- 38 minutes 16 secondsLost | Foundling Ep 6
Jess gets some surprising visitors and Lucy receives a call from Jess’s birth father.
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.
28 April 2026, 4:00 am - 30 minutes 26 secondsBetrayal | Foundling Ep 5
Jess is shocked when she makes a new discovery about her birth mother.
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.
21 April 2026, 4:00 am - 34 minutes 37 secondsThe fallout | Foundling Ep 4
Jess ignores a plea from her birth mother to stop searching for answers. She decides to track down her father.
Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer
** If you have questions about the series, we will be publishing a subscriber only bonus episode. You can email your questions to [email protected]
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.
14 April 2026, 4:00 am - 46 minutes 1 secondIn the blood | Foundling Ep 3
Jess’s DNA results lead her to a close blood relative, who has her own extraordinary story.
Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer
** If you have questions about the series, we will be publishing a subscriber only bonus episode. You can email your questions to [email protected]
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
Clips: ITV/Wall to Wall Media
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
7 April 2026, 4:00 am - 44 minutes 16 secondsUnder one roof | Foundling Ep 2
Jess does a DNA test. And she and Lucy travel to visit a house where Jess’s birth mother once lived, and try and work out how nobody noticed a thing.
Foundling is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer
** If you have questions about the series, we will be publishing a subscriber only bonus episode. You can email your questions to [email protected]
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.
31 March 2026, 4:00 am - 39 minutes 15 secondsOn the verge | Foundling Ep 1
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
** If you have questions about the series, we will be publishing a subscriber only bonus episode. You can email your questions to [email protected]
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.
24 March 2026, 5:00 am - 3 minutes 52 secondsIntroducing... Foundling
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.
17 March 2026, 5:00 am - 42 minutes 25 secondsThe Missing Book | The Walkers Ep7
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.
17 February 2026, 5:30 am - 47 minutes 54 secondsThe Letters | The Walkers Ep6
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.
10 February 2026, 5:30 am - 27 minutes 13 secondsThe French Quarter | The Walkers Ep5
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.
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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
3 February 2026, 5:00 am - 39 minutes 20 secondsThe Miracle | The Walkers Ep4
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?
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
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.
27 January 2026, 5:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App