‘I can sense Sinatra enter my body and exit my lungs’: aboard the celebrity impersonators’ cruise

More from The Audio Long Read

1. 

   6 Sep 2026 · 40 min

   Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots

   Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

2. 

   4 Sep 2026 · 36 min

   The body snatchers: how a young Nigerian man was lured to London in an organ-trafficking plot

   Daniel was working at a market in Lagos when he was given the chance to start anew in the UK. He had no idea what was expected of him in return By Alexis Okeowo. Read by Nneka Okoye. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

3. 

   2 Sep 2026 · 37 min

   From the archive: ‘Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic’

   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: While the world becomes drier, profit and pollution are draining our resources. We have to change our approach By Tim Smedley. Read by Sid Sagar. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

4. 

   28 Aug 2026 · 52 min

   Best of 2026…so far: ‘Any other child would have died’: the miraculous survival of Nada Itrab

   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: After a nine-year-old girl was kidnapped and taken from Spain to Bolivia, authorities feared the worst. They found her in the rainforest nine months later – but that wasn’t the end of her ordeal By Giles Tremlett. Read by Norah Lopez Holden. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

5. 

   26 Aug 2026 · 40 min

   Best of 2026…so far: Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong

   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: For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive? By Marcus Haraldsson. Read by Diana Bermudez. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

6. 

   24 Aug 2026 · 40 min

   ‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege

   Soon after my first visit to Ukraine four years ago, I began language lessons. It taught me more than I ever expected Written and read by Charlotte Higgins On Wednesday 30 September, join Charlotte Higgins and our panel of acclaimed Ukrainian writers to reflect on the profound connections between war, art and life. With Olia Hercules, Sasha Dovzhyk, Olesya Khromeychuk and Shaun Walker. Book tickets here. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

7. 

   11 Oct 2026 · 50 minNew

   Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty

   Are we really living through ‘end times fascism’? Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor think so. In a new series from the Guardian, the pair speak to Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty in an extended interview. From Trump 2.0 and the rise of the tech billionaire to Gaza and the climate emergency, Klein and Taylor argue we are not just lurching from crisis to crisis but are in a new and dangerous moment in history. But they haven’t given up hope of a fightback Radical Thinking will be published every Saturday in the Politics Weekly feed You can also watch Radical Thinking on the Politics…

8. 

   9 Oct 2026 · 39 minNew

   Labour’s last chance? The people shaping Andy Burnham’s grand plans for Britain

   The new prime minister has declared he wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism. But is he really prepared to be that radical? By Hettie O’Brien. Read by Philip Whitchurch. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

9. 

   7 Oct 2026 · 35 min

   From the archive – No place like home: my bitter return to Palestine

   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: All my life, my exiled parents had told me about the tragedy of Palestine. Then, when I was in my early 20s, my family moved back – and I saw it with my own eyes By Fida Jiryis. Read by Sarah Agha. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

10. 

    5 Oct 2026 · 44 min

    ‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence

    Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within it By Samanth Subramanian. Read by Mikhail Sen. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

Every episode of The Audio Long Read →