Tortoise Investigates

Eighteen months ago the Assad regime suddenly collapsed, and the first lady and her family fled to Moscow. A regime insider tells Chloe just how powerful Asma had become in the final years and what was happening inside the palace. Could Asma really have had aspirations to take over from her husband? We call her Emma is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella & Hannah Varrall Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chloe learns of allegations that Asma - the ‘mother of the nation’ - had an active role in one of the regime’s cruellest strategies: separating the children of dissidents and rebel fighters from their parents to use them as bargaining chips. At an orphanage in Damascus, Chloe gets closer to the truth. We call her Emma is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. To binge listen to more 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella & Hannah Varrall Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chloe travels to Damascus to meet people close to Bashar and Asma. One source tells her that Asma took a drastic decision in the early years of the war - she tried to leave Syria. Only it’s not for the reasons you might think. We call her Emma is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. To binge listen to more 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella & Hannah Varrall Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2011, the Arab Spring hits Syria and Asma has a decision to make: speak out in favour of the popular revolution or stay loyal to the regime. But what choice did she really have? We call her Emma 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Asma arrives in Syria, there’s a palpable sense of hope. People in the country and around the world dare to believe that she is a force for good. Chloe hears from people who worked with her in the early years who - despite everything that’s happened - still believe her intentions were genuine but that she became trapped by the regime. We call her Emma 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma is a high achieving, middle class woman from West London - she’s destined for a successful career and a comfortable British life. But in 2001 she makes a decision that will come to define her - she marries the son of a dictator and becomes Asma al-Assad, the first lady of Syria. We call her Emma 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma is a high achieving, middle class girl from west London. She seems destined for a successful career in banking and a comfortable British life. Until she makes a decision that will come to define her. In 2001 Emma marries Bashar al-Assad - the now infamous dictator of Syria. In the early days, people inside and out of Syria dared to hope. Alongside his beautiful, progressive wife, Bashar promised to modernise the country. But when the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011, Bashar's regime showed itself for what it really was: a brutal force, willing to capture and kill ordinary Syrians demanding change. And in all the years that a war raged on, Asma stood by her husband. She seemingly ignored the desperate pleas to stop her husband from killing his own people. But what did she really know about the atrocities her husband’s government was carrying out? And what choices did she really have? Some people allege that she actually assisted the regime and cashed in on the war, that she herself is a war criminal. Others say she tried to run away but was trapped, held hostage by a regime who threatened her life and her children. So, who is the real Emma? We call her Emma 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 - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 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.

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 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.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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 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.

An anti-doping officer tells Lydia that drugs are only considered a problem in freediving on social media, and in podcasts. She learns the problem is bigger, and more complex, and more corrupt, than she realised. 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.