The Guardian Long Read

Strangely eventless, yet swelling with high drama, The Archers is the longest-running series in the world. But has this rural soap been teaching Middle England about itself, or inventing it from scratch? By Charlotte Higgins. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2016: All of our efforts to be more productive backfire – and only make us feel even busier and more stressed. By Oliver Burkeman. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Jake Haendel spent months trapped in his body, silent and unmoving but fully conscious. Most people never emerge from ‘locked-in syndrome’, but as a doctor told him, everything about his case is bizarre by Josh Wilbur. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: The ability of statistics to accurately represent the world is declining. In its wake, a new age of big data controlled by private companies is taking over – and putting democracy in peril. By William Davies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

When the Colombian army defeated the Farc guerrillas, ending decades of conflict, General Mario Montoya was hailed a national hero. But then it was revealed that thousands of ‘insurgents’ executed by the army were in fact innocent men. By Mariana Palau. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Acts of state violence, and repeated official denials, drove some Northern Irish Catholics to armed resistance. But not everyone in west Belfast supported the IRA’s methods. By Ian Cobain. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: The social network had a grand plan to connect millions of Indians to the internet. Here’s how it all went wrong. By Rahul Bhatia. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

After being offered a prestigious international literary residency, Nkiacha Atemnkeng was excited for his first visit to the US – until he turned up at the embassy for his interview. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

In the 1930s, thousands of men and women around the world enlisted to fight fascism in Spain. Many survivors went on to play a key role in the fight against the Nazis – but, in some cases, later became powerful servants of brutal regimes. By Giles Tremlett. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: For 25 years, invoking this vague and ever-shifting nemesis has been a favourite tactic of the right – and Donald Trump’s victory is its greatest triumph. By Moira Weigel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Many of the perpetrators have been jailed for their crimes. Now a number of survivors and their families claim that officials at Celtic knew about the sexual abuse and did nothing. By Henry McDonald. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The country’s rulers do not just suppress history, they recreate it to serve the present. They know that, in a communist state, change often starts when the past is challenged. By Ian Johnson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: Using undercover agents, the DEA spent four years trying to bring down a cocaine trafficking gang in Liberia. Was the operation a triumph in the global war on drugs or a case of American overreach? By Yudhijit Bhattacharjee. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

As Chinese demand for pork grows and grows, traditional small-scale farms are being replaced by vast, AI-assisted operations that feel more like smartphone factories than bucolic countryside havens. By Xiaowei Wang. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

In November 2019, James Le Mesurier, the British co-founder of the Syrian rescue group, fell to his death in Istanbul. What led an internationally celebrated humanitarian to take his own life? By Martin Chulov. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: This year’s most overhyped trend is a wholesome Danish concept of cosiness, used to sell everything from fluffy socks to vegan shepherd’s pie. But the version we’re buying is a British invention – and the real thing is less cuddly than it seems. By Charlotte Higgins. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

The pandemic has shown how a lack of solid statistics can be dangerous. But even with the firmest of evidence, we often end up ignoring the facts we don’t like. By Tim Harford. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

A handful of radical nature lovers are secretly breeding endangered species and releasing them into the wild. Many are prepared to break the law and risk the fury of the scientific establishment to save the animals they love. By Patrick Barkham. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week’s article: Jersey bet its future on finance but since 2007 it has fallen on hard times and is heading for bankruptcy. Is the island’s perilous present Britain’s bleak future?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

After a trial that dominated the news, the accused were all found not guilty. But the case had tapped into a deeper rage that has not died down • Read the text version here