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The Slow Newscast

The Observer

300 episodes

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.

More about the show

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 a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell.

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Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Spiral

    · 43 min · S1 E456

    When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed…

  2. The 30-Year veteran photographer attacked by settlers

    · 27 min · S1 E455

    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 assault left Levine in hospital with…

  3. Christ is King: the far right and God

    · 36 min · S1 E454

    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. On stage, pastors led the crowd in song…

  4. How an innocent man was put on death row

    · 27 min · S1 E453

    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 helped send a man called Jim Dailey to…

  5. Bones and all: the trade in human remains

    · 32 min · S1 E452

    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 parts remains largely unregulated. Who are…

  6. The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 2

    · 27 min · S1 E448

    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 episode in British trade unionism is…

  7. The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 1

    · 24 min · S1 E447

    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 episode in British trade unionism is…

  8. The rivalry that spawned the weight-loss jab race

    · 33 min · S1 E446

    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 him to the godfather of these drugs: a…

  9. Duped and deployed: the Kenyans fighting for Russia

    · 43 min · S1 E445

    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 keeps the pipeline moving. Hosted on…

  10. How I fell in love with a Russian spy

    · 25 min · S1 E444

    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 that their life together was a lie.…

  11. Careless

    · 44 min · S1 E443 · Explicit

    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 the case. When she was 12 Nkechi’s…

  12. How Ivanka Trump enraged all of Albania

    · 22 min · S1 E442

    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, caused protests. When it emerged that it was…

  13. The trials of Ben Stokes

    · 32 min · S1 E441

    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 Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

  14. What made Syrians fight for revolution?

    · 25 min · S1 E440

    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 book took him 8 years to report and write.…

  15. “I will never judge you”: A grandmother’s promise

    · 48 min · S1 E439

    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 in prison and became the youngest, and…

  16. The teacher, the school, and the myth of the 'Lucky Boy'

    · 31 min · S1 E438

    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 boy’. Last week Sally-Anne Bown was…

  17. Paolo Zampolli: Trump’s matchmaker

    · 48 min · S1 E437

    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 administration, joining the small circle of…

  18. Why is electroconvulsive therapy still used?

    · 23 min · S1 E436

    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. See acast.com/privacy for more…

  19. My father, the vampire hunter

    · 36 min · S1 E435

    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 generation, fuelled by the world’s…

  20. What does a mass shooter’s chatbot history reveal?

    · 25 min · S1 E434

    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 been investigating what the chat log…

  21. Ctrl Alt Restore

    · 36 min · S1 E433

    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 young, fringe party end up appearing as a…

  22. What next for Reform and Nigel Farage?

    · 23 min · S1 E432

    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 Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

  23. The Mandelson files

    · 28 min · S1 E428

    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. Eventually Keir Starmer’s government was…

  24. Is mountaineering getting more dangerous?

    · 30 min · S1 E427

    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 experienced mountaineers Nirmal Purja. Is the…

  25. Hard knocks: the cost of courage

    · 41 min · S1 E426

    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 and the looming threat of brain trauma –…

  26. Who owns our water?

    · 25 min · S1 E425

    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 nationalisation, what does the future hold for our…

  27. One-star review: A stolen year

    · 39 min · S1 E424

    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 things were missing from his flat, he began…

  28. Bankrolling Farage: Who Funds Reform? Episode two: The Money Men

    · 37 min · S1 E423

    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 Series Reporter/Producer - Poppy…

  29. Bankrolling Farage: Who Funds Reform? Episode one: The Missing Millions

    · 27 min · S1 E422

    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 Reporter/Producer - Poppy Bullard Narrative…

  30. Have England failed again?

    · 25 min · S1 E421

    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 with him from six weeks on the road in…

  31. Fire on the mountain: Mistaken identity

    · 40 min · S1 E420

    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. Reporter: Ciaran Tracey Producer:…

  32. Who is the man behind Syria's war crimes dossier?

    · 32 min · S1 E419

    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 documenting human rights abuses and…

  33. We call her Emma

    · 43 min · S1 E418

    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 change. And in all the years that a war…

  34. After 250 years is America at a crossroads?

    · 24 min · S1 E417

    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. So what does it tell us about Trump’s…

  35. Wasteland: the rubbish gangs

    · 39 min · S1 E416

    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 dump in plain sight? Reporters: Jeevan…

  36. Are heatwaves the new norm?

    · 20 min · S1 E415

    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 meteorologist Rob Thomson and Dimple…

  37. The Burnham Identity

    · 29 min · S1 E414

    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 acast.com/privacy for more information.

  38. Frank Cottrell Boyce on modern childhood

    · 26 min · S1 E413

    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 up in Britain today. He’s written about…

  39. Pepped-up: the secret world of peptides

    · 44 min · S1 E412

    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? Reporters: Stephen Armstrong and Madeleine…

  40. K2: Killer Mountain

    · 52 min · S1 E411

    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 not a new story, and it raises questions…

  41. Online grooming: a mother's story

    · 34 min · S1 E410

    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 Illustrator: Sara Andreasson Sound…

  42. The Henry Nowak case

    · 22 min · S1 E409

    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 Editor John Simpson to discuss the…

  43. On trial: oil and war crimes

    · 51 min · S1 E408

    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 longest in Swedish history. If they are…

  44. Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark: What does the future of AI look like?

    · 32 min · S1 E407

    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 to a historic meeting at the Vatican, he…

  45. 'Social media is killing our kids'

    · 39 min · S1 E406

    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 national security. So what are children…

  46. How might Labour's new leaders grow the UK?

    · 24 min · S1 E405

    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 Observer's political editor Rachel…

  47. Doped Up!

    · 48 min · S1 E404

    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 future of sport? Reporters: Jeremy…

  48. Nigel Farage and the five million pound gift: what's wrong with that?

    · 22 min · S1 E403

    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 anything wrong with that? Hosted on Acast.…

  49. Lively vs Baldoni: Inside Hollywood’s PR machine

    · 35 min · S1 E402

    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 darker than a celebrity feud; a new troubling…

  50. How could the elections define the UK?

    · 26 min · S1 E401

    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 determine who will run the Senedd and…

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