Podcasts · Society & Culture · News
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 5 of 6
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Betrayal: Alex and Nicola - episode 2
The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation. This is the…
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Betrayal: Alex and Nicola
The two most charismatic leaders in a generation took Scotland to the brink of independence. But when Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's powerful partnership collapsed, with it went their hold on a nation. To get…
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Murdoch: The other hacking story
Paul Caruana Galizia investigates a new dimension to the phone hacking story; allegations that Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group hacked phones not for tabloid headlines but for corporate reasons. To find out more about…
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From Lizzo to Beckham: My life according to… Me
From Harry and Meghan to David Beckham and Lizzo, our TV screens are awash with celebrity documentaries like never before. But what story are they telling – and who’s behind them? You can find out more about Tortoise:…
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The Biden Operation
It may be a re-fight of the 2020 elections, but in this year's US presidential elections, the stakes feel much higher. And that's got a lot of Democrats worrying. This is the story of the backroom discussions going on…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 6 - Do you really want to go out on a knight like this?
Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader is up. The party faces an uphill battle to mount a credible challenge to the Conservative majority at the next election. So who will the party turn to in its hour of need? And what…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 5 - The Revolution Defeated
Parliament can’t find a way through the Brexit labyrinth. Jeremy Corbyn’s position is as muddy as ever. Keir Starmer, now Shadow Brexit Secretary, openly defies his leader’s position. But the rise of Boris Johnson and…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 4 - Jeremy and the Jews
An old Facebook comment from Jeremy Corbyn resurfaces. The Labour leader is forced to to explain why he publicly supported a graffiti artist accused of painting an antisemitic mural in East London. Allegations of…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 3 - Oh Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn faces an unexpected general election, called by Theresa May. Against the odds Labour does better than expected, although it’s still not the biggest party in Westminster. But Jeremy Corbyn’s star is…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 2 - The chicken coup
Murmurings of discontent grow among some Labour MPs. The blame the Brexit referendum result on Jeremy Corbyn’s half hearted campaigning efforts. They launch a dramatic attempt to get rid of him. Sir Keir Starmer has to…
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Eight years hard Labour: episode 1 - Jez we can
In 2015 Labour is back in opposition after another election defeat. The party needs a new leader. It chooses Jeremy Corbyn, a long serving left-wing MP who’s never run anything. He is the party’s most radical and…
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Motherland
The story of motherhood is strangely absent from a lot of literature. After her own experience of childbirth, Catherine Nixey takes on millennia of canonical literature and asks: why the start of the story is never…
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The poet's window
Arifa Akbar lost her sister far too young. She died from a 19th century illness in a 21st century hospital. Arifa’s journey through grief takes her to Rome, Keats…and gentle words of reflection. To find out more about…
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Helen versus Sam: The battle for OpenAI
Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner calls herself an “effective altruist”. That philosophical movement fuelled the firing and rehiring of Sam Altman last month – and has tried to steer the future of AI to the tune…
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Assad: The rubble king
President Assad has won the war in Syria and to consolidate his power he’s demolishing opposition neighbourhoods in order to create a shiny new Syria - one in which dissent never existed. To find out more about…
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Unforgivable: Boris Johnson and Covid’s second wave
From the middle of Sep 2020 to the end of October, Boris Johnson’s government dithered and delayed the decision over a second national lockdown. This is the story of those 43 days, laid bare at the Covid Inquiry: a…
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Eight years' hard Labour
This is the inside story of two revolutions in the Labour party in eight short years. From the takeover by the far left under Jeremy Corbyn to the election of Keir Starmer who set about erasing all traces of his…
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Walter's War: An English gentleman
To listen to the full series subscribe to the Tortoise Investigates feed. It’s London, 2012. Oliver is a dashing diplomat. Charlie is a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. They meet online and she…
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Sneakered: Adidas, Yeezy & Kanye
The deal between Kanye West and Adidas was no ordinary celebrity endorsement. Now under renewed scrutiny after West’s outrageous behaviour, how can one rapper’s departure cause such chaos at a multinational sportswear…
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The lottery winner
Paul Caruana Galizia investigates how a lucrative contract to run the UK’s National Lottery was awarded to a company whose Czech billionaire owner retains links with Russia. Note: Clive Efford MP referred to “a…
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The shadow: Hamas's hidden commander
Mohammed Deif – thought to be the mastermind behind Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th - hasn’t been seen for 20 years and no one’s even sure if he’s still alive. When the enemy is more of an idea than a person,…
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Dr Anti-Vax: The fall
A British doctor sparks a global health panic about the safety of vaccines. But even though his work is discredited, he lights a fire that becomes the modern anti-vax movement. For the premium Tortoise listening…
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Mr Right: Paul Marshall and the battle for The Telegraph
The Telegraph is for sale for the first time in a generation. The new owner will become one of the most influential people on the right in Britain. Who will win the race? For the premium Tortoise listening experience,…
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Killer mountain: Abandoned on K2
It’s been a dangerous year in the world of extreme mountaineering. Has the focus on record-breaking gone too far? For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise…
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Trump and Rudy: A bare-knuckle romance - episode 3
Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don? For the…
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Trump and Rudy: A bare-knuckle romance - episode 2
Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don? For early…
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Trump and Rudy: A bare-knuckle romance - episode 1
Twenty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was “America’s mayor”. Now he’s been indicted, along with Donald Trump, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Will Rudy die in jail for The Don? For early…
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Blue light: one woman's story of policing on the frontline
For years, Claire McEnery was the most senior woman in the Lancashire police force. With that seniority came exposure to the best – and worst – of life, but also to the best and worst of the police. For the premium…
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Introducing... Trendy
Welcome to Trendy, the new weekly show from Tortoise. Britain’s top pollster, Sir John Curtice, and former Downing Street advisor, Rachel Wolf, explore the key political, social and economic trends that help shape…
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William and Murdoch: the prince and the press baron
Earlier this year, when the media went into a frenzy about the rift between the royal brothers and the publication of Harry's book Spare Paul Caruana Galizia started looking into a different aspect of the story. One…
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Boris’s Baroness: The mysterious rise of Charlotte Owen
From intern to baroness in seven years, Charlotte Owen’s entry to the House of Lords has left even friends scratching their heads in wonder. Her elevation might be hard to explain, but it tells us volumes about the way…
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Attack of the Killer Whales
Humans think of themselves as the world’s apex predator. But what happens when another powerful carnivore threatens us in a place where they are the masters? Killer whales have been attacking - and sometimes sinking -…
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Putin v Prigozhin: A story of mutiny and death
In late June, Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on Moscow with a small army of mercenaries. Exactly two months later, he was dead. This is the story of what really happened on the road to Moscow. For the premium Tortoise…
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Spotted: snooker’s fight against match fixing
In June a scandal erupted that threatened the future of snooker after ten elite players were banned for match fixing. It all starts in a small snooker hall in Sheffield, but ends on a journey through a several hundred…
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Sick river: saving the Brent
Cities are where the battle to save planet earth will be won and lost. But it is not the urban environment that matters, but our relationship with nature within it. What can the story of one dying river, plagued by…
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Johnny Depp: the great uncancelling
In 2017 the MeToo movement swept through Hollywood. Some men, such as Harvey Weinstein, went to prison. Others who were accused of sexual misconduct and assault were ostracised and struggled to find parts in big…
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The death of Kellie Sutton
A family's six-year fight for a pioneering legal decision. Will an inquest jury conclude, for the first time, that a woman who took her own life was actually killed? For the premium Tortoise listening experience,…
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Genocide hunters: on the trail of a mass murderer
For almost three decades, one of the world's most wanted men had stayed at large. Earlier this year, he was finally caught. This is the story of how a small band of genocide hunters caught him in a world riddled with…
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Three doors down
In May this year David Boyd was found guilty of the brutal murder of seven year-old Nikki Allan in 1992. Why did it take the police thirty years to find Boyd and get a conviction? This is the story of Nikki’s mother,…
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The News Meeting with Basia
Slow Newscast host Basia Cummings is in the editor's chair for this episode of The News Meeting. The podcast where three journalists each pitch the one story they think matters most and the editor decides which one…
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Modern family: I had my dead son’s baby at 68
Spanish celebrity Ana Obregón shocked the world when she announced that she had a child via surrogate, using a donor egg and the sperm of her deceased son. Her story takes us to the new frontiers of fertility, where…
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Crispin Odey: The Octopus’s world
Crispin Odey was one of the most powerful hedge funders in London. He’s been dismissed from his own company which is being wound up after he was accused of assaulting more than a dozen women over many decades. Why did…
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Into The Dirt
Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate…
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Gender GP: inside the world of private trans healthcare
Last year journalist Polly Curtis spent months trying to understand what went wrong at the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service for young people. You can hear her Tortoise podcast series: Inside the…
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Epstein's moneymen episode 4: the prey
Bill Gates was the golden philanthropist at the top of the billionaire's league - he was also Epstein's way back into society For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the…
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Epstein's moneymen episode 3: master of the universe
Leon Black was the aggressive private equity billionaire at the top of New York society - he also bankrolled Epstein For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free…
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Epstein's moneymen episode 2: eyes wide open
After Epstein was dropped by JP Morgan, another bank stepped in to help his sex trafficking empire keep rolling For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise…
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Epstein's moneymen episode 1: the man in the hot tub
Introducing our new four part series: Epstein's moneymen. A new wave of lawsuits is building against the banks and bankers who are alleged to have enabled Jeffrey Epstein to fund and conceal his sex trafficking empire.…
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Boris Johnson: The Dishonours List
Boris Johnson is not a man who has much care for institutions or conventions. So what does his forthcoming resignations honours list mean for the future of the House of Lords? For the premium Tortoise listening…
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The 31: Ukraine’s stolen children
Why is the Kremlin forcibly deporting tens of thousands of children to Russia? Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism. For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join…
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