The Slow Newscast podcast | Listen online for free

455 episodes

Left to Die: The Philip Mawer story
10/11/2026 | 40 mins.
Five years ago the second deadliest terror attack in modern history happened in north Mozambique. Hundreds were left trapped under siege in a hotel, including a British man, Philip Mawer. Until they decided to make a break for it. This is how Philip Mawer's story could change the future of one of Big Oil's biggest companies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Prince William and the duchy tenants facing eviction
06/11/2026 | 22 mins.
For generations they trusted their royal landlords, but now frightened farmers and locals in Devon feel betrayed by the ‘urban’ Prince of Wales. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My therapist, the predator
03/11/2026 | 32 mins.
When Asha visited her new therapist during covid, little did she realise she was placing her faith in the wrong individual. Her story reveals the perils of an unregulated industry, where people can use and abuse the unique privileges that come with the label of 'therapist'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Burnham's 'do no harm' budget
29/10/2026 | 34 mins.
The Chancellor has delivered the first budget of Andy Burnham's premiership. But what does it reveal about their vision for the UK? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spiral
27/10/2026 | 42 mins.
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.

About 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.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.

Podcast website

Documentary News News Commentary Society & Culture