On the 8th of January, the Metropolitan Police released a report into failures in vetting and recruitment of officers involved in misconduct or criminal offences.   

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

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 Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding Music supervision - Karla Patella Sound design - Rowan Bishop Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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? Credits: Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou Additional reporting - James Urquhart Producer - Matt Russell Music supervision & sound design - Karla Patella Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett  

In a small town in north Wales, an alleged theft at a local estate agents plants the seeds for a global blockbuster.   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 Narrative editor - Gary Marshall Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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

When the television cameras come to a heritage cider farm in Devon, Moth and Raynor Winn take centre stage. Within weeks, they vanish. 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. Credits: Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou Additional reporting - James Urquhart Producer - Matt Russell Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding Sound design - Karla Patella Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

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? Credits: Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Matt Russell Sound design - Rowan Bishop Fact checking - Madeleine Parr Music supervision - Karla Patella Artwork - Observer design with acknowledgements to Angela Harding Executive Producer - Jasper Corbett

On Saturday morning, the United States of America bombed Venezuela and captured its President, Nicolás Maduro.  What happened and why?

As the Ukrainian President meets European leaders, Russia has ramped up its attacks on major infrastructure, and last week it claimed it had captured the key strategic city of Pokrovsk.    Writer: Poppy Bullard   Producer: Poppy Bullard   Host: Ada Barume    Episode photography: Sofia Fenton   Executive Producer: Matt Russell  

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  

A recent survey by the Key Cities group found that 60% of their member councils - which include places like Bath, Hull and Medway in Kent - were planning on selling off things like shopping arcades and social clubs to pay for the rising costs of social care.   Host: Ada Barume Writer: Becky Pinnington and Poppy Bullard Producer: Madeleine Parr Episode photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Matt Russel

In the weeks since the ceasefire was agreed, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and more than 600 injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.    Host: Ada Barumé Writer: Poppy Bullard Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer: Matt Russell

This weekend, European leaders were scrambling to prevent US President Donald Trump from forcing Ukraine to sign a peace deal widely viewed as favourable to Russia.   Host: Casey Magloire  Writer & Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Sofia Fenton Executive producer: Matt Russell

Qian Zhimin has been dubbed the cryptoqueen after UK Police discovered she had approximately £5 billion of stolen investments. But how was she caught?  Host: Ada Barumé Writer: Casey Magloire Producer: Amalie Sortland  Reporters: Poppy Sebag-Montefiore and Phoebe Davis  Episode photography: Joe Mee Executive Producer: Matt Russell 

Young people are moving on from online influencer Andrew Tate. Host: Ada Barumé Writer & Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Matt Russell

Why are so many prisoners being released from prison by mistake? What happens if Arts Council England goes under? And what can the Democrats learn from Mamdani's New York City mayoral election victory? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Deputy Sports Editor, Andrew Butler, Arts and Media Editor, Vanessa Thorpe, and reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they pitch their top stories of the day. Must Reads: Days of wine and noses: the life of a critic: https://observer.co.uk/style/food/article/days-of-wine-and-noses-the-life-of-a-critic **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: Amalie Sortland Executive Producers: Matt Russell and Poppy Bullard 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

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?    

In 2026, the UK government will decide whether to end terrestrial TV. Host: Katie Gunning Writer: Stephen Armstrong Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Matt Russell

What do we do with the knowledge that climate change made Hurricane Melissa worse? Why was there such a deadly police raid in Brazil? And why isn't hospice care treated as an essential part of healthcare?  Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Data and Graphics editor, Katie Riley, and reporters James Tapper and Rachael Healy, as they pitch their top stories of the day. Must Reads: Some People Can't See Mental Images Political Beliefs Dating App Experiment Premiere League **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: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Matt Russel