Photo of Alex O’Connell
Alex O’Connell

Alex O'Connell is the Opinion and Ideas Editor at The Observer

Photo of Alex O’Connell

Alex O’Connell

Alex O'Connell is the Opinion and Ideas Editor at The Observer

  • Alex O’Connell
    I’m in earnest about festive fun, but Stephen Fry’s Lady Bracknell overcooked the ham

    Sun, 21 Dec 2025

  • Alex O’Connell
    How US immigration agents track people down

    What will the UK government do about xAI's Grok? Can a 1000-year-old tapestry really help repair European diplomacy? And how does ICE use data to identify who gets deported?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer's Head of News, Alex O'Connell, Fronts Editor, Evan Moffitt and Data and Graphics reporter, Bex Sander.    Please come and see us at the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 29th of January: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-7    Listen to the new Tortoise Investigates series ‘The Walkers: The real Salt Path' wherever you listen to podcasts now: https://observer.co.uk/listen/the-walkers-the-real-salt-path    **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky    Host: Giles Whittell   Producer: Amalie Sortland and Casey Magloire   Executive Producer: Katie Gunning   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 Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

    34 min • S1, E304

  • Alex O’Connell
    Fire up the DB5, Bond could be licensed to thrill on Gravelly Hill

    The Birmingham-born writer Steven Knight has to revive the 007 franchise. What might he be thinking?

    Sat, 2 Aug 2025

  • Alex O’Connell
    Wes Streeting has launched a review into ADHD and autism diagnoses

    Will the next men's football World Cup be the most politically tense in history? Did we learn anything from the latest round of peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's envoys? Is overdiagnosis of conditions like Autism and ADHD leading to worse outcomes for neurodiverse people?   Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Ideas and Comment Editor Alex O'Connell, Deputy Sports Editor Andrew Butler, and journalist and author Julia Ioffe as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day.    Buy Julia Ioffe's book from the Observer Bookshop: Motherland   **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky    Host: Rebecca Moore   Producer: Poppy Bullard   Executive Producer: 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  

    30 min • S1, E293

  • Alex O’Connell
    Donald Trump’s plans for the World Cup

    As more and more people turn to AI for news, how should journalists fight back and protect the human by-line? Will Donald Trump's cosy relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino allow him to dictate which cities the World Cup will be held in the US? Will the British Museum win its £3.5 million battle to keep a rare gold Tudor Heart pendant?   Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Alex O'Connell, Vanessa Thorpe and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they pitch their top story of the day.  

    30 min • S1, E278

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