The Audio Long Read

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From the archive: The trials of Robert Habeck: is the world’s most powerful green politician doomed to fail? Nov 04, 2026

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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: A year ago, Germany’s vice-chancellor was one of the country’s best-liked public figures. Then came the tabloid-driven backlash. Now he has to win the argument all over again By Philip Oltermann. Read by Sam Peter Jackson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

A perfect storm: how the super El Niño is devastating the fishing industry Nov 02, 2026

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Peru’s anchoveta have made up about a 10th of the entire global commercial fishing catch since 1970, more than any other fish. A combination of warming seas and decades-long overfishing spells disaster By Geoff Mann. Read by Adam Sims. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bomb Oct 30, 2026

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On 14 January this year, army and navy squads faced an unprecedented challenge: one bomb on a Plymouth building site, another floating on a dredger in Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock started ticking By Samira Shackle. Read by Dinita Gohil. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

From the archive: The disabled villain: why sensitivity reading can’t kill off this ugly trope Oct 28, 2026

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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: For centuries, fictional narratives have used outer difference to telegraph inner monstrosity. As someone who uses a wheelchair, I’ve learned you can’t just edit out a few slurs or bad words to fix this – it’s often baked deep into the story Written and read by Jan Grue. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Fixer, financier, spymaster: how the UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon is setting his sights on AI dominance Oct 26, 2026

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The Emirati royal is increasingly influential on the world stage. Some see him as a visionary. Others compare him to a Bond villain. Who is he? By Jack Shenker. Read by Selva Rasalingam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

“Culture is stagnant, so politics is stuck” – playwright James Graham | Radical Thinking Oct 25, 2026

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Are we doomscrolling our way into a democratic crisis? That’s what the playwright James Graham fears may be happening, as he suggests that our algorithms have led us into ‘a massive crisis of the new’ and are preventing us from imagining a different future. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Why am I obsessed with China’s ancient golden age? I took my daughter on a trip to find out Oct 23, 2026

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I felt a duty to write about the Tang dynasty and its incredible social and cultural sophistication – but also to connect my Chinese past with my child By Xiaolu Guo. Read by Elizabeth Chan. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The Netanyahu doctrine: how Israel’s longest-serving leader reshaped the country in his image Oct 21, 2026

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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: he first became prime minister in 1996 and has been pushing the country further right ever since. Most agree his political days are numbered – but the approach he established will prove very difficult to shift By Joshua Leifer. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

A tale of two trap houses: being cuckooed ruined my friend’s life – but did it then help save him? Oct 19, 2026

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Drug gangs have moved off Britain’s streets and into vulnerable people’s homes. Addicts like my friend are easy targets, but the reality can be more complicated than it seems By Max Daly. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

‘Austerity is inevitably painful’. How Michael Gove justifies his politics | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty Oct 18, 2026

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For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the UK right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity and the Spectator’s position on Islam Radical Thinking will be published every Saturday in the Politics Weekly feed You can also watch Radical Thinking on the Politics Weekly YouTube channel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

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