• The Rwanda plan: How to waste £700m
    Feb 11 2025

    The flagship policy for several Prime Ministers became the Rwanda plan. But three years, four Prime Ministers and £715 million later, the policy is dead and never really got off the ground. This is how so much money was spent on so little.


    Reporter: Catherine Neilan

    Producer: Ada Barume

    Sound design: Dominic Delargy

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Editor: Jasper Corbett

    Slow Newscast Executive Producer: Matt Russell


    To find out more about Tortoise:


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    32 mins
  • F**k it, release ‘em all: Trump and the Jan 6ers
    Feb 4 2025

    For more than two years, Special Counsel Jack Smith investigated allegations of President Trump’s election fraud. His investigation ended last month – not with a trial, but a dense report. Why has nobody paid attention?


    Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

    Producer: Claudia Williams

    Executive producer: Matt Russell

    Editor: Jasper Corbett

    Artwork: Lola Williams


    To find out more about Tortoise:


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    42 mins
  • Goodbye mum: the ruthless fight for child custody
    Jan 30 2025

    One of the most difficult questions facing a judge in the family court is which parent should have custody of a child. To help them answer that, judges rely on independent experts to provide an impartial voice in the court. But what happens when the objectivity of those experts is questioned? This is the story of how the family courts have failed some of the children it exists to protect.


    Reporters: Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers

    Additional reporting: Paul Bradshaw, Serena Cesaro, William Jarrett and Tom Wall

    Producer: Matt Russell

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Editor: Jasper Corbett


    An investigation by Tortoise in partnership with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism


    To find out more about Tortoise:


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    48 mins
  • Rogue Russia: Nuclear poker
    Jan 21 2025

    In October 2022 the course of the Russia's war in Ukraine shifted. Intelligence from the USA and UK indicated that Russia could turn to a nuclear bomb to get on top of the war. This is the story of those six days in October, and just how close Putin really came to pressing the nuclear button.


    Reporter: Giles Whittell

    Producer: Ada Barume

    Additional reporting: Nina Kuryata

    Sound design: Dominic Delargy

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Editor: Jasper Corbett

    Slow Newscast Executive Producer: Matt Russell


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


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    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    39 mins
  • Rogue Russia: Agents of mayhem
    Jan 14 2025

    Last October, the head of MI5 said Russia was on a mission to cause "sustained mayhem" on European streets. It might be hard to spot at first, but it is there in plain sight. This is the unpredictable, violent world of the modern Russian intelligence services


    Reporter: Alexi Mostrous

    Producer: Gary Marshall

    Sound design: Dominic Delargy

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Editor: Jasper Corbett

    Slow Newscast Executive Producer: Matt Russell


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


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    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    43 mins
  • Jordan Peterson and the making of man
    Jan 7 2025

    Jordan Peterson is a controversial figure, but he is also a man with a long-standing appeal to a particular demographic. What does his popularity tell us about a possible crisis in young men today?


    Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

    Producer: Matt Russell

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Sound design: Hannah Varrall

    Editor: Jasper Corbett


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    41 mins
  • Finding my voice
    Dec 31 2024

    Xavier Greenwood’s childhood memories are dominated by a speech impediment and a thick accent. But was it all in his head?


    Reporter: Xavier Greenwood

    Sound design: Dominic Delargy

    Artwork: Lola Williams

    Executive Producer: Matt Russell


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


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    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    19 mins
  • The final bow: David Bowie's last act
    Dec 24 2024

    David Bowie's last months were spent fulfilling one final ambition: staging a musical based around his songs. They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes. Zelda Perkins not only met hers, she produced the musical he staged in his dying days


    Reporter: Zelda Perkins

    Artwork: Emma O'Neil

    Sound design: Dominic Delargy

    Executive Producer: Matt Russell


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    21 mins