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The Slow Newscast — News
The Slow Newscast

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.

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A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week

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Recipes for every occasion

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Copyright: © 2019-2020 Tortoise Media

Latest Episodes:

Spiral Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged. Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind.

This is episode one of Spiral, a six-part series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.

Reported by Patricia Clarke

Produced by Katie Gunning

Sound design by Hannah Varrall

Development production by Jess Swinburne and Owen Thomas

Artwork by Jon Hill and Michelle Thompson

Narrative editor is Gary Marshall

Executive producers are Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings

Spiral is a 4 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.

To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer.

Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads.

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

The 30-Year veteran photographer attacked by settlers Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

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 is not the first foreigner to be caught in the middle of increasingly violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Basia Cummings speaks to the Observer's Ruth Michaelson who is in Tel Aviv covering the upcoming elections, about what happened and whether it'll impact the outcome of the vote.

Producer: Ada Barume

Exec: Matt Russell

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

Christ is King: the far right and God Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

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 those pastors is Rikki Doolan, who says he converted Tommy Robinson while he was in prison. This is the story of how the far-right found God.

Reporter: Kart Mathieson

Reporter/producer: Poppy Bullard

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lucy Stevenson

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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

How an innocent man was put on death row Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

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 murder of a teenage girl.

Basia Cummings speaks to investigative journalist and author Pamela Colloff who spent years uncovering his deceptions, and his story exposes a criminal justice system prioritising winning convictions over the truth.

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Exec: Matt Russell

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

Bones and all: the trade in human remains Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

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? And why is it easier than ever to buy human remains?

Reporter: Evan Moffitt

Producer: Ada Barumé

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Exec producer: Matt Russell

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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

The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 2 Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

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 reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?

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The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 1 Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

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 reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?

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

The rivalry that spawned the weight-loss jab race Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

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 hormone that led to the development of GLP-1s and who reveals his concerns about their widespread use.

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Duped and deployed: the Kenyans fighting for Russia Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

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 acast.com/privacy for more information.

How I fell in love with a Russian spy Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

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 Sao Paolo based reporter Oliver Basciano about Stephanie and hears her side of the story.

Oliver Basciano's reporting can be found at https://observer.co.uk/contributor/oliver-basciano

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

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