The Slow Newscast

David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher over alleged ‘inappropriate’ behaviour. A spokesperson for Walliams said that the author had never been informed of any allegations raised against him nor was he given the opportunity to respond to questions about them. He strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately. Walliams came to prominence starring alongside Matt Lucas in the TV series...

In October reporter Hilary Andersson was selected to witness an execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Her assignment led her to the case of Tremane Wood, who had spent more than two decades on death row. This is the story of what happens to a man as he waits to die. Reporter: Hilary Andersson Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett&...

In October reporter Hilary Andersson was selected to witness an execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Her assignment led her to the case of Tremane Wood, who had spent more than two decades on death row. This is the story of what happens to a man as he waits to die. Reporter: Hilary Andersson Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett&...

Gianni Infantino is the most powerful man in world football but in the run up to the 2026 men's World Cup, his relationship with US president Donald Trump has grown very friendly. It's led to questions whether Infantino still has football's best interests at heart. Reporter: Rory Smith Producer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola Williams Sound Design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett  Subscribe...

The chancellor’s budget was supposed to be a gamechanger, but turned out to be an exercise in political survival. This is the story of how Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves took on a radical budget. Reporter: Rachel Sylvester Producers: Jonathan Lewis and Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObser...

When Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announced a new political party this summer, it had all the ingredients to be a big success. But a summer of disarray has seen them overtaken by a rival on the left. What happened? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper. So she decided to investigate. Reporter - Lydia Gard  Producer -  Gary Marshall.&n...

With Prince Harry in effective exile and Andrew disgraced, the Royal family is smaller than ever before and at a potential crisis point. Prince William has already signalled his intention to be a different kind of monarch to King Charles. But can the monarchy survive, and what is its purpose? Reporter: Rachel Sylvester Producer: Madeleine Parr Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp Sound design: Dominic...

Over the summer, Epping, a small town on the outskirts of London became the scene of mass protests. featuring hundreds of people. Noisy and occasionally violent, the demonstrations attracted crowds from around the country and plenty of media attention. But what really happened in Epping and what does it tell us about where the right in Britain is heading?   To find out more abo...

Just outside Gaza is a small settlement of Israelis hoping to enter and settle inside Gaza. They may be a fringe movement, but their voice holds a powerful sway within Israel's cabinet. Could they influence the terms of a future peace plan for Gaza? Reporter: Oliver Marsden Producer: Poppy Bullard and Matt Russell Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett To find...

The French President and the First Lady of France are taking American right wing commentator Candace Owens to court in Delaware over bizarre claims the First Lady is transgender and the President is part of a CIA-backed mind-control programme, among many other conspiracy theories. But how much are the French President and the First Lady risking in doing so? Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Ad...

Donald Trump has launched four lawsuits against major media organisations for up to $15 billion over the past year. This is the story of Trump's war on the media and the people driving it. Reporter: Giles Whittell Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editor: Matt Russell To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for ea...

Since May, almost 900 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the vicinity of aid checkpoints. So what exactly has happened at these aid sites? Reporter: Ruth Michaelson Producer: Madeleine Parr Artwork: Jon Jones & Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy Editors: Jasper Corbett & Matt Russell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unite was once the biggest trade union in Britain, and the largest funder of the Labour Party. In the past its reputation has come under scrutiny. Four years after its first female leader was elected on a promise of restoring trust… it remains mired by in-fighting. In our podcast called “An uncivil war inside Unite”, which was released on 30 September 2025, we failed to convey Unite’s position tha...

The week in culture, annotated. Writer and journalist Liv Little and Observer critic Miranda Sawyer get notes from editors all the time - now it’s their turn to hand them out. Every Wednesday morning, Liv and Miranda weigh in on the latest cultural happenings, from reality TV meltdowns and art house films, to gallery openings and TikTok trends. Smart, funny, and full of sharp observations. We Have...

Insiders tell the story of how the US Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has hollowed out the Center for Disease Control putting the whole world at risk in the event of another pandemic.  Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Ada Barumé Sound design: Dominic Delargy Art work: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett  To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple...

What happens when you get new blood and new DNA from a complete stranger? This is the story of a woman whose own features began to change following a stem cell transplant. Reporter: Eva Wiseman Producer: Matt Russell Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Editor: Jasper Corbett Commissioning editor: Matt Russell To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple...

A city in Honduras is home to a start-up selling experimental gene therapies for $25,000 a dose. Now, those radical ideas are reaching the United States. What happens when biohacking leaves libertarian fringes… and reaches Capitol Hill? Reporter: Patricia Clarke Producer: Madeleine Parr Sound design: Dominic Delargy Artwork: Lola Williams Executive Producer: Matt Russell Editor: Jasper Corbet...

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Anna Netrebko was the biggest opera star in a generation. Since the war, due to past support for Vladimir Putin, she has effectively been boycotted by theatres around the world. Except, this autumn, she’ll be headlining the Royal Opera House’s new season. Reporters: Vanessa Thorpe, Nina Kuryata and Lauren Crosby Medlicott Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: L...

For nearly a decade beekeepers around the world have been saying that there’s something very wrong with the honey industry. Prices are down, and so is production, but there’s more honey being sold than ever before. So what exactly is in that jar in your kitchen cupboard? An investigation by The Observer reveals a global honey fraud that begins in China and ends with allegations of adulterated...

The number of teenage boys killed on our streets has more than doubled in a decade. This is the story of a mother trying to stop it, while dealing with grief and anger for her son. Reporter: Francisco Garcia Producer: Matt Russell Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp Editor: Jasper Corbett To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free cont...

HS2 should have been a symbol of engineering excellence. Instead half of it has been scrapped and it's still running £50 billion over budget. This is the story of how Britain’s largest infrastructure project became its biggest scandal. Reporter: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Jonathan Lewis Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Dominic Delargy  Editor: Jasper Corbett  This episode is sponsor...

As a tax haven Jersey has a reputation for welcoming the wealthy with open arms, but how does it treat other kinds of immigrants? Jane Kiiti came from Kenya to work in Jersey’s hotels for more than twenty years. Her death raises questions about the conditions migrant workers face and whether the island is doing enough to prevent their exploitation. You can read Orlando Crowcroft's article 'The nev...

Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. But the truth behind the hit memoir is very different. Reporter: Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer: Matt Russell Field Producers: Leonie Thomas and Helen Clifton Artwork: Lola Williams Sound design: Tom Burchell Editor: Jasper Corbett Original article The News Meeting To find out more about The O...

Kathleen Folbigg was known as ‘Australia's worst female serial killer’ - she’d lost all four of her infant children and was convicted for killing them. Until, after spending decades in jail, a scientist working in a lab uncovered the truth behind the deaths.  The Lab detective is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, and an investigation into why Kathleen’s story might not be t...