
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.
| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 624 | Founded | 14 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Category | Society & Culture | |||

Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2026, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from January: Universities in Britai... more
Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2026, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from February: I suffered with my my... more
He was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, and had announced his candidacy for the 2028 presidential elections. But Ekrem İmamoğlu is now behind bars, and his trial, on charges including fraud and organised crime, could take 12 years By Kaya Genç. Rea... more
Intensive farming has all but destroyed England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands. On a farm in Lincolnshire a radical aristocrat hopes to show there’s money in protecting nature By Patrick Barkham. Read by Dermot Daly. Help support our ind... more
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but I haven‘t heard a more names dropping guy called himself King about Tokyo knowing nothing about the subject in spite of 10 years in the city …
But hearing a 42 min puff piece from the editor, I do have my limits. Points about the information crisis were mainly taken from Alderman’s book and then the solutions offered were an advert for the Guardian (which I guess is somewhat fair). The article could have been a lot stronger given the real issues we are facing about how we process information and how information is received.
I really wanted to listen to one of these long reads which came up when I was searching for podcasts about a particular subject matter, but quickly realised that the whole thing was underlaid by music, why? It makes it impossible to listen to!
I have one simple question. Please answer honestly. Was the latest episode about what we risk losing by using A.I. actually voiced by A.I.? (I have temporarily given 3 stars as a neutral vote… )
Always a great listen
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
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Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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The Audio Long Read curates the Guardian's longform journalism in engaging audio form, covering politics, culture, philosophy, sport, investigations, and current affairs three times weekly. Episodes emphasize deeply reported narratives, archival context, and on-the-ground reporting, often weaving multiple locations and voices to illuminate complex subjects. A standout is the consistent production quality and the willingness to tackle nuanced, ambitious topics that go beyond quick-news summaries, making it a strong fit for listeners who enjoy in-depth storytelling and rigorous analysis.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Audio Long Read. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Audio Long Read and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Audio Long Read, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with The Audio Long Read:
1. Today in Focus
2. Science Weekly
3. The Slow Newscast
4. The Documentary Podcast
5. Politics Weekly America
The Audio Long Read launched 14 years ago and published 624 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Audio Long Read from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Audio Long Read. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on The Audio Long Read include:
1. Steven Pinker
2. Alessandro Casolari
3. Josiah Meldrum
4. Kim Bell
5. John Turner
6. Martin Wolf
7. Guy Turner
8. David Wolf
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.