The Slow Newscast

Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt. This is the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart.

Reporter: Xavier Greenwood

Producer: Xavier Greenwood

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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Five years ago the second deadliest terror attack in modern history happened in north Mozambique. Hundreds were left trapped under siege in a hotel, including a British man, Philip Mawer. Until they decided to make a break for it. This is how Philip Mawer's story could change the future of one of Big Oil's biggest companies.

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For generations they trusted their royal landlords, but now frightened farmers and locals in Devon feel betrayed by the ‘urban’ Prince of Wales.

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When Asha visited her new therapist during covid, little did she realise she was placing her faith in the wrong individual. Her story reveals the perils of an unregulated industry, where people can use and abuse the unique privileges that come with the label of 'therapist'.

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The Chancellor has delivered the first budget of Andy Burnham's premiership. But what does it reveal about their vision for the UK?

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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 the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged. Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind.

This is episode one of Spiral, a six-part series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer, produced in partne...

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 broken bones, but she is not the first foreigner to be caught in the middle of increasingly violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Basia Cummings speaks to the Observer's Ruth Michaelson who is in Tel Aviv covering the upcoming elections, about what happened and whether it'll impact the outcome of the vote.

Producer: Ada...

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 and prayer. One of those pastors is Rikki Doolan, who says he converted Tommy Robinson while he was in prison. This is the story of how the far-right found God.

Reporter: Kart Mathieson

Reporter/producer: Poppy Bullard

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 death row for the murder of a teenage girl.

Basia Cummings speaks to investigative journalist and author Pamela Colloff who spent years uncovering his deceptions, and his story exposes a criminal justice system prioritising winning convictions over the truth.

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Exec: Matt Russell

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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 the people selling? And why is it easier than ever to buy human remains?

Reporter: Evan Moffitt

Producer: Ada Barumé

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Exec producer: Matt Russell

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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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 another matter. So will the reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?

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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 another matter. So will the reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?

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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 man who discovered the hormone that led to the development of GLP-1s and who reveals his concerns about their widespread use.

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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.

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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.

Basia Cummings speaks to Sao Paolo based reporter Oliver Basciano about Stephanie and hears her side of the story.

Oliver Basciano's reporting can be found at https://observer.co.uk/contributor/oliver-basciano

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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 mother handed her over to Camden Council and she was placed in foster care. Now she wants to find out what happened to her and why. The only way she can do this is by getting hold of her care records. But that’s easier said than done. And will those records answer her questions? 

Carel...

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 Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka who was behind the development, the protests became about not just than just wildlife, but about the way the country is run. Andrew Anthony visited the country to find out more.

Host: Basia Cummings

Reporter: Andrew Anthony

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

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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.

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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.  

The Observer’s Basia Cummings and Chloe Hadjimatheou, reporter of the We Call Her Emma podcast series about Asma al-Assad, talk to Gopal about how Syrians took politics into their own hands while facing threats from their own government and then ISIS. 

Anand Gopal's reporting on Syria and ISIS can be found here: htt...

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 among the most notorious, double murderers in Britain. For the first time Kim’s grandmother, Maxine Follows, tells her side of the story, and questions how the criminal justice system treats children.   

Reporter: Katie Glass

Producer: Ada Barume

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Executive Producer: Matt Russell<...

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 convicted of seven counts of indecent assault. The Observer’s podcast series ‘Lucky Boy’ played a part in the case. 

Basia Cummings is joined by Chloe Hadjimatheou, who reported the story, to discuss the conviction of Sally-Anne Bowen.

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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 loyalists Trump likes to keep close to advance his brand and influence. It is a story about how power works at the White House and how the distinction between private interests and public office are increasingly blurred.

Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

Producer: Jonathan Lewis and Amalie Sortland

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Emma...

Is ECT therapy safe? Postcode prescribing leaves patients at mercy of psychiatric opinions. Jessica Rawnsley has been investigating what this means for patients

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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 longest-running online feud

Reporter: Francisco Garcia

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Blythe Walker-Sibthorpe

Editor: Matt Russell

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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 reveals about the shooter and the chatbot and examines how AI responds when faced with severe warning signs and where the responsibility lies when something goes wrong.

Note: This story discusses suicide and violence.

Mark Follman's reporting can be found here: https://www.motherjones.com/media/2026/08/openai-chatgpt-fsu-mass-shooting-chat-logs/

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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 guest on the world’s most popular podcast? And what does it tell us about how the far-right works? 

Reporter: Poppy Bullard

Producers: Amalie Sortland and Ada Barume

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Editor: Matt Russell 

Host...

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?

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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 forced to publish more than a thousand pages of emails, messages and letters which reveal how Peter Mandelson was appointed, vetted and cleared to become the UK’s most influential diplomat.

What emerges from those documents, is a story about who wields power in Britain today, how it works and how we conduct our politics.

...

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 world of mountaineering becoming more dangerous?

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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 – and he’s demanding answers. And across the world, more and more people are looking towards one man in particular.

Reporters: Ben Coles and Jonathan Lewis

Producer: Jonathan Lewis

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Executive producer: Jasper Corbett

Credits: ITV, BBC, Dodge Woodall, ABC News

Hosted on Aca...

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 water companies? In other words, what is our water worth?

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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 to feel uneasy. Was he being targeted for his politics or his personal life? And more importantly, who could stop it?

Credits:

Reporter - Eva Wiseman

Producer - Matt Russell

Sound design - Dominic Delargy

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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 Bullard

Narrative Producer - Matt Russell

Sound Design - Dominic Delargy

Artwork - Blythe Walker Sibthorpe

Producer for Goalhanger - India Dunkley

Executive Producer for Goalhanger - Tom Whiter

Executive Producer for the Observer - Jasper Corbett

...

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 Producer - Matt Russell

Sound Design - Dominic Delargy

Artwork - Blythe Walker Sibthorpe

Producer for Goalhanger - India Dunkley

Executive Producer for Goalhanger - Tom Whiter

Executive Producer for the Observer - Jasper Corbett

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 America.

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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: Matt Russell

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

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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 torture in Syria under the dictator Bashar al-Assad. They have become the cornerstone of Syrian war crime prosecutions around the world.

This is the story of the one of the most remarkable and daring collections and the courageous men behind it. A collection which may not just steer the course of international justice, but will serve as a permanent historical...

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 raged on, Asma stood by her husband. She seemingly ignored the desperate pleas to stop her husband from killing his own people. 

But what did she really know about the atrocities her husband’s government was carrying out? And what choices did she really have? Some people allege that she actually assisted the regime and cashed in on the war...

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 place within America…and is it really that unusual?

Ada Barumé is joined by the Observer’s Americans, Erica Wagner and Evan Moffitt to discuss this moment in US history.

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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 Vasagar and Jonathan Lewis

Producer: Jonathan Lewis

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Executive producer: Matt Russell

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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