Best Plain Bicycle Podcasts (2025)

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‘We’ve done it before’: how not to lose hope in the fight against ecological disaster 29:36

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1d ago29:36

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Some days it can feel as if climate catastrophe is inevitable. But history is full of cases – such as the banning of whaling and CFCs – that show humanity can come together to avert disaster By Kate Marvel. Read by Norma Butikofer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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From bank robber to scholar: the Knoxville dropout fighting to change how we see addiction 31:55

4d ago31:55

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Kirsten Smith was 19 when she first tried heroin; within a few years she was in prison. She says she willingly made bad choices and wants society to stop treating addiction as a disease By Xi Chen. Read by Katherine Fenton. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Divine comedy: the standup double act who turned to the priesthood 45:08

6d ago45:08

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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: Josh and Jack used to interrogate life via absurdist jokes and sketches. But the questions they had just kept getting bigger – and led them both to embark upon a profound transformation By L…

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‘A climate of unparalleled malevolence’: are we on our way to the sixth major mass extinction? 30:38

8d ago30:38

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Churning quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the rate we are going could lead the planet to another Great Dying By Peter Brannen. Read by Lincoln Conway. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Bland, easy to follow, for fans of everything: what has the Netflix algorithm done to our films? 40:58

11d ago40:58

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When the streaming giant began making films guided by data that aimed to please a vast audience, the results were often generic, forgettable, artless affairs. But is there a happy ending? By Phil Hoad. Read by Adam Sims. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Forgetting the apocalypse: why our nuclear fears faded – and why that’s dangerous 44:32

13d ago44:32

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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: The horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made the whole world afraid of the atomic bomb – even those who might launch one. Today that fear has mostly passed out of living memory, and with it we…

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‘The forest had gone’: the storm that moved a mountain 46:22

15d ago46:22

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On a small ledge in the Swiss mountains, 200 people were enjoying a summer football tournament. As night fell, they had no idea what was coming By Jonah Goodman. Read by Evelyn Miller. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Life in a ‘sinking nation’: Tuvalu’s dreams of dry land 42:36

18d ago42:36

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With sea levels rising, much of the nation’s population is confronting the prospect that their home may soon cease to exist. Where are they going to go? By Atul Dev. Read by Mikhail Sen Check out Between Moon Tides documentary at theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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From the archive: Sewage sleuths: the men who revealed the slow, dirty death of Welsh and English rivers 42:24

20d ago42:24

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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: A tide of effluent, broken laws and ruthless cuts is devastating the nation’s waterways. An academic and a detective have dredged up the truth of how it was allowed to happen – but will anyt…

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Very British bribery: the whistleblower who exposed the UK’s dodgy arms deals with Saudi Arabia 51:36

22d ago51:36

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When Ian Foxley found evidence of corruption while working at a British company in Riyadh, he alerted the MoD. He didn’t know he’d stumbled upon one of its most closely guarded secrets By David Pegg. Read by Shane Zaza. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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‘People pay to be told lies’: the rise and fall of the world’s first ayahuasca multinational 49:41

25d ago49:41

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Alberto Varela claimed he wanted to use sacred plant medicine to free people’s minds. But as the organisation grew, his followers discovered a darker reality. By Sam Edwards. Read by Sid Sagar. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: ‘We were all wrong’: how Germany got hooked on Russian energy 32:40

27d ago32:40

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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: Germany has been forced to admit it was a terrible mistake to become so dependent on Russian oil and gas. So why did it happen? By Patrick Wintour. Read by Andrew McGregor. Help support our …

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Dancing with Putin: how Austria’s former foreign minister found a new home in Russia 34:56

29d ago34:56

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Karin Kneissl made headlines around the world when she invited the Russian president to her wedding in 2018. Five years later, she moved to St Petersburg. The scandal revealed a dark truth about the ties between Vienna and Moscow By Amanda Coakley. Read by Avena Mansergh-Wallace. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpo…

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Don’t call it morning sickness: ‘At times in my pregnancy I wondered if this was death coming for me’ 30:44

1M ago30:44

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The Victorians called it ‘pernicious vomiting of pregnancy’, but modern medicine has offered no end to the torture of hyperemesis gravidarum – until now. By Abi Stephenson. Read by Nicolette Chin. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: ‘We need to break the junk food cycle’: how to fix Britain’s failing food system 33:47

1M ago33:47

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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: From ultra-processed junk to failing supply chains and rocketing food poverty, there are serious problems with the way the UK eats. Will the government ever act? By Bee Wilson. Read by Elino…

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The rise and fall of the British cult that hid in plain sight 51:55

1M ago51:55

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Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated By Barbara Speed. Read by Robyn Addison. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Best of 2025 … so far: ‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star 37:14

1M ago37:14

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from June: he’s spent 24 hours immersed in slime, two days buried alive – and showered vast amounts of cash on lucky participants. But a…

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Best of 2025 … so far: ‘Look, they’re getting skin!’: are we right to strive to save the world’s tiniest babies? 45:49

1M ago45:49

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from January: doctors are pushing the limits of science and human biology to save more extremely premature babies than ever before. But …

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The go-between: how Qatar became the global capital of diplomacy 43:05

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The tiny, astonishingly wealthy country has become a major player on the world stage, trying to solve some of the most intractable conflicts. What’s driving this project? By Nesrine Malik. Read by Sulin Hasso. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Best of 2025 … so far: an English gentleman, a crooked lawyer: the secrets of Stephen David Jones 56:55

2M ago56:55

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from June: with his brilliant mind and impeccable credentials, it’s little wonder that wealthy clients trusted him with their fortunes. …

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Best of 2025 … so far: Kahane’s ghost: how a long-dead extremist rabbi continues to haunt Israel’s politics 48:46

2M ago48:46

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from April: a violent fanatic and pioneer in bigotry, Meir Kahane died a political outcast 35 years ago. Today, his ideas influence the …

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Starmer v Starmer: why is the former human rights lawyer so cautious about defending human rights? 46:39

2M ago46:39

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Many of his supporters hoped the prime minister would restore the UK’s commitment to international law. Yet Labour’s record over the past year has been curiously mixed By Daniel Trilling. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Best of 2025 … so far: The savage suburbia of Helen Garner: ‘I wanted to dong Martin Amis with a bat’ 41:00

2M ago41:00

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from March: over 50 years, she has become one of the most revered writers in Australia. Is she finally going to get worldwide recognitio…

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Best of 2025 … so far: ‘I am not who you think I am’: how a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son 51:52

2M ago51:52

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from May: for the first time, the man the KGB codenamed ‘the Inheritor’ tells his story By Shaun Walker. Read by James Faulkner. Help su…

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How Pakistan fell in love with sushi 33:52

2M ago33:52

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Once upon a time, Pakistanis scorned raw fish. Now sushi is everywhere from Ramadan meals to wedding buffets – and it all started with one man and a dream By Sanam Maher. Read by Amina Zia The Oath documentary: to be a Palestinian doctor in Israel’s healthcare system. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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Best of 2025 … so far: ‘The ghosts are everywhere’: can the British Museum survive its omni-crisis? 38:45

2M ago38:45

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from March: beset by colonial controversy, difficult finances and the discovery of a thief on the inside, Britain’s No 1 museum is in de…

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Best of 2025 … so far: the great abandonment: what happens to the natural world when people disappear? 36:18

2M ago36:18

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Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. This week, from February: across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to Bul…

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The Shining: my trip to the G7 horror show with Emmanuel Macron 41:03

2M ago41:03

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Deeply unpopular in France, President Macron relishes the international stage, where he projects himself as the leader best placed to handle Trump. Seven years after our last encounter, I joined him as he prepared for battle By Emmanuel Carrère. Read by David Sibley. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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Are we witnessing the death of international law? 34:40

2M ago34:40

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A growing number of scholars and lawyers are losing faith in the current system. Others say the law is not to blame, but the states that are supposed to uphold it By Linda Kinstler. Read by Rachel Handshaw. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: Bicycle graveyards: why do so many bikes end up underwater? 29:57

2M ago29:57

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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: every year, thousands of bikes are tossed into rivers, ponds, lakes and canals. What’s behind this mass drowning? By Jody Rosen. Read by Masud Milas. Help support our independent journalism …

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Poison in the water: the town with the world’s worst case of forever chemicals contamination 38:15

2M ago38:15

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When a small Swedish town discovered their drinking water contained extremely high levels of Pfas, they had no idea what it would mean for their health and their children’s future. By Marta Zaraska. Read by Myanna Buring. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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‘A relentless, destructive energy’: inside the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon 1:02:41

2M ago1:02:41

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How did the daughter of an aristocrat end up at the Old Bailey with her partner, charged with killing their two-week-old baby? By Sophie Elmhirst. Read by Serena Manteghi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: how two BBC journalists risked their jobs to reveal the truth about Jimmy Savile 46:13

3M ago46:13

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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: listening to the women who alleged abuse, and fighting to get their stories heard, helped change the treatment of victims by the media and the justice system By Poppy Sebag-Montefiore. Read …

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The curse of Toumaï: an ancient skull, a disputed femur and a bitter feud over humanity’s origins 58:27

3M ago58:27

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When fossilised remains were discovered in the Djurab desert in 2001, they were hailed as radically rewriting the history of our species. But not everyone was convinced – and the bitter argument that followed has consumed the lives of scholars ever since By Scott Sayare. Read by Bert Seymour. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.c…

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Horse racing and erotica: how I survived the fickle world of freelance writing 31:03

3M ago31:03

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Gabrielle Drolet had always dreamed of being a writer. But when disability closed down most of her opportunities, a strange career began By Gabrielle Drolet. Read by Kate Handford. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The sludge king: how one man turned an industrial wasteland into his own El Dorado 50:53

3M ago50:53

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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: when a Romanian businessman returned to his hometown and found a city blighted by mining waste, he hatched a plan to restore it to its former glory. He became a local hero, but now prosecuto…

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Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean 17:09

3M ago17:09

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Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have spent more than $1bn on an Albanian island that will be a luxury resort – once the unexploded ordnance has been removed By Marzio Mian. Read by Mo Ayoub For more on US politics and the Trump family check out Politics Weekly America. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpo…

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How does woke start winning again? 34:27

3M ago34:27

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British progressives have suffered major setbacks in recent years, in both public opinion and court rulings. Was a backlash inevitable, and are new tactics needed? By Gaby Hinsliff. Read by Carlyss Peer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: The death of the department store 33:54

3M ago33:54

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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: the closure of John Lewis’s store in Sheffield after almost 60 years was a bitter blow. As debate rages over what to do with the huge empty site, the city is becoming a test case for where B…

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‘Do you have a family?’: midlife with no kids, ageing parents – and no crisis 30:48

3M ago30:48

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In my 40s, I found myself with a life that didn’t look like it was ‘supposed’ to. What was I doing? On trips to South Korea with my mother, an answer began to emerge By E Tammy Kim. Read by Jennifer J Kim. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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Why does Switzerland have more nuclear bunkers than any other country? 27:50

3M ago27:50

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Switzerland is home to more than 370,000 nuclear bunkers – enough to shelter every member of the population. But if the worst should happen, would they actually work? By Jessi Jezewska Stevens. Read by Rachel Handshaw. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpodBy The Guardian

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From the archive: ‘You can’t be the player’s friend’: inside the secret world of tennis umpires 45:59

3M ago45:59

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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: new technology was supposed to make umpiring easy. It hasn’t worked out that way By William Ralston. Read by Simon Vance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadp…

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My husband and son suffered strokes, 30 years apart. Shockingly little had changed 30:35

3M ago30:35

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I was told my husband would never talk again, while physiotherapy was dismissed entirely. My son was failed in similar ways, but for the brilliance of some medical staff who refuse to believe a stroke is the end By Sheila Hale. Read by Phyllida Nash. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod…

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

3M ago35:24

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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

3M 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

4M 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

4M ago46:06

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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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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