Episodes

  • Journalist or Russian spy? The strange case of Pablo González

    Journalist or Russian spy? The strange case of Pablo González
    Nov 15 2024
    As a Spanish reporter, Pablo González charmed his way into Russian opposition circles and covered Putin’s wars. Then, in 2022, he was arrested on suspicion of espionage. Many former associates now believe that he betrayed them. By Shaun Walker. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground (2020)

    10 years of the long read: The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground (2020)
    Nov 13 2024
    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
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    45 mins
  • Has poppymania gone too far?

    Has poppymania gone too far?
    Nov 11 2024
    Over the past 20 years, the symbol of remembrance for the war dead has become increasingly ubiquitous – and a culture of poppy policing has grown with it. By Samira Shackle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 mins
  • Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?

    Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?
    Nov 8 2024
    From football clubs to water companies, music catalogues to care homes, private equity has infiltrated almost every facet of modern life in its endless search to maximise profits. By Alex Blasdel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    37 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands (2019)

    10 years of the long read: Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands (2019)
    Nov 6 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2019: For a century, the humble paper towel has dominated public toilets. But a new generation of hand dryers has sparked a war for loo supremacy. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    43 mins
  • Hidden traces of humanity: what AI images reveal about our world

    Hidden traces of humanity: what AI images reveal about our world
    Nov 4 2024
    As generative AI advances, it is easy to see it as yet another area where machines are taking over – but humans remain at the centre of AI art, just in ways we might not expect. By Rachel Ossip. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    40 mins
  • The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

    The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US
    Nov 1 2024
    It used to be that Britons would complain about Americanisms diluting the English language. But in fact it’s a two-way street. By Ben Yagoda. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    32 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand (2018)

    10 years of the long read: Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand (2018)
    Oct 30 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2018: How an extreme libertarian tract predicting the collapse of liberal democracies – written by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s father – inspired the likes of Peter Thiel to buy up property across the Pacific. By Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    44 mins