The mystery of Francis Bacon's minder

This is the story of how a boxing match helped solve a 50-year art world mystery. And how, when a man named Ted wades in to stop a mugging in Soho, it leads to a most unlikely life-altering friendship with an artist who makes him, or his picture, immortal. Reporter: Stephen SmithProducer: Katie GunningArtwork: Blythe Walker SibthorpeSound Designer: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo 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 journalistsIf 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.

We are partnering with the podcast Drilled, to share something extra with you this week so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations on The Slow Newscast and across The Observer audio network. You can discover more at https://observer.co.uk/listen.This season, Drilled follows reporter Alleen Brown through a legal trial that will change the course of activism in the U.S. and beyond. Greenpeace, which was only tangentially involved in the Standing Rock protests, has been slapped with a $666 million bill for damages...despite the fact that the Dakota Access Pipeline was built, and has been making its builder, Energy Transfer, millions of dollars for years. How did we get here? Cody Hall, an Indigenous activist who was a key figure during the Standing Rock protests and was targeted in Energy Transfer's lawsuit, walks us through how things went down back in 2016, and where this suit began.If you're hooked, you can find more Drilled episodes at https://push.fm/fl/drilled Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest serving prime minister, but since leaving office she’s continued to buck the trend. Post premiership, she’s become one of the most vocal among her peers. What has driven her into the arms of the populist right? And what does it tell us about the state of the party she has left behind? Reporter: Philip CollinsProducer: Ada BaruméArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound Designer: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo 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 journalistsIf 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.

In the UK, a person is reported missing every 90 seconds. But how in a society of internet, phones and social media is it so easy to go missing? This is the story of two men...and how sometimes people don't even realise they've gone missing.Reporter: Francisco GarciaProducer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo 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 journalistsIf 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.

The police have an increasingly bad reputation when it comes to dealing with violence against women and girls. Forces in England and Wales say they’re trying to fix that, but its track record within its own ranks paints a very different picture. This is the story of three women with one shared experience- being a police officer whose own institution can’t help them escape the abuse of their partners. Reporter: Eve LivingstoneProducer: Ada BaruméArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound Design: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo 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.

A bunker. A scenario. A group of former senior ministers, military chiefs and other experts. Russia knows our weaknesses – but do you?Sky News' security and defence editor Deborah Haynes presents The Wargame. From Sky News and Tortoise, it imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out... and how military chiefs and politicians might try to defend the country.Episodes will be released weekly - search for The Wargame wherever you listen to your podcasts. To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf 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.

What happens when the business interests and private passions of one of the world’s richest men collide with the world’s most powerful man?Reporter: Stephen ArmstrongProducer: Katie GunningSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo 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 journalistsIf 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] AD: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to https://nordvpn.com/newscast. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There’s no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After thirteen years, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester City. His time at the club is an example of not one, but two underdogs succeeding against the odds. Could anything like this happen again in the Premier League?To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk 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]: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to https://nordvpn.com/newscast. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There’s no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tesla saw their stock price soar with President Trump's election. But since January, it has come plummeting back down. Has Musk crashed Tesla?Reporter: Giles WhittellProducer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf 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]: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan, go to https://nordvpn.com/newscast. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There’s no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The radical climate protest group Just Stop Oil delighted supporters and infuriated opponents in equal measure. But then the government began to crack down on them. So where are they now?Reporter: David TaylorProducer: Matt RussellArtwork: Lola WilliamsSound design: Dominic DelargyEditor: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf 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.