The Start

Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In this episode, Marina Hyde looks at the new additions to Downing Street (ms), Hadley Freeman interviews Hollywood actor Will Arnett (ms), Sirin Kale tries her hand at quiz show Mastermind (ms), and David Robson examines why we're so stressed about stress (ms). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In our first episode, Marina Hyde reflects on another less than stellar week for Boris Johnson (1m38s), Edward Helmore charts the rise of Joe Rogan (9m46s), Laura Snapes goes deep with singer George Ezra (18m30s), and Alex Moshakis asks, “Are you a jerk at work?” (34m40s). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Have you ever wondered what famous people actually eat? In our new podcast, Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent does just that, asking well-known guests to lift the lid on the food they turn to when they're at home alone – and what comfort foods have seen them through their lives. In the first episode, screenwriter Russell T Davies tells Grace about his childhood in Swansea, the delights of Woolworth's pork and egg pies, and how his husband's death informed his latest TV series, It's a Sin. Future guests will include Nish Kumar, Rafe Spall and Aisling Bea. Episodes willl be released every Tuesday – search for it wherever you get your podcasts

The Guardian has launched a new series called Reverberate that we think you'll like. Each week, Chris Michael will explore incredible stories from around the world about when music shook history. In the first episode, we hear from Kashy Keegan, an unknown singer-songwriter in a sleepy English town who became the voice of Hong Kong's nascent pro-democracy movement. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

We wanted to bring you another episode from our Innermost series. In the last episode of our first season, two callers tell Leah Green how their relationships sent them down unexpected paths, one with criminal consequences Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

The Guardian has launched a new series called Innermost that we think you will like. Each week, callers will tell Leah Green what's going on behind closed doors. In the first episode, we hear how an uncle's funeral and meals with an emotionally distant brother help James and Jess think about their families in new and unexpected ways. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

The drummer and composer talks about Locked in a Basement, the album he recorded with his band Heernt, before facing the pressures of adulthood

The visual artist reveals how her installation Turbulent built a community among the Iranian diaspora in New York, and expressed her feelings for her homeland

The novelist and journalist shares how living a life of austerity inspired his first professional work, Slump

The electronic musician relates how a breakup, a new keyboard and a hunger for feminist rock'n'roll led to her signature track Lovertits and album The Teaches of Peaches

The poet shares the story behind Invisible Kisses, a poem that impressed on him the true value of family

The playwright and screenwriter reveals how a fascination with tyrants and their wives compelled her to write Splendour

The artist and activist tells how investigating schoolchildren's deaths in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008 spawned his mammoth installation, Remembering

The internet artist recalls how her groundbreaking YouTube project Scandalishious allowed for self-reflection, but also invited the scrutiny of a watchful audience

In the second episode of our new culture podcast about artistic beginnings, Damien Hirst reveals how his neighbour – a compulsive hoarder – triggered a creative explosion that set him on the road to success

Our new culture podcast, The Start, brings major artists to the mic to reveal how they began their careers. In this first episode, Sofia Coppola talks about the fear and the thrill of directing her debut film, The Virgin Suicides

A new podcast about artistic beginnings, as told by great artists of our time. The first episode will be coming soon...