Weekend
The mysterious novelist who foresaw Putin’s Russia and then came to symbolise its moral decay – an Audio Long Read podcast
Victor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with his scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist? There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Long Read wherever you listen to your podcasts
5 4月 2025 - 35 دقائق 54 ثانية
Inside the Vatican’s secret saint-making process – an Audio Long Read podcast
Canonisation has long been a way for the Catholic church to shape its own image. As the Vatican prepares to anoint its first millennial saint, we ask how it decides who is worthy There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Long Read wherever you listen to podcasts
29 3月 2025 - 37 دقائق 05 ثانية
Seth Rogen: slacker to studio boss; Marina Hyde on Trump making anywhere but America great again; and Philippa Perry helps with imposter syndrome
Seth Rogen may be known for his stoner vibe and comedies such as Superbad and Knocked Up, but behind the scenes the actor, writer, weed-lover and pottery fan has also become a producing power player. The US stock market is spooked and Trump’s henchmogul’s companies are floundering – has the great dealmaker been building up the wrong nation? And Philippa Perry advises a reader: ‘That voice in your head telling you that you’re saying the wrong things is not telling the truth.’
22 3月 2025 - 37 دقائق 57 ثانية
Actor Michael Sheen on paying off £1m of his neighbours’ debts; Marina Hyde on ‘grotesque’ JD Vance; and ‘how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice’
Marina Hyde on 1,000 grotesque memes of JD Vance – they’re all more likable than the real thing. The actor Michael Sheen grew up poor, got rich, then lost everything backing the 2019 Homeless World Cup. Now he’s giving away more of his money to help 900 total strangers. When John Harris first started noticing that his baby had some unusual quirks, he wasn’t too worried. Then came an autism diagnosis – and a fear of the future. Could a shared passion for music give James a way to shine?
15 3月 2025 - 50 دقائق 20 ثانية
Actor Danny Dyer on aliens and cocaine; the anti-vax parents who changed their minds; and Philippa Perry on feeling unimportant
Danny Dyer talks about his journey from national joke to national treasure. Fuelled by social media misinformation, anti-vax activism has accelerated – but why are some in the movement becoming disillusioned? And Philippa Perry advises a reader who is ‘struggling to feel like I matter in any area of my life’
8 3月 2025 - 43 دقائق 53 ثانية
The White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood, Marina Hyde on Daddy Musk, and are we over-diagnosing illness?
With the mothers of Elon’s kids begging for his attention on social media, he makes much of ‘pronatalism’ – but is that just a fancy word for bad parenting? ‘I don’t know whether I’d describe it as fun,’ says Aimee Lou Wood on the intensity of making The White Lotus. And are ordinary life experiences, bodily imperfections and normal differences being unnecessarily pathologised? Neurologist and author Suzanne O’Sullivan argues just that
1 3月 2025 - 01 دقيقة 03 دقائق 22 ثانية
‘I forgive them for what they’ve done’: Esther Ghey on life after the murder of daughter Brianna
Two years ago, transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two 15-year-olds. The killers had been radicalised on the dark web, while the victim was trapped in an online world of her own. Now her mother has become friends with the parent of one of the murderers. On the second anniversary of Brianna’s death, Esther sits down with Simon Hattenstone to discuss her daughter’s murder and her own extraordinary response.
22 2月 2025 - 32 دقائق 35 ثانية
Can Drake come back from Kendrick Lamar’s diss?; Marina Hyde on Starmer aping Trump; ‘I was trapped for 65 hours under 4,000 tons of rubble’; and Philippa Perry on setting boundaries with your parents
Marina Hyde on Keir Starmer’s palid imitation of Trumpism. The sole survivor of a landslide describes the pain, the fear and the long, winding path of recovery. After Kendrick Lamar lands another savage blow at the Super Bowl, a crisis expert advises on how Drake can return to relevance. And, ‘I feel happier and healthier when not around my mother’ – Philippa Perry advises one reader
15 2月 2025 - 41 دقائق 26 ثانية
Marina Hyde on Kanye and Bianca; the woman who lives without money; Roman Kemp on tattoos and mental health; and Philippa Perry on ‘chaotic’ partners
Emperor Kanye and his ‘chief architect’ Bianca Censori at the Grammys – guess which one wasn’t wearing any clothes? Roman Kemp opens up about his journey from viral radio presenter to mental health advocate. ‘I feel more secure than when I was earning’: meet the woman who lives without money. And ‘I’ve totally run out of patience with my chaotic husband’: Philippa Perry advises one reader
8 2月 2025 - 38 دقائق 23 ثانية
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo on fame, fear and fighting classism; Marina Hyde on why gen Z kids are not alright; and the mind/body revolution
From yearning for a ‘strong leader’ to being swept up in riots, the portents for our children are not good – and who can blame them for being so disillusioned, asks Marina Hyde. Oscar-nominated Cynthia Erivo has gone stratospheric as Elphaba in Wicked – what next for one of Britain’s brightest stars? And new research shows western medicine’s traditional split between brain and body is far from clear cut – could this new understanding provide a breakthrough for many complex conditions?
1 2月 2025 - 46 دقائق 46 ثانية