The Slow Newscast

When an esteemed transplant surgeon is found to have sexually harassed a number of his female colleagues — sometimes in the middle of operations — the General Medical Council recommends that he be struck off the medical register. But that is not what happens.Rachel Sylvester discovers that the case of James Gilbert, isn't a shocking one-off. In fact, it is symptomatic of a much wider problem in surgery.Reporter: Rachel SylvesterProducer: Gary MarshallArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound Design: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper Corbett Subscribe to The Observer today: https://observer.co.uk/subscribe And get access to:Our podcasts before anyone elseA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or onlineClick here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From next week, our Investigations Editor Alexi Mostrous – the man behind Sweet Bobby, Who Trolled Amber and Elon’s Spies – will take over as the new host of the Slow Newscast, and he wants to hear from you. If there are particular types of stories you’d like us to cover more often, or if you have thoughts on what we do well, or could do better, please let us know.You can email us on studios@observer.co.uk

In a small town in north Wales, an alleged theft at a local estate agents plants the seeds for a global blockbuster. To listen to episode two, just search for Tortoise Investigates wherever you get your podcasts.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 RussellMusic supervision & sound design - Karla PatellaArtwork - Lola WilliamsExecutive Producer - Jasper Corbett

Donald Trump is facing an unexpected fallout as one of his most loyal supporters has resigned from Congress and turned against him. With divisions widening after the attack on Venezuela, is there a split in the broader MAGA movement?Reporter: Stephen ArmstrongProducers: Madeleine Parr and Jonathan LewisArtwork: Lucy StevensonEditor: Matt Russell

One of the stories in 2025 that seemed to capture the British public's attention was the trial for the men accused of cutting down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree. In this audio essay, Andrew Hankinson explores who those men are...and what might have motivated them.

Like many public institutions across the UK, the Guildhall school of music has had to reckon with a past where abuse by staff was either ignored or dismissed. So when a second former student came forward to tell The Observer's Vanessa Thorpe their story, this time from the 1990s, how would the institution respond?Reporter: Vanessa ThorpeProducer: Ada Barumé Artwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper Corbett