Podcast
The Audio Long Read
Hosted by The Guardian · EN
Three times a week, The Audio Long Read podcast brings you the Guardian’s exceptional longform journalism in audio form. Covering topics from politics and culture to philosophy and sport, as well as investigations and current affairs.
77episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Best of 2026…so far: My maddening battle with chronic fatigue syndrome: ‘On my worst days, it feels almost demonic’
6d ago00:35:18Summary readyEvery Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2026, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from February: I suffered with my mystery illness for decades before gaining a diagnosis. Could retraining my brain be the answer? By Hermione Hoby. Read by Alby Baldwin. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
‘This process has turned into a form of torture’: inside the trial of Erdoğan’s challenger
1w ago00:28:24Summary readyHe was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, and had announced his candidacy for the 2028 presidential elections. But Ekrem İmamoğlu is now behind bars, and his trial, on charges including fraud and organised crime, could take 12 years By Kaya Genç. Read by Philip Ishak Arditti This piece first appeared in the Dial. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
‘It makes your heart sing’: can a pioneering project show that rewilding really works?
2w ago00:49:31Summary readyIntensive farming has all but destroyed England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands. On a farm in Lincolnshire a radical aristocrat hopes to show there’s money in protecting nature By Patrick Barkham. Read by Dermot Daly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
From the archive: ‘A dizzying maze’: how the UK immigration system is geared to reject
2w ago00:34:20Summary readyWe are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2019: Navigating the roadblocks into Britain gets ever more difficult and expensive, as government hostility leaks into every transaction. By Maya Goodfellow. Read by Lucy Scott. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
‘It is comforting to be haunted’: how attitudes to abortion have changed through the ages
2w ago00:37:50Summary readyThe abortion debate – the language of life, choice and rights – severs women, and their pain, from history. I don’t want to forget my abortion and I don’t want to forget theirs By Erin Maglaque. Read by Lanna Joffrey. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
What training my chaotic dog taught me about power, control – and human beings
3w ago00:29:14Summary readyOur lovable yet unruly boxer Dusty forced me to wonder: if a dog has no morals, how do you teach it to be ‘good’? By William Davies. Read by John Robins. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
Pinker’s progress: the celebrity scientist at the centre of the culture wars
3w ago00:52:14Summary readyWe are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: How the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker became one of the world’s most contentious thinkers By Alex Blasdel. Read by Christopher Ragland • The summer issue of the Long Read magazine is out now. Click here to order. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
Saint Levant: the pop star from Gaza caught between passionate fandom and bitter disapproval
3w ago00:41:13Summary readyHis detractors say he shouldn’t be making pop music in times of war and destruction. His millions of fans say he has given them permission to celebrate their culture and their cause Written and read by Nesrine Malik. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
‘There’s this deep mystery of what, actually, is this thing?’: the philosopher inside Google DeepMind AI
4w ago00:52:34Summary readySince 2017, Iason Gabriel has worked at the tech giant, trying to anticipate – and think through – the impact of AI. But as commercial and geopolitical pressures escalate, can ethicists make any difference? By Robert P Baird. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary
From the archive: Battle of the botanic garden: the horticulture war roiling the Isle of Wight
4w ago00:43:07Summary readyWe are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2023: When a US businessman took over a beloved garden a decade ago, he decided on a radical new approach, all in the name of sustainability. But angry critics claim it’s just plain neglect By Mark O’Connell. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Summary