions of listeners. What is it that keeps people coming back? By Simon Akam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
02.21.2020 What I have learned from my suicidal patients A GP has minutes to try to convince a person that life is worth living. It’s a challenge that brings rare rewards. By Gavin Francis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

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