James Harding

Editor-in-Chief

James Harding is Editor-in-Chief of The Observer and Founder of Tortoise Media. Previously James served as Director of News and Current Affairs at the BBC (2012-18). He was Editor of The Times (2007-12), winning Newspaper of the Year in two of the five years he edited the paper.

James Harding

Editor-in-Chief

James Harding is Editor-in-Chief of The Observer and Founder of Tortoise Media. Previously James served as Director of News and Current Affairs at the BBC (2012-18). He was Editor of The Times (2007-12), winning Newspaper of the Year in two of the five years he edited the paper.

Nicolai Tangen: ‘Even if AI is a bad bubble, it’s allocating capital towards change’

The Norwegian CEO of the world’s largest sovereign wealth is confident we don’t face a crisis to rival the dotcom crash

Sun, 7 Dec 2025

Why is David Attenborough warning us about ocean trawling?

In his stark new film on the fishing industry, David Attenborough warns we're "almost out of time" to save the oceans. Are Nigel Farage’s calls to change UK abortion laws the start of a new culture war? And with Thames Water in crisis, should the government step in? James Harding is joined by Pod Save the UK’s Coco Khan, along with The Observer’s Basia Cummings and Miranda Sawyer, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.

36 min • S1, E237

Introducing the new Observer digital subscription

As the paper nears its 234th anniversary, it is marking the moment with a bold new online presence that holds true to its founding principle – to conduce to the happiness of society

Thu, 27 Nov 2025