Episodes
OpenAI extends the memory of a ChatGPT model with startling consequences for a screenwriter in California. Patricia traces what went wrong and hears from Google and OpenAI insiders who say they warned of the risks.Reported by Patricia ClarkeProduced by Katie GunningSound design and additional production by Hannah VarrallDevelopment production by Jess Swinburne and Owen ThomasArtwork by Jon Hill and Michelle ThompsonNarrative editor is Gary MarshallExecutive producers are Jasper Corbett and Basia CummingsSpiral is a 4 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.To binge ...
When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged.Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind.This is the video trailer for Spiral, a six-part series from Tortoise Investigat...
Jim asks an AI chatbot a simple question about how to earn some extra cash. He ends up in a psychiatric ward. Patricia Clarke investigates how design choices made by AI labs can lead to human delusions.Reported by Patricia ClarkeProduced by Katie GunningSound design by Hannah VarrallDevelopment production by Jess Swinburne and Owen ThomasArtwork by Jon Hill and Michelle ThompsonNarrative editor is Gary MarshallExecutive producers are Jasper Corbett and Basia CummingsSpiral is a 4 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free,...
When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged.Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind.Spiral is a six-part series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer, produce...
To culminate Careless, a new investigative series from The Observer, we invite you to join actor Nkechi Simms, broadcaster and Careless reporter Ashley John-Baptiste, and Observer producer Madeleine Parr for a special online event. Together, they’ll take you behind the scenes of the investigation, explore why so many care leavers are being denied access to their own histories, and answer your burning questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Journalist Ashley John-Baptiste joins actor Nkechi Simms as she returns to Camden to untangle the truth about her childhood and find out why she was taken into state care when she was 12. Careless is a 4 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer.Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads.Reported by Ashley John-Baptiste and Madeleine ParrProduced and written by Madeleine ParrSound design by Simon Panayi Artwork by Jon...
Nkechi Simms is a successful actor who’s had parts in Top Boy and the BBC comedy PRU. Outwardly life is good and she’s got everything going for her, but this hasn’t always been the case. When she was 12 Nkechi’s mother handed her over to Camden council and she was placed in foster care. Now Nkechi wants to find out what happened to her and why. The only way she can do this is by getting hold of her care records. But that’s easier said than done. And will those records answer her questions? Reported by Ashley John-Baptiste and Madeleine ParrProduced and written by Madeleine ParrSound design ...
Gareth spent years believing he was a lucky boy. He was the 14-year-old who got the attention of the attractive young science teacher. Now, decades later, he wants the truth to come out about the damage it’s caused him. But his story is not straight forward. Episode one is available to all listeners. To listen to all five episodes of Lucky Boy, subscribe to The Observer where you can access all Tortoise Investigates series. It’s easy to subscribe: sign up on Apple or Spotify or directly at observer.co.uk/subscribe/audio, where you can use the code AUDIO50 for 50% off. Reporter - Chloe Hadji...
When Peter Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the United States over his links with Jeffrey Epstein people wondered how he ever got appointed in the first place. Eventually Keir Starmer’s government was forced to publish more than a thousand pages of emails, messages and letters which reveal how Peter Mandelson was appointed, vetted and cleared to become the UK’s most influential diplomat. What emerges from those documents, is a story about who wields power in Britain today, how it works and how we conduct our politics. The Observer’s Ada Barumé tells the story of a political...
When Asma arrives in Syria, there’s a palpable sense of hope. People in the country and around the world dare to believe that she is a force for good. Chloe hears from people who worked with her in the early years who - despite everything that’s happened - still believe her intentions were genuine but that she became trapped by the regime.Episodes one and two are available to all listeners. To access the rest of the series, ad-free, subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or subscribe to The Observer for access to all our podcasts and newsletters seven days a week, plus puzzles...
Emma is a high achieving, middle class woman from West London - she’s destined for a successful career and a comfortable British life. But in 2001 she makes a decision that will come to define her - she marries the son of a dictator and becomes Asma al-Assad, the first lady of Syria.Episodes one and two are available to all listeners. To access the rest of the series, ad-free, subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or subscribe to The Observer for access to all our podcasts and newsletters seven days a week, plus puzzles, recipes and Culture Club. Use the code AUDIO50 to get 5...
Emma is a high achieving, middle class girl from west London. She seems destined for a successful career in banking and a comfortable British life. Until she makes a decision that will come to define her. In 2001 Emma marries Bashar al-Assad - the now infamous dictator of Syria.In the early days, people inside and out of Syria dared to hope. Alongside his beautiful, progressive wife, Bashar promised to modernise the country.But when the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011, Bashar's regime showed itself for what it really was: a brutal force, willing to capture and kill ordinary Syrians demand...
Jess does a DNA test. And she and Lucy travel to visit a house where Jess’s birth mother once lived, and try and work out how nobody noticed a thing.Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The ObserverTo binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription.You'll get access to:This series and all our podcasts before anyone elseAd-free listeningPremium newslettersPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordExclusive offers from our partners including Mubi and iescapeTickets ...
Journalist Lucy Greenwell goes in search of Jess following rumours and unanswered questions about where she was born and who gave birth to her. Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The ObserverTo binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription.You'll get access to:This series and all our podcasts before anyone elseAd-free listeningPremium newslettersPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordExclusive offers from our partners including Mubi and iescapeTickets to jo...
On 6th October 1987, a newborn baby is found on the verge of a remote country lane in Suffolk. Police comb the area for clues and appeal for witnesses, but the mother is never found. The baby, Jess, is adopted. Journalist Lucy Greenwell has never forgotten the day when Jess was discovered. She was a child and lived nearby. For decades Lucy has wondered; what happened to Jess, and what could have driven a mother to leave her child in such an isolated place? When Lucy tracks Jess down, she finds a woman already deep in her own search for the truth, and a story far more tangled than either of ...
The Salt Path was the supposed bestseller debut book by Raynor Winn, selling millions worldwide. So when two more sequels came along with increasingly bold claims on reversing a terminal illness, why did the publisher Penguin not question it more? Chloe also goes on the hunt for Raynor Winn’s fourth book…her true debut written years before The Salt Path.Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouProducer - Matt RussellArtwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela HardingMusic supervision - Karla PatellaSound design - Tom BurchellExecutive Producer - Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. Se...
At a motorway service station, Chloe meets someone close to Raynor Winn who’s nervous about coming forward. It turns out she’s another character from The Salt Path…and she’s Raynor Winn’s niece. And she’s not turned up empty handed…Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouProducer - Matt RussellArtwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela HardingMusic supervision and sound design - Karla PatellaExecutive Producer - Jasper Corbett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the aftermath of her initial investigation, Chloe hears from a close family member of Moth’s. The story is one of deep divides…and another theft. But it takes her one step closer to understanding who Moth and Raynor Winn really are.Credits: Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouProducer - Matt RussellMusic supervision - Karla PatellaSound design - Rowan BishopExecutive Producer - Jasper CorbettSubscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content...
Moth is suffering from a rare and terminal illness: corticobasal degeneration. Life expectancy rarely extends beyond eight years. But almost two decades after his diagnosis, Moth is still defying the odds. Has he discovered the secret to a medical miracle?Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouAdditional reporting - James UrquhartProducer - Matt RussellSou...
When the television cameras come to a heritage cider farm in Cornwall, Moth and Raynor Winn take centre stage. Within weeks, they vanished. The farm’s owner, their friend, is left to piece together the disparity between what he’d witnessed…and what Raynor Winn had written about.Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouProducer - Matt RussellArtwork: Observer...
With question marks now raised over how The Salt Path began, Chloe Hadjimatheou starts to track down other characters from the book. Did Raynor Winn and Moth ever walk the path the way they claimed?Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouAdditional reporting - James UrquhartProducer - Matt RussellArtwork: Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Hard...
In a small town in north Wales, an alleged theft at a local estate agents plants the seeds for a global blockbuster.Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series on Tuesday 13th January.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Credits:Reporter - Chloe HadjimatheouAdditional reporting - James UrquhartProducer - Matt RussellArtwork: Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela HardingMusic supervision & sound design - Karla PatellaExecuti...
Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path was a bestseller and literary phenomenon with millions of people captivated by this true story of financial ruin, terminal illness, and healing through nature. Raynor Winn has since published two more books and The Salt Path has been adapted for the big screen, starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson.At its heart it is a simple tale, of a couple embarking on a 630 mile trek in the face of stark adversity. When faced with nothing, they chose to walk.But when reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou received a tip-off that the memoir may not be the "unflinchingly hone...
Lydia travels to Kalamata, Greece, a renowned freediving spot to investigate the doping allegations. What substances are athletes meant to be taking? And what are the risks – to them, and to the sport she loves?To listen to all six episodes of Deep Water subscribe to The Observer where you can access all Tortoise Investigates series. It’s easy to subscribe: sign up on Apple or Spotify or directly at observer.co.uk/subscribe/audio, where you can use the code AUDIO50 for 50% off. Reporter - Lydia Gard Producer - Gary Marshall. Music supervision and sound design - Karla PatellaSound design - R...
Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper.To listen to all six episodes of Deep Water subscribe to The Observer where you can access all Tortoise Investigates series. It’s easy to subscribe: sign up on Apple or Spotify or directly at observer.co.uk/subscribe/audio, where you can use the code AUDIO50 for 50% off. Reporter - Lydia G...
Three years ago travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving almost by accident. It’s an extreme and beautiful sport defined by one simple objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. Record holders are now routinely diving to more than 120 metres, pushing the sport and their bodies to find out what’s humanly possible.Through her coach, Lydia was drawn into a small but fanatical community of competition athletes all united in their drive for depth, and that’s where she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours swirled that a group of top divers were doping to get deep...
Journalist Rachel Sylvester investigates the case of 'Australia's worst serial killer'. And discovers, in a story about mothers who have been accused of murdering their own children, there is one man who connects them all: a doctor called Roy Meadow.Our thanks to The Francis Crick Institute for sharing recordings and insights. Reporter: Rachel SylvesterProducer: Gary MarshallMusic supervisor: Karla PatellaSound design: Rowan BishopPodcast artwork: Lola WilliamsExecutive producer: Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Introducing...The Lab DetectiveKathleen Folbigg experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective turned up at her door, and arrested Kathleen on suspicion of murder. She was labelled ‘Australia's worst female serial killer’, convicted, and was destined to spend most of the rest of her life in jail. Until a different type of detective entered her life. A scientist working in a lab who uncovered the truth behind the deaths. This is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, but as ...
Gareth’s whole life has been defined by a relationship he had 35 years ago when, as a 14-year-old schoolboy, he fell in love with an attractive young teacher at his school. He spent most afternoons in her bedroom and thought he was the luckiest boy in the world. But when she walked out of his life everything started to unravel. Lucky Boy is a new four-part series in which Chloe Hadjimatheou asks who gets to be a perpetrator and a victim.You can find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcas...
When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi asks whether the insights he gained from that investigation reveal how Musk will operate in his new political era, and what that means for everything in his orbit.You can find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a m...