The Audio Long Read
My family and other Nazis
Martin Pollack recounts growing up in a family of committed Nazis in post-war Austria, discovering at age 14 that his biological father was a high-ranking SS officer and Gestapo chief who participated in Holocaust atrocities. He draws parallels between his family's unrepentant Nazi beliefs and contemporary far-right movements across Europe.
Revolution in the air: how laughing gas changed the world
This piece traces the history of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) from its accidental discovery by chemist Humphrey Davy in 1799 to its modern medical applications. Despite early recognition of its pain-relieving properties, medical adoption was delayed for decades due to professional skepticism and moral objections.
From Nobel peace prize to civil war: how Ethiopia’s leader beguiled the world
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially charmed the West as a reformer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, but ultimately led his country into a devastating civil war in Tigray. Despite early promises of democracy and reconciliation, his authoritarian tendencies and ethnic targeting resulted in massive violence and humanitarian catastrophe.
From the archive: From Game of Thrones to The Crown: the woman who turns actors into stars
A profile of Nina Gold, the UK's most powerful casting director, whose work spans from Game of Thrones to The Crown to Star Wars. The piece follows her process of casting the HBO series Chernobyl, revealing the complex dynamics and hidden influence of casting in shaping major film and television productions.
Chortle chortle, scribble scribble: inside the Old Bailey with Britain’s last court reporters
Sophie Elmhurst profiles Guy Toyne and Scott Wilford, who operate Court News, the last remaining specialist court reporting agency at London's Old Bailey. The article explores how digital transformation and declining newspaper readership have decimated court reporting, leaving just these two veteran journalists to chronicle criminal proceedings that largely go unnoticed by mainstream media.
‘I’m good, I promise’: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player
Former professional tennis player Conor Nyland recounts his experiences on the lower-tier Futures Tour, describing the crushing loneliness, financial struggles, and social hierarchy that defines life for tennis players ranked outside the top 100. The piece contrasts the isolation of low-ranking players with the attended loneliness of tennis stars like Andre Agassi.
From the archive: ‘As borders closed, I became trapped in my Americanness’: China, the US and me
Author Cleo Chan reflects on losing both grandparents in China during COVID-19 lockdowns, when travel restrictions forced her family to attend funerals via WeChat video calls. The piece explores her complex relationship with her Chinese heritage and American identity, drawing from interviews she conducted with her grandparents before their deaths.
‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books
This Guardian article explores how British libraries, particularly Battle Library in Reading, have evolved far beyond book lending to become essential community lifelines providing social services, mental health support, and assistance with basic needs. Through intimate portraits of library staff Terry Curran and Amanda Giles, the piece reveals how underfunded libraries have become crucial safety nets for society's most vulnerable populations.
‘How do I heal?’: the long wait for justice after a black man dies in police custody
An investigation into deaths of Black men in police custody in Britain reveals that Black people are seven times more likely to die than white people when police restraint is applied, yet accountability mechanisms consistently fail to address racial discrimination or hold officers responsible.
Two poems, four years in detention: the Chinese dissident who smuggled his writing out of prison
Chinese dissident Liao Yiwu recounts his four-year imprisonment for two poems about the Tiananmen massacre and his elaborate efforts to smuggle his written manuscripts out of prison with help from fellow inmates. After release, he faced continued harassment and searches before eventually fleeing to Germany in 2011, where he continues writing in exile.
As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That was 17 years ago – will he ever be released?
John Wright, now 34, has spent 17 years in prison for stealing a bike and assaulting someone as a teenager, serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence that was supposed to last less than two years. His indefinite detention has led to severe mental health deterioration, including schizophrenia, and he remains incarcerated despite completing his minimum sentence over a decade ago.
From the archive: ‘The Silicon Valley of turf’: how the UK’s pursuit of the perfect pitch changed football
The article explores how the UK became the global leader in sports turf management, with British groundsmen and pitch experts being recruited by top European clubs to create perfect football pitches. This transformation revolutionized how football is played, with improved pitch quality enabling faster, more technical gameplay.
From the archive: The secret deportations: how Britain betrayed the Chinese men who served the country in the war
The Guardian investigated Britain's secret deportation of hundreds of Chinese merchant seamen in 1945-46, who had served the war effort but were forcibly repatriated without notice to their British wives and children. The story remained hidden for decades until descendants began uncovering the truth through archival research.