Episodes

  • From the archive: Terrorists, cultists – or champions of Iranian democracy? The wild wild story of the MEK

    From the archive: Terrorists, cultists – or champions of Iranian democracy? The wild wild story of the MEK
    Jun 17 2026
    We 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 2018: They fought for the Iranian revolution – and then for Saddam Hussein. The US and UK once condemned them. But now their opposition to Tehran has made them favourites of Trump White House hardliners By Arron Merat. Read by Lucy Scott. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • As a Ukrainian journalist, I’ve covered the US for 20 years. I find it increasingly shocking

    As a Ukrainian journalist, I’ve covered the US for 20 years. I find it increasingly shocking
    Jun 15 2026
    My country has been under occupation, dogged by corruption and war. Yet even I’ve been bewildered by the way the US seems to be fracturing By Nataliya Gumenyuk. Read by Inna Bagoli. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • ‘Should we leave them to die?’ The battle over how to save orangutans from the curse of palm oil

    ‘Should we leave them to die?’ The battle over how to save orangutans from the curse of palm oil
    Jun 12 2026
    As new settlers clear their forest habitat, the apes are coming into conflict with humans. But simply moving them to another part of the forest may not be the answer By Sally Williams. Read by Saskia Reeves. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    42 mins
  • From the archive: Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean

    From the archive: Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean
    Jun 10 2026
    We 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 2025: Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have spent more than $1bn on an Albanian island that will be a luxury resort – once the unexploded ordnance has been removed By Marzio Mian. Read by Mo Ayoub For more on US politics and the Trump family check out Politics Weekly America. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    21 mins
  • Prisoner number 804: the plot to erase Imran Khan

    Prisoner number 804: the plot to erase Imran Khan
    Jun 8 2026
    It’s one thing to remove a PM from office, as happened to the former cricketer in 2022. But it’s another thing to try to eradicate the most famous person in Pakistan’s history By Osman Samiuddin. Read By Aaron Neil. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • ‘I couldn’t breathe’: the sinister spread of France’s killer seaweed

    ‘I couldn’t breathe’: the sinister spread of France’s killer seaweed
    Jun 5 2026
    After a series of deaths on the beaches of Brittany, one bereaved family set out to prove the foul-smelling bloom was to blame By Marta Zaraska. Read by Lucy Bromilow. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    32 mins
  • From the archive: Three abandoned children, two missing parents and a 40-year mystery

    From the archive: Three abandoned children, two missing parents and a 40-year mystery
    Jun 3 2026
    We 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: Elvira and her brothers, Ricard and Ramón, were left at a train station in Barcelona aged two, four and five. As an adult, when Elvira decided to look for her parents, she discovered a family history wilder than anything she had imagined By Giles Tremlett. Read by Luis Soto. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • After a hard-fought victory to legalise medical cannabis in the UK, why is it still so hard to access?

    After a hard-fought victory to legalise medical cannabis in the UK, why is it still so hard to access?
    Jun 1 2026
    Two mothers fought British bureaucracy to obtain lifesaving cannabis medicines for their children. But most patients are having to go private – at huge cost Written and read by Kojo Koram. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 mins