Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor is an audio long reads reader
July 2024
The Audio Long ReadHow the Tories pushed universities to the brink of disaster – podcastOver the past 14 years, the Conservative dream of a free market in higher education has collided with the harsh reality of austerity and the cultural resentment of the radical right – driving some institutions close to bankruptcy. By William Davies
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
The Audio Long ReadDays of the Jackal: how Andrew Wylie turned serious literature into big business – podcastAndrew Wylie is agent to an extraordinary number of the planet’s biggest authors. His knack for making highbrow writers very rich helped to define a literary era – but is his reign now coming to an end?
The Audio Long ReadFrom the archive: Inside the bizarre, bungled raid on North Korea’s Madrid embassy – podcastThis week, from 2019: In February, a gang of armed men took a North Korean official hostage and demanded that he defect. When he refused, their plan fell apart, and they fled. Who were they, and why did they risk everything on this wild plot? By Giles Tremlett
The Audio Long ReadFrom the archive: Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze – podcastThis week, from 2019: Demand for ‘healing’ crystals is soaring – but many are mined in deadly conditions in one of the world’s poorest countries. And there is little evidence that this billion-dollar industry is cleaning up its act. By Tess McClure
November 2023
The Audio Long ReadThe Netanyahu doctrine: how Israel’s longest-serving leader reshaped the country in his image – podcastHe first became prime minister in 1996, and has been pushing the country further right ever since. Most agree his political days are numbered – but the approach he established will prove very difficult to shift. By Joshua Leifer
October 2023
The Audio Long ReadFrom the archive: ‘A body drifted past the window’: surviving the Ladbroke Grove train crash – podcastFrom 2019: On 5 October 1999, two trains collided at speed in west London, killing both drivers and 29 passengers. Barrister Greg Treverton-Jones, who survived the crash and worked on the harrowing inquiry, pieced together what went wrong
September 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
The Audio Long ReadFrom the archive: Welcome to the land that no country wants – podcastFrom 2016: In 2014, an American dad claimed a tiny parcel of African land to make his daughter a princess. But Jack Shenker had got there first – and learned that states and borders are volatile and delicate things. By Jack Shenker
November 2022
October 2022
The Audio Long ReadFrom the archive: The school beneath the wave: the unimaginable tragedy of Japan’s tsunami – podcastThis week, from 2017: In 2011 a tsunami engulfed Japan’s north-east coast. More than 18,000 people were killed. Six years later, in one community, survivors are still tormented by a catastrophic split-second decision. By Richard Lloyd Parry
September 2022
The Audio Long ReadSaviour or wrecker? The truth about the Treasury – podcastIt’s true that the UK Treasury thrives under the pressure of a crisis, from the 2007 financial crash to the Covid pandemic – but is its self-hyped reputation as the bedrock of government stability really deserved? By Aeron Davis