In October reporter Hilary Andersson was selected to witness an execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Her assignment led her to the case of Tremane Wood, who had spent more than two decades on death row. This is the story of what happens to a man as he waits to die.

This was the first of two episodes. To listen to episode two right now you can subscribe to The Observer via the link in the episode description or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple podcasts. Episode two will be available wherever you get your podcasts for free on Thursday December 18th. 

Reporter: Hilary Andersson

Producer: Jonathan Lewis

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett 

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Gianni Infantino is the most powerful man in world football but in the run up to the 2026 men's World Cup, his relationship with US president Donald Trump has grown very friendly. It's led to questions whether Infantino still has football's best interests at heart.

Reporter: Rory Smith

Producer: Ada Barumé

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound Design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett 

Subscribe to The Observer today and get access to:

• Our podcasts before anyone else
• A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week
• Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
• Recipes for every occasion
• Free tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online

Click here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month.

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

The chancellor’s budget was supposed to be a gamechanger, but turned out to be an exercise in political survival. This is the story of how Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves took on a radical budget.

Reporter: Rachel Sylvester

Producers: Jonathan Lewis and Matt Russell

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Lola Williams

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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When Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announced a new political party this summer, it had all the ingredients to be a big success. But a summer of disarray has seen them overtaken by a rival on the left. What happened?

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Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top divers were doping to go deeper. So she decided to investigate.

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 

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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With Prince Harry in effective exile and Andrew disgraced, the Royal family is smaller than ever before and at a potential crisis point. Prince William has already signalled his intention to be a different kind of monarch to King Charles. But can the monarchy survive, and what is its purpose?

Reporter: Rachel Sylvester

Producer: Madeleine Parr

Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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Over the summer, Epping, a small town on the outskirts of London became the scene of mass protests. featuring hundreds of people. Noisy and occasionally violent, the demonstrations attracted crowds from around the country and plenty of media attention.

But what really happened in Epping and what does it tell us about where the right in Britain is heading?  

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 

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

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Just outside Gaza is a small settlement of Israelis hoping to enter and settle inside Gaza. They may be a fringe movement, but their voice holds a powerful sway within Israel's cabinet. Could they influence the terms of a future peace plan for Gaza?

Reporter: Oliver Marsden

Producer: Poppy Bullard and Matt Russell

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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The French President and the First Lady of France are taking American right wing commentator Candace Owens to court in Delaware over bizarre claims the First Lady is transgender and the President is part of a CIA-backed mind-control programme, among many other conspiracy theories. But how much are the French President and the First Lady risking in doing so?

Reporter: Stephen Armstrong

Producer: Ada Barumé

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Executive Producer: Matt Russell

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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Donald Trump has launched four lawsuits against major media organisations for up to $15 billion over the past year. This is the story of Trump's war on the media and the people driving it.

Reporter: Giles Whittell

Producer: Jonathan Lewis

Artwork: Lola Williams

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editor: Matt Russell

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 

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

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 [email protected]

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

Since May, almost 900 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the vicinity of aid checkpoints. So what exactly has happened at these aid sites?

Reporter: Ruth Michaelson

Producer: Madeleine Parr

Artwork: Jon Jones & Lola Williams

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Editors: Jasper Corbett & Matt Russell

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