
About our audio
Slow news stories designed for listening
Our audio journalism invites you into our newsroom, and takes you deeper into the stories.
The Slow Newscast covers our biggest stories and investigations of the week; the Editor’s Voicemail reveals what’s on co-founder James Harding’s mind; and in Sensemaker Daily our journalists serve up one short story every day to make sense of the world.

Our new podcast
Slow Politics
Matt d’Ancona and Lara Spirit investigate what’s driving the agenda in Westminster each week.
The Slow Newscast
Our biggest stories, given voice

Odesa
23 May 2022
35 minutes
The Ukrainian port normally feeds the world, but the Russian invasion means nothing is getting out. Can we reopen the port – or will millions starve?
More episodes

The Backstory
With Andrew Neil
A series of in-depth conversations with people in power and those trying to influence them, hosted by the UK’s most formidable interviewer – Andrew Neil.
Editor’s Voicemail
James Harding dials in
voicemails from ukraine
Invaded
A collection of daily messages from inside Ukraine as the Russian invasion unfolds.

Olga, Wednesday 18 May 2022
Olga describes the impact that increased bombing of Odesa is having
Vera, Monday 2 May 2022
Vera describes how multicultural Kharkiv was before the war
Mariia, Monday 2 May 2022
Mariia is still in Kyiv and has been thinking about how, even in the darkest of times, you can still find moments of happiness and hope
Brand new podcast series
Inside the energy transition
Sensemaker Daily
One story every day to make sense of the world.
tHINKIN WITH JAMES HARDING
The China Problem
“What we’re going to do in this series of podcasts is take a big idea and look for the moments that shine a light on it.”

A multi-part podcast series
Sweet Bobby
How well do you know the person you love?
Listen to our six-part investigation into one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishers.
Audio essays
Matthew d’Ancona investigates
Over the last two years, Tortoise editor Matthew d’Ancona has been investigating the UK government and, among other things, its management – and mismanagement – of the pandemic.

Retreat from Kabul: 11 days in August – Part I
As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, and Western troops and desperate Afghans scrambled to leave, Britain found itself frozen out of decision making and incapable of influencing events. It was a stark illustration of the UK’s status, made worse by catastrophic misjudgements at the top of government

The second couple
After Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds’ wedding, there are now two powerful married couples in Number 10. Meet the other: Munira and Dougie

March of the Mutants
Covid may be losing the vaccine battle. But, as the virus evolves fast to form new variants, the war is most definitely not over

Shot in the dark
The vaccine is an incredible scientific achievement. But some of the political decision-making behind its rollout is rather less impressive.
Playmaker
Our new Sensemaker podcast that covers everything football-related. We’ll be bringing you one story every day to make sense of the world of football.
The people vs Harvey Proctor
Pariah
What lessons does the story of Harvey Proctor – the twice-disgraced former Conservative MP with extreme anti-immigration views – hold about the way society deems it acceptable to treat those who we cast as hate figures?
a four-part podcast series
Hidden homicides
How many women are killed – but not counted?
Left to die
When Islamist insurgents attacked a town in Mozambique in March, civilians and foreign contractors raced to a local hotel for safety. Over three agonising days, they waited for a rescue. But no one came.
My Mother’s murder
An investigation by Paul Caruana Galizia into the life and killing of his mother, the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.