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 Observer

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Reporter - Lucy Greenwell

Producer - Katie Gunning

Original theme music - Tom Kinsella

Sound design and additional music - Rowan Bishop

Podcast artwork - Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Narrative editor - Gary Marshall 

Editor - Jasper Corbett

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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 them expected. What unfolds is a tale of long-held secrets and unintended consequences that spirals out of Jess’s control.

Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.

To 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 else
• Ad-free listening
• Premium newsletters
• Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
• Exclusive offers from our partners including Mubi and iescape
• Tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online

Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads.

Reporter - Lucy Greenwell

Producer - Katie Gunning

Original theme music - Tom Kinsella

Sound design and additional music - Rowan Bishop

Podcast artwork - Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Narrative editor - Gary Marshall 

Editor - Jasper Corbett

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

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 Hadjimatheou

Producer - Matt Russell

Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding

Music supervision - Karla Patella

Sound design - Tom Burchell

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

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 Hadjimatheou

Producer - Matt Russell

Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding

Music supervision and sound design - Karla Patella

Executive 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 Hadjimatheou

Producer - Matt Russell

Music supervision - Karla Patella

Sound design - Rowan Bishop

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series.

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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?

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Credits:

Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou

Additional reporting - James Urquhart

Producer - Matt Russell

Sound design - Rowan Bishop

Fact checking - Madeleine Parr

Music supervision - Karla Patella

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

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.

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Credits:

Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou

Producer - Matt Russell

Artwork: Observer design with thanks to Angela Harding

Music supervision & sound design - Karla Patella

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

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 content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Credits:

Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou

Additional reporting - James Urquhart

Producer - Matt Russell

Artwork: Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding

Music supervision & sound design - Karla Patella

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

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 content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Credits:

Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou

Additional reporting - James Urquhart

Producer - Matt Russell

Artwork: Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding

Music supervision & sound design - Karla Patella

Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

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 honest" account it claimed to be, suddenly things began to unravel. And the questions, about what is and isn't true, began mounting.

How far can you bend the truth before it begins to break?

Episode 1 will be available to listen on Tuesday 13th January.

Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to all 7 episodes on Tuesday 13th January.

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content. Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou

Producer - Matt Russell

Music supervision and sound design - Karla Patella

Sound design - Rowan Bishop

Podcast artwork - Lola Williams 

Executive producer - Jasper Corbett

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

After weeks of chasing him, Lydia finally speaks to Vitomir Maričić, the Croatian freediver at the heart of the scandal – and he tells his side of the story.

Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series on Tuesday 18th November.

To find out more about The Observer:

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

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Reporter - Lydia Gard 

Producer - Gary Marshall. 

Music supervision and sound design - Karla Patella

Sound design - Rowan Bishop

Podcast artwork - Lola Williams 

Fact checking - Poppy Bullard, Katie Gunning, Amalie Sortland, Madeleine Parr & Jess Swinburne 

Executive producer - Basia Cummings

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