Best What The Hell Did I Just Watch Podcast Podcasts (2025)

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‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star 35:24

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3h ago35:24

35:24

He’s spent 24 hours immersed in slime, two days buried alive – and showered vast amounts of cash on lucky participants. But are MrBeast’s videos simply very savvy clickbait – or acts of avant garde genius? Written and read by Mark O’Connell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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From the archive: ‘A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class 29:49

1d ago29:49

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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 2022: at the Oxford university debating society in the 80s, a generation of aspiring politicians honed the art of winning using jokes, rather than facts By Simon Kuper. Read by Andrew McGregor. He…

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‘Outdated and unjust’: can we reform global capitalism? 34:05

3d ago34:05

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President Trump’s tariffs have plunged the world economy into chaos. But history counsels against despair – and the left should seize on capitalism’s crisis of legitimacy By John Cassidy. Read by Chris Reilly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Extremely loud and incredibly scouse: how Jamie Carragher conquered football punditry 46:06

7d ago46:06

46:06

Football coverage no longer stops after the final whistle. And in this new era, the former Liverpool defender reigns supreme By Kieran Morris. Read by Felipe Pacheco. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Burying Leni Riefenstahl: one woman’s lifelong crusade against Hitler’s favourite film-maker 49:37

9d ago49:37

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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: Nina Gladitz dedicated her life to proving the Triumph of the Will director’s complicity with the horrors of nazism. In the end, she succeeded – but at a cost Written and read by Kate Connol…

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‘You can let go now’: inside the hospital where staff treat fear of death as well as physical pain 38:52

11d ago38:52

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In a Danish palliative care unit, the alternative to assisted dying is not striving to cure – offering relief and comfort to patients and their families By Line Vaaben. Read by Freya Miller. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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An English gentleman, a crooked lawyer: the secrets of Stephen David Jones 54:02

14d ago54:02

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With his brilliant mind and impeccable credentials, it’s little wonder that wealthy clients trusted him with their fortunes. Then they started to get suspicious By Hettie O’Brien. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: three days with a giant of African literature 59:05

16d ago59:05

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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 2023: The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing Written and read by Ca…

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Death, divorce and the magic of kitchen objects: how to find hope in loss 28:45

18d ago28:45

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As they pass through different hands, cooking utensils can magically connect us to loved ones who are no longer with us By Bee Wilson. Read by Colleen Prendergast. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1 26:51

21d ago26:51

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Three years ago British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips investigates what happened in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series. Find episode 2 – and all future…

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A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction 30:36

22d ago30:36

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The Guardian journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert were killed while investigating the impact of deforestation. In this extract from the book Phillips was writing at the time of his death, he reflects on his encounters with the rainforest and its people – and why it is so vital to save this precious place By Dom Phillips. Read by Felipe Pa…

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From the archive: Alan Yentob: the last impresario 47:39

23d ago47:39

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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 2016: For decades, Alan Yentob was the dominant creative force at the BBC – behind everything from Adam Curtis to Strictly Come Dancing. He was a towering figure in British culture – so why did ma…

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‘We know what is happening, we cannot walk away’: how the Guardian bore witness to horror in former Yugoslavia 31:34

25d ago31:34

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During the decade-long conflicts, the major powers dithered as Serb militias carried out their brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing. Guardian reporters became more passionate and more outspoken in their condemnation, attracting praise and criticism By Ian Mayes. Read by Owen McDonnell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/long…

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The ancient psychedelics myth: ‘People tell tourists the stories they think are interesting for them’ 33:19

28d ago33:19

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The narrative of ancient tribes around the world regularly using ayahuasca and magic mushrooms in healing practices is a popular one. Is it true? By Manvir Singh. Read by Sebastián Capitán Viveros. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The lost Jews of Nigeria 49:14

1M ago49:14

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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 2022: Until the 1990s, there were almost no Jews in Nigeria. Now thousands have enthusiastically taken up the faith. Why? By Samanth Subramanian. Read by Raj Ghatak. Help support our independent j…

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‘We thought we could change the world’: how an idealistic fight against miscarriages of justice turned sour 42:06

1M ago42:06

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When a no-nonsense lecturer set up a radical solution to help free the wrongfully convicted in the UK, he was hopeful he could change the justice system. But what started as a revolution ended in acrimony By Francisco Garcia. Read by Nicholas Camm. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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‘All other avenues have been exhausted’: Is legal action the only way to save the planet? 32:29

1M ago32:29

32:29

Monica Feria-Tinta is one of a growing number of lawyers using the courts to make governments around the world take action By Samira Shackle. Read by Díana Bermudez. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Super-prime mover: Britain’s most successful estate agent 42:26

1M ago42:26

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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 2022: Gary Hersham has been selling houses to the very rich for decades. At first, £1m was a big deal. Now he sells for £50m, £100m, even £200m. What does it take to stay on top in this cut-throat…

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A year of hate: what I learned when I went undercover with the far right 34:58

1M ago34:58

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Working for Hope Not Hate, I infiltrated an extremist organisation, befriended its members and got to work investigating their political connections Written and read by Harry Shukman. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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‘I am not who you think I am’: how a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son 49:36

1M ago49:36

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For the first time, the man the KGB codenamed ‘the Inheritor’ tells his story By Shaun Walker. Read by James Faulkner. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: What lies beneath: the truth about France’s top serial killer expert 58:12

1M ago58:12

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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: An intrepid expert with dozens of books to his name, Stéphane Bourgoin was a bestselling author, famous in France for having interviewed more than 70 notorious murderers. Then an anonymous c…

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‘Why would he take such a risk?’ How a famous Chinese author befriended his censor 39:25

2M ago39:25

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Online dissent is a serious crime in China. So why did a Weibo censor help me publish posts critical of the Communist party? By Murong Xuecun. Read by Zhang Wang Li. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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The mystery of the nameless girl found dead in a Spanish border town 38:52

2M ago38:52

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On a summer morning in 1990, the body of a young woman appeared in a small town close to the frontier. For those who saw her, finding her identity became an obsession that would last 30 years By Giles Tremlett. Read by Luis Soto. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Food fraud and counterfeit cotton: the detectives untangling the global supply chain 45:32

2M ago45:32

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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: Amid the complex web of international trade, proving the authenticity of a product can be near-impossible. But one company is taking the search to the atomic level By Samanth Subramanian. Re…

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From acid house to ancient rites: Jeremy Deller’s enormous, collaborative, unsellable art 38:24

2M ago38:24

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The artist Jeremy Deller can’t really draw or paint. Instead of making things, he makes things happen. And later this year, he is planning to unleash a bacchanalian festival that will be his most daring public artwork yet By Charlotte Higgins. Read by Richard Coyle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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What happens when the US declares war on your parents? The Black Panther Cubs know 51:32

2M ago51:32

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The Black Panthers shook America awake before the party was eviscerated by the US government. Their children paid a steep price, but also emerged with unassailable pride and burning lessons for today By Ed Pilkington. Read by Chiké Okonkwo. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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From the archive: The last phone boxes: broken glass, cider cans and – amazingly – a dial tone 32:20

2M ago32:20

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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 2022: Five million payphone calls are still made each year in the UK. Who is making them – and why? By Sophie Elmhirst. Read by Emma Powell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.…

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Many life-saving drugs fail for lack of funding. But there’s a solution: desperate rich people 29:52

2M ago29:52

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Each year, hundreds of potentially world-changing treatments are discarded because scientists run out of cash. But where big pharma or altruists fear to tread, my friend and I have a solution. It’s repugnant, but it will work By Alexander Masters. Read by Tom Andrews. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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In search of the South Pacific fugitive who crowned himself king 47:44

2M ago47:44

47:44

Noah Musingku made a fortune with a Ponzi scheme and then retreated to a remote armed compound in the jungle, where he still commands the loyalty of his Bougainville subjects By Sean Williams. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: ‘I pleaded for help. No one wrote back’: the pain of watching my country fall to the Taliban 30:06

2M ago30:06

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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: As the fighters advanced on Kabul, it was civilians who mobilised to help with the evacuation. In the absence of a plan, the hardest decisions fell on inexperienced volunteers, and the stres…

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The real Scandi noir: how a filmmaker and a crooked lawyer shattered Denmark’s self-image 47:41

2M ago47:41

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The Black Swan follows a repentant master criminal as she sets up corrupt clients in front of hidden cameras. But is she really reformed – and is the director up to his own tricks? By Samanth Subramanian. Read by David Bateson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Kahane’s ghost: how a long-dead extremist rabbi continues to haunt Israel’s politics 46:37

2M ago46:37

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A violent fanatic and pioneer in bigotry, Meir Kahane died a political outcast 35 years ago. Today, his ideas influence the very highest levels of government By Joshua Leifer. Read by Kerry Shale. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The great betrayal: how the Hillsborough families were failed by the justice system 49:04

2M ago49:04

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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: After 32 years of establishment lies, media smears, inquests, trials and retrials, the families of the Hillsborough dead have yet to see anyone held accountable By David Conn. Read by Gavin …

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My mother, the racist 32:03

2M ago32:03

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She spent her life in northern France doing exhausting, back-breaking work – and yet she turned her anger against people who had done no wrongs to her. But as much as I couldn’t stand her rants, I was forced to accept her as she was By Didier Eribon. Read by Mark Noble. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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The reluctant collaborator: surviving Syria’s brutal civil war – and its aftermath 50:15

3M ago50:15

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At 18, Mustafa was told his only way out of prison was to join the regime forces. After 14 years, his past as one of Assad’s fighters could get him killed By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad. Read by Mo Ayoub. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Votes for children! Why we should lower the voting age to six 33:49

3M ago33:49

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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: The generational divide is deforming democracy. But there is a solution By David Runciman. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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The Rainham volcano: a waste dump is constantly on fire in east London. Why will no one stop it? 38:55

3M ago38:55

38:55

Under Arnolds Field, tonnes of illegally dumped waste have been burning for years, spewing pollution over the area. Locals fear for their health – and despair that no one seems willing to help By William Ralston. Read by Sam Swainsbury. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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It came from outer space: the meteorite that landed in a Cotswolds cul-de-sac 29:30

3M ago29:30

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Meteorite falls are extremely rare and offer a glimpse of the processes that formed our world billions of years ago. When a space rock came to an English market town in 2021, scientists raced to find as much out as they could By Helen Gordon. Read by Sasha Frost. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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From the archive: ‘The treeline is out of control’: how the climate crisis is turning the Arctic green 36:32

3M ago36:32

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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 2022: In northern Norway, trees are rapidly taking over the tundra and threatening an ancient way of life that depends on snow and ice By Ben Rawlence. Read by Christien Anholt. Help support our i…

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Holidays in hell: summer camp with Russia’s forgotten children 24:48

3M ago24:48

24:48

At the rural orphanage where I volunteered, the place resembled a Dickensian workhouse. The staff’s main tools were antipsychotics and violence. The experience gave me a window into Putin’s Russia By Howard Amos. Read by Harry Lloyd. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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The savage suburbia of Helen Garner: ‘I wanted to dong Martin Amis with a bat’ 38:39

3M ago38:39

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Over 50 years, she has become one of the most revered writers in Australia. Is she finally going to get worldwide recognition? By Sophie Elmhirst. Read by Nicolette Chin. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Is society coming apart? 42:36

3M ago42:36

42:36

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: Despite Thatcher and Reagan’s best efforts, there is and has always been such a thing as society. The question is not whether it exists, but what shape it must take in a post-pandemic world …

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The Coventry experiment: why were Indian women in Britain given radioactive food without their consent? 38:13

3M ago38:13

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When details about a scientific study in the 1960s became public, there was shock, outrage and anxiety. But exactly what happened? By Samira Shackle. Read by Dinita Gohil. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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My life as a prison officer: ‘It wasn’t just the smell that hit you. It was the noise’ 27:16

3M ago27:16

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I saw first hand how prisons are having to use segregation units for acutely mentally ill inmates who should not be in prison at all Written and read by Alex South. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The revolt against liberalism: what’s driving Poland and Hungary’s nativist turn? 37:27

3M ago37:27

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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: For the hardline conservatives ruling Poland and Hungary, the transition from communism to liberal democracy was a mirage. They fervently believe a more decisive break with the past is neede…

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‘The ghosts are everywhere’: can the British Museum survive its omni-crisis? 38:48

3M ago38:48

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Beset by colonial controversy, difficult finances and the discovery of a thief on the inside, Britain’s No 1 museum is in deep trouble. Can it restore its reputation? By Charlotte Higgins. Read by Diveen Henry. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Turkey said it would become a ‘zero waste’ nation. Instead, it became a dumping ground for Europe’s rubbish 31:00

4M ago31:00

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When China stopped receiving the world’s waste, Turkey became Europe’s recycling hotspot. The problem is, most plastics can’t be recycled. And what remains are toxic heaps of trash By Alexander Clapp. Read by Philip Arditti. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The end of Atlanticism: has Trump killed the ideology that won the cold war? 38:52

4M ago38:52

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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 2018: The foreign policy establishment has been lamenting its death for half a century. But Atlanticism has long been a convenient myth By Madeleine Schwartz. Read by Kelly Burke. Help support our…

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Signature moves: are we losing the ability to write by hand? 30:22

4M ago30:22

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We are far more likely to use our hands to type or swipe than pick up a pen. But in the process we are in danger of losing cognitive skills, sensory experience – and a connection to history By Christine Rosen. Read by Laurel Lefkow. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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‘Here lives the monster’s brain’: the man who exposed Switzerland’s dirty secrets 31:34

4M ago31:34

31:34

Inspired by Che Guevara, Jean Ziegler has spent the past 60 years exposing how Switzerland enabled global wrongdoing. His enemies accuse him of treason By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian. Read by Lanna Joffrey. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian