The long read
In-depth reporting, essays and profiles
Best of 2024…so far: ‘They were dying, and they’d not had their money’: Britain’s multibillion-pound equal pay scandal – podcast
Every Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2024, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it.
This week, from February: In 2005, Glasgow council offered to compensate women for historic pay inequality. But it sold them short again – and soon workers all over the UK started fighting for what they were owed. By Samira Shackle
A Chinese-born writer’s quest to understand the Vikings, Normans and life on the English coast
The long read: Perhaps a foreigner knows more about their adopted land than the locals, because a foreigner feels more acutely the particularities of a new environment
As a former IDF soldier and historian of genocide, I was deeply disturbed by my recent visit to Israel
The long read: This summer, one of my lectures was protested by far-right students. Their rhetoric brought to mind some of the darkest moments of 20th-century history – and overlapped with mainstream Israeli views to a shocking degree
My family and other Nazis – podcast
My father did terrible things during the second world war, and my other relatives were equally unrepentant. But it wasn’t until I was in my late 50s that I started to confront this dark past. By Martin Pollack
Best of 2024 … so far: Hippy, capitalist, guru, grocer: the forgotten genius who changed British food – podcast
From January: Nicholas Saunders was a counterculture pioneer with an endless stream of quixotic schemes and a yearning to spread knowledge – but his true legacy is a total remaking of the way Britain eats. By Jonathan Nunn
No god in the machine: the pitfalls of AI worship
The long read: The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked a panic about computers gaining power over humankind. But the real threat comes from falling for the hype
On board the Creed cruise: the unfathomable return of the ‘worst band of the 90s’
The long read: I took a cruise with thousands of fellow lunatics to find out how this much-mocked rock band became so beloved
Revolution in the air: how laughing gas changed the world – podcast
Since its discovery in the 18th century, nitrous oxide has gone from vaudeville gimmick to pioneering anaesthetic to modern party drug. By Mark Miodownik
From Nobel peace prize to civil war: how Ethiopia’s leader beguiled the world – podcast
When Abiy Ahmed took power in Ethiopia, he was feted at home and abroad as a great unifier and reformer. Two years later, terrible violence was raging. How did people get him so wrong? By Tom Gardner
‘Nobody knows what I know’: how a loyal RSS member abandoned Hindu nationalism
The long read: As a young man, Partha Banerjee was on course to become a senior member of the RSS, the organisation that has pushed Indian politics towards extreme religious nationalism. Then, after 40 years within its ranks, he quit. Why?
From the archive: From Game of Thrones to The Crown: the woman who turns actors into stars – podcast
This week, from 2018: Nina Gold’s role is invisible, and yet her taste has shaped much of what we watch on film and TV. By Sophie Elmhirst
Ukraine’s death-defying art rescuers
The long read: When Putin invaded, a historian in Kyiv saw that Ukraine’s cultural heritage was in danger. So he set out to save as much of it as he could
Chortle chortle, scribble scribble: inside the Old Bailey with Britain’s last court reporters – podcast
The cases heard at the Old Bailey offer a vivid, often grim portrait of England and Wales today. What happens when there is no one left to tell these stories? By Sophie Elmhirst
‘I’m good, I promise’: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player – podcast
I was once Ireland’s No 1 player, and tried for years to climb the global ranks. But life at the bottom of the top can be brutal. By Conor Niland
From the KKK to the state house: how neo-Nazi David Duke won office
The long read: In the 1970s, David Duke was grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. In the 80s, he was elected to Louisiana’s house of representatives – and the kinds of ideas he stood for have not gone away
From the archive: ‘As borders closed, I became trapped in my Americanness’: China, the US and me – podcast
This week, from 2021: I’ve long nursed vague plans of moving back to China for a few years, to solidify my place there. But with each year that passes in the US, such a move gets harder and harder to make. By Cleo Qian
My family and other Nazis
The long read: My father did terrible things during the second world war, and my other relatives were equally unrepentant. But it wasn’t until I was in my late 50s that I started to confront this dark past
‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books – podcast
In 2024, libraries are unofficial creches, homeless shelters, language schools and asylum support providers – filling the gaps left by a state that has reneged on its responsibilities. By Aida Edemariam
‘How do I heal?’: the long wait for justice after a black man dies in police custody – podcast
The true number of black people who have died after contact with the police has been hidden, while their families are faced with delays and denials. By Raekha Prasad
Food, water, wifi: is this the future of humanitarian aid?
The long read: Working in food aid delivery, I have seen the benefits of embracing new technologies. But some problems need to be solved between humans
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