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The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

Latest episode

425 episodes

Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’
03/16/2026 | 32 mins.
Innocent people are being frozen out of basic banking services – and it all traces back to reforms rushed through after 9/11 By Oliver Bullough. Read by Elis James. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
03/13/2026 | 27 mins.
In spring 2003, exuberance at the fall of Saddam was swiftly followed by a descent into deadly chaos. Whether moving independently or embedded with troops, Guardian reporters witnessed the violence on the ground By Ian Mayes. Read by Karl Queensborough. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
From the archive: ‘Iran was our Hogwarts’: my childhood between Tehran and Essex
03/11/2026 | 38 mins.
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 2021: Growing up in Essex, my summers in Iran felt like magical interludes from reality – but it was a spell that always had to be broken By Arianne Shahvisi. Read by Serena Manteghi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
‘Pretty birds and silly moos’: the women behind the Sex Discrimination Act
03/09/2026 | 29 mins.
In the 50 years since equal rights for women were enshrined in UK law, the campaigners have been reduced to caricatures, or forgotten. But their struggle is worth remembering By Susanna Rustin. Read by Carlyss Peer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? -podcast
03/06/2026 | 26 mins.
Our current approach to mental health labelling and diagnosis has brought benefits. But as a practising doctor, I am concerned that it may be doing more harm than good By Gavin Francis. Read by Noof Ousellam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

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About The Audio Long Read

Three times a week, The Audio Long Read podcast brings you the Guardian’s exceptional longform journalism in audio form. Covering topics from politics and culture to philosophy and sport, as well as investigations and current affairs.

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Society & Culture