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Society & Culture

The Slow Newscast

by The Observer
DocumentarySociety & CultureNews

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Latest episodes

  • The 30-Year veteran photographer attacked by settlers

    October 23, 2026 · 27 min

    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…

  • Christ is King: the far right and God

    October 20, 2026 · 36 min

    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…

  • How an innocent man was put on death row

    October 16, 2026 · 27 min

    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…

  • Bones and all: the trade in human remains

    October 13, 2026 · 32 min

    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?…

  • The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 2

    October 9, 2026 · 27 min

    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…

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  • The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 1

    October 6, 2026 · 24 min

    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 rivalry that spawned the weight-loss jab race

    October 2, 2026 · 33 min

    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…

  • Duped and deployed: the Kenyans fighting for Russia

    September 29, 2026 · 43 min

    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. Hosted on Acast. See…

  • How I fell in love with a Russian spy

    September 25, 2026 · 25 min

    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…

  • Careless

    September 22, 2026 · 44 min

    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…

  • How Ivanka Trump enraged all of Albania

    September 18, 2026 · 22 min

    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…

  • The trials of Ben Stokes

    September 15, 2026 · 32 min

    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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About the show

The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From wars in Ukraine and Gaza through to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations covering some of the biggest topics of the day. Who are the people biohacking themselves in a quest for immortality? Or the man taking on an entire nation in the high seas to protect whales? And what happened when humanity's most distant messenger fell silent? From a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell. Subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription: Early access, bonus content and ad-free listening to our podcastsA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.