Weekend

Follow Weekend
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

A brand new podcast from the Guardian. Every Saturday, we’ll share some of the best Guardian writing from the week, read by talented narrators. Listen to celebrity interviews, lifestyle features, and opinions from our most popular columnists including Marina Hyde and John Crace. Weekend is the perfect way to relax.

The Guardian


    • Apr 12, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 44m AVG DURATION
    • 179 EPISODES


    More podcasts from The Guardian

    Search for episodes from Weekend with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Weekend

    The brain collector: the scientist unravelling the mysteries of grey matter – an Audio Long Read podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 35:43


    Alexandra Morton-Hayward is using cutting-edge methods to crack the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays her There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Long Read wherever you listen to your podcasts

    The mysterious novelist who foresaw Putin's Russia and then came to symbolise its moral decay – an Audio Long Read podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2025 35:54


    Victor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with his scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist? There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Long Read wherever you listen to your podcasts

    Inside the Vatican's secret saint-making process – an Audio Long Read podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2025 35:24


    Canonisation has long been a way for the Catholic church to shape its own image. As the Vatican prepares to anoint its first millennial saint, we ask how it decides who is worthy There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Long Read wherever you listen to podcasts

    Seth Rogen: slacker to studio boss; Marina Hyde on Trump making anywhere but America great again; and Philippa Perry helps with imposter syndrome

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2025 35:15


    Seth Rogen may be known for his stoner vibe and comedies such as Superbad and Knocked Up, but behind the scenes the actor, writer, weed-lover and pottery fan has also become a producing power player. The US stock market is spooked and Trump's henchmogul's companies are floundering – has the great dealmaker been building up the wrong nation? And Philippa Perry advises a reader: ‘That voice in your head telling you that you're saying the wrong things is not telling the truth.'

    Actor Michael Sheen on paying off £1m of his neighbours' debts; Marina Hyde on ‘grotesque' JD Vance; and ‘how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 50:20


    Marina Hyde on 1,000 grotesque memes of JD Vance – they're all more likable than the real thing. The actor Michael Sheen grew up poor, got rich, then lost everything backing the 2019 Homeless World Cup. Now he's giving away more of his money to help 900 total strangers. When John Harris first started noticing that his baby had some unusual quirks, he wasn't too worried. Then came an autism diagnosis – and a fear of the future. Could a shared passion for music give James a way to shine?

    Actor Danny Dyer on aliens and cocaine; the anti-vax parents who changed their minds; and Philippa Perry on feeling unimportant – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 43:18


    Danny Dyer talks about his journey from national joke to national treasure. Fuelled by social media misinformation, anti-vax activism has accelerated – but why are some in the movement becoming disillusioned? And Philippa Perry advises a reader who is ‘struggling to feel like I matter in any area of my life'

    The White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood, Marina Hyde on Daddy Musk, and are we over-diagnosing illness?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2025 63:22


    With the mothers of Elon's kids begging for his attention on social media, he makes much of ‘pronatalism' – but is that just a fancy word for bad parenting? ‘I don't know whether I'd describe it as fun,' says Aimee Lou Wood on the intensity of making The White Lotus. And are ordinary life experiences, bodily imperfections and normal differences being unnecessarily pathologised? Neurologist and author Suzanne O'Sullivan argues just that

    ‘I forgive them for what they've done': Esther Ghey on life after the murder of daughter Brianna

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2025 32:35


    Two years ago, transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two 15-year-olds. The killers had been radicalised on the dark web, while the victim was trapped in an online world of her own. Now her mother has become friends with the parent of one of the murderers. On the second anniversary of Brianna's death, Esther sits down with Simon Hattenstone to discuss her daughter's murder and her own extraordinary response.

    Can Drake come back from Kendrick Lamar's diss?; Marina Hyde on Starmer aping Trump; ‘I was trapped for 65 hours under 4,000 tons of rubble'; and Philippa Perry on setting boundaries with your parents

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 41:26


    Marina Hyde on Keir Starmer's palid imitation of Trumpism. The sole survivor of a landslide describes the pain, the fear and the long, winding path of recovery. After Kendrick Lamar lands another savage blow at the Super Bowl, a crisis expert advises on how Drake can return to relevance. And, ‘I feel happier and healthier when not around my mother' – Philippa Perry advises one reader

    Marina Hyde on Kanye and Bianca; the woman who lives without money; Roman Kemp on tattoos and mental health; and Philippa Perry on ‘chaotic' partners

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2025 38:23


    Emperor Kanye and his ‘chief architect' Bianca Censori at the Grammys – guess which one wasn't wearing any clothes? Roman Kemp opens up about his journey from viral radio presenter to mental health advocate. ‘I feel more secure than when I was earning': meet the woman who lives without money. And ‘I've totally run out of patience with my chaotic husband': Philippa Perry advises one reader

    Wicked star Cynthia Erivo on fame, fear and fighting classism; Marina Hyde on why gen Z kids are not alright; and the mind/body revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 46:46


    From yearning for a ‘strong leader' to being swept up in riots, the portents for our children are not good – and who can blame them for being so disillusioned, asks Marina Hyde. Oscar-nominated Cynthia Erivo has gone stratospheric as Elphaba in Wicked – what next for one of Britain's brightest stars? And new research shows western medicine's traditional split between brain and body is far from clear cut – could this new understanding provide a breakthrough for many complex conditions?

    My mum the family vlogger and child abuser; Marina Hyde on Trump's ‘golden age'; and Spotify's Billions Club

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2025 59:56


    Confusing and capricious, Trump started as he means to go on: chaos, dysfunction and a coalition of creeps; Ruby Franke was a social media star who made viral videos about her six children – until she was jailed for child abuse. Now her eldest daughter Shari is telling her side of the story; and No Dylan but loads of Coldplay! What the songs with a billion streams on Spotify tell us about music taste today.

    Huel creator James Collier on bodybuilding and bullies; Marina Hyde on fawning Trump tech bros; and Philippa Perry's advice on a dwindling sex life – Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2025 33:39


    Move fast, break things, sprint to kiss Trump's ring: Marina Hyde on the tech bro inauguration derby. ‘I get hate from both sides – vegans and carnivores': James Collier on UPFs, emotional eating and why he created Huel. And “My partner blames a ‘lack of attraction' for not wanting sex”: Philippa Perry advises one reader

    ‘How can you rebuild when your father is the worst sexual predator in decades?': Pelicot's daughter speaks; and Philippa Perry on the deceptive ‘spark'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2025 37:44


    Caroline Darian, daughter of Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot, tells of the ‘crushing double burden' of being the child of both victim and perpetrator. Plus Philippa Perry invites one reader to see what happens when you prioritise someone who offers you stability and decency

    Revisited: a new approach to quitting smoking; how to stop people-pleasing; and why do we have the dreams we do?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2025 47:10


    Chris Godfrey spent a decade trying to quit smoking, then he tried hypnotherapy and it changed his life. ‘They're probably not thinking about you': Oliver Burkeman on how to liberate yourself and stop people-pleasing. And ‘one night I'm a murderer, the next my husband's having an affair'. Why do we have the dreams that we do?

    Revisited: actor Jeff Goldblum, eccentric as ever at 71; and America's top pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids' to save the world

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2024 62:58


    Fast-talking, finger-jabbing Jeff Goldblum on vanity, mortality and becoming a father in his 60s. Elon Musk (father of 11) supports their cause, thousands follow their ideology: to make it easier for everyone to have multiple children. Enter the unsettling world of Malcolm and Simone Collins, America's premier pronatalists

    Bros's Matt Goss on love and loss; ‘my father, the serial killer'; Marina Hyde on Prince Andrew and the spy; and Philippa Perry on finding purpose at 80 – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2024 50:40


    The Duke of York is a royal problem, says Marina Hyde: it's time they owned it. Matt Goss discusses mega-fame, political correctness and loneliness with Simon Hattenstone. After April Balascio's foster brother was killed, she started piecing together evidence that revealed her father was a serial killer. And Philippa advises an 80-year-old reader how to face the existential void that is overwhelming them.

    ‘I never want you around your grandchild': the families torn apart when adult children go ‘no contact'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2024 35:04


    Some cases of child/parent estrangement stem from a traumatic childhood. But in others it can come as a shock to parents who believe they did their best. People on both sides of family rifts share their stories with Gaby Hinsliff Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, you may notice some disruption to the availability of new episodes in your Guardian podcast feeds. All the work on this episode was done before the strike action began. For more information please head to theguardian.com.

    Revisited: Bafta-winner Jamie Demetriou, unmasking dating app cheats, and peeing: to sit or not to sit?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2024 41:25


    Writer and actor Jamie Demetriou reveals how an admin mixup paved the way for an unconventional career trajectory, the groups of women unmasking online cheats and ghosters, and Sam Wollaston extols the virtues of sitting down to pee. Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, we are re-running an episode from our archive. For more information please head to theguardian.com. We'll be back with new episodes soon.

    The man who caught his catfish; actor Kaya Scodelario on Skins, scares and sex scenes; and Philippa Perry on coping with the climate crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2024 42:46


    Former Skins actor Kaya Scodelario talks about growing up poor in London, why she loves doing action films – and the pitfalls of taking her kids to work. When one man discovered someone had been impersonating him for years without his knowledge, he decided to act. He reveals what happened next. And ‘the climate crisis and all the evil in the world drives me to despair': Philippa Perry advises one reader on how to cope

    Jacob Rees-Mogg on abortion, religion and reality TV; Marina Hyde on Musk vs Trump Jr; inheritance inequity; and teenage love – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2024 53:11


    Marina Hyde asks us to spare a sob for Don Jr, replaced in Daddy's affections by Elon Musk. The Bank of Mum and Dad – the unspoken dynamic behind society's growing inequality of ‘inheritocracy'. ‘I've been called worse than a Nazi': Simon Hattenstone meets Jacob Rees-Mogg. And psychologist Lucy Foulkes on why we should take teenage love more seriously

    The truth about dark empaths, why is Britain still so obsessed with the Tudors? And Philippa Perry on overcoming social awkwardness

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2024 40:50


    ‘Narcissists – only more devious': Anita Chaudhuri explores the world of the Dark Empath and how to recognise the danger signs; ‘Henry VIII is a serial killer and abuser': what's behind the flood of 21st-century retellings of the Tudors, including the new TV series The Mirror and the Light?; and Philippa Perry advises one reader on how to circumnavigate emotional hesitancy.

    ‘My lips and cheeks caved in' – when filler removal goes wrong, Marina Hyde on Trump-based amnesia, and my husband the conspiracy theorist– podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2024 49:39


    Donald Trump has triumphed again, and collective amnesia means any lessons Democrats and Republicans may learn from Trump 2.0, they will also forget; influencers have declared the trend for ‘duck lips' over and many people are seeking to reverse their cosmetic treatment – often with painful and disfiguring results; and ‘Lies, manipulation and fear' – writer Lucille Howe recounts how she lost her husband to fake news and flat-Earthers. Would their relationship survive?

    Rob Beckett on dyslexia and dark thoughts, Marina Hyde on the Saoirse Ronan truth bomb, and Philippa Perry on nuanced honesty

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2024 34:08


    Marina Hyde reflects on the unexpected stone-cold truth Saoirse Ronan delivered to the male guests on Graham Norton's sofa; comedian Rob Beckett on the anxieties behind his infectious humour; and Philippa Perry advises one reader on how to improve their relationship with their daughter after deciding not to reveal a dark secret

    Why Rivals is the horny, hopeful show we need, Marina Hyde on Musk's $1m voter gifts, the secret life of a care worker, and Philippa Perry on lying

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2024 44:07


    Why does Rivals' high-camp, warts-and-all frolic through the 80s make Zoe Williams feel so nostalgic? Is it wrong for Elon Musk to offer voters $1m to get Trump elected? ‘I was blown away by how meaningful and interesting it is: one woman's ‘love story' to the caring profession. And Philippa Perry advises a reader to be more forgiving to a friend who is a perpetual liar

    Marina Hyde on Strictly's latest row; the father who lost his daughter in the Sandy Hook school shooting – then faced years of abuse; and Philippa Perry on mismatched sex drives

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2024 35:26


    Strictly Come Dancing is no longer just a dance show – it's a battlefield for culture wars, says Marina Hyde. The extraordinary story of Robbie Parker facing down right-wing provocateurs after losing his child. Philippa Perry offers advice to a reader whose partner wants more sex and more enthusiasm

    Al Pacino tells the inside story of The Godfather, and Marina Hyde on Keir Starmer, the unforced error machine

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2024 42:09


    ‘It's hard to think of anyone who has squandered so much electoral capital, so quickly, for so little': Marina Hyde reflects on Keir Starmer's first 100 days. When Al Pacino bagged the lead role in The Godfather, he couldn't believe his luck: in an extract from his new book, he recalls the making of the film that changed his life …

    Heartstopper's Joe Locke, the mothers who regret having kids, and Philippa Perry on boastful rich friends

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2024 42:44


    Heartstopper's Joe Locke on trolls, typecasting and turning to the dark side; ‘I wished I were holding a cat and not a baby': the mothers who regret having kids; and Philippa Perry advises one reader struggling to cope with a rich friend who has become a boastful bore.

    Marina Hyde on Al Fayed and Diddy's enablers, the hidden life of Elizabeth Taylor, and Philippa Perry on embracing anger

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2024 43:39


    Marina Hyde on the motley crew of enforcers, concealers and NDA experts behind every Al Fayed or Diddy; Liz Taylor's son, Chris Wilding, discusses his mother's legend and legacy; and Philippa Perry helps one reader struggling to reconcile the emotions that come with a devastating illness

    Janet Jackson on Michael and motherhood, Friends at 30, and Marina Hyde on the real ‘enigma' about Charlotte Owen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2024 56:15


    Marina Hyde laments the sexist gossip surrounding Charlotte Owen and her relationship to Boris Johnson; Friends writers and producers on the inside story of the iconic TV show; and Janet Jackson talks to Nosheen Iqbal about taking back control

    Best of Weekend part 2: Louis Theroux, a late life gender transition, and is it murder if you're asleep?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2024 47:46


    Weekend is taking a little break. So this week, we're picking some of our favourite pieces from the last few months just in case you missed them… Zoe Williams turns the tables on veteran interviewer Louis Theroux; how an app sparked a late-life gender transition for author Lucy Sante; and if you kill someone in your sleep, are you a murderer?

    Grenfell: System Failure – Scenes from the Inquiry (part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 57:08


    Listen to part 2 Scenes from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry by Richard Norton-Taylor and Nicolas Kent On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower in London. 72 people died. It was the worst residential fire in the UK since the second world war. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was created to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire. Two reports were published as a result of this inquiry: phase 1 on 30 October 2019; and the second, and final, report last Wednesday. This verbatim play, which was recorded in front of a live audience, is taken from excerpts of spoken evidence, given under oath, to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Phase 2, between October 2019 and July 2022. This play was created so that some of the lessons leading up to that night, and the vital work of the Inquiry, could be more widely understood by the public.

    Grenfell: System Failure – Scenes from the Inquiry (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 66:39


    Listen to part 1 Scenes from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry by Richard Norton-Taylor and Nicolas Kent On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower in London. 72 people died. It was the worst residential fire in the UK since the second world war. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was created to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire. Two reports were published as a result of this inquiry: phase 1 on 30 October 2019; and the second, and final, report last Wednesday. This verbatim play, which was recorded in front of a live audience, is taken from excerpts of spoken evidence, given under oath, to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Phase 2, between October 2019 and July 2022. This play was created so that some of the lessons leading up to that night, and the vital work of the Inquiry, could be more widely understood by the public. This is the second part in a two-part series, if you haven't yet listened to part 1, you may want to before starting this episode.

    Best of Weekend part 1: Julia Fox, are we to blame for our bad habits? And surviving a ship wreck

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2024 46:36


    Weekend is taking a little break. So for the next two weeks, we're picking some of our favourite pieces from the last few months just in case you missed them… Actor Julia Fox unpacks abuse, fame, and dating Kanye; should you blame yourself for your bad habits? And what happened when one man's boat sank in the dead of night and he had to save his seven-year-old son.

    Actor Michael Sheen on leaving Los Angeles, presenter Alison Hammond's rise to fame, and Philippa Perry on empty-nest syndrome

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2024 59:56


    Michael Sheen talks about life back in his home town of Port Talbot and falling in love with a younger woman; from Big Brother to Bake Off, Alison Hammond discusses the highs and lows of celebrity; and Philippa Perry responds to an empty-nester who misses her adult children so much it feels like grief

    Actor Gillian Anderson on female desire, singer Chappell Roan's slow and steady rise, and how to stop people-pleasing

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2024 45:03


    Actor Gillian Anderson on prudes, powerful women, and collecting secret fantasies; How singer-songwriter Chappell Roan slow-burned her way to stardom; and Oliver Burkeman tells you how to stop being such a people-pleaser.

    Growing up in a utopian commune - and the dangers that came with it; Marina Hyde on the Trump-Musk interview; and the power of embracing selfishness

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2024 46:34


    Susanna Crossman describes her childhood in a utopian commune where children ran wild – and the trouble that came with that freedom; Marina Hyde assesses Donald Trump and Elon Musk's glitch-ridden chat; and Moya Sarner reveals the life-changing power of selfishness, with the help of a simple phrase.

    Marina Hyde on the ‘brave' inciters of Britain's race riots; lightning struck my plane and I plunged 3,000m; the delights of the dead hang

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2024 32:47


    Where are you Tommy and Elon? Marina Hyde finds that those provoking the race riots are far, far away; the dead hang delight – how this quick, surprisingly simple exercise can change your life; and ‘A bolt of lightning struck my plane' – one woman's incredible story of survival

    Jeff Goldblum, eccentric as ever at 71; the fallacy of ‘tradwives'; and ‘My dying wife found me a girlfriend'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2024 48:44


    Actor Jeff Goldblum on vanity, mortality and becoming a father in his 60s; sundresses and rugged self-sufficiency: the ‘tradwives' trend touts a conservative American past that didn't exist; and one man's extraordinary story of embracing the dating world with the help of his terminally partner.

    Bullied, belittled but indisputably brilliant: how Victoria Pendleton became a cycling legend; and what's missing from Twisters?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2024 40:58


    Victoria Pendleton is one of Britain's greatest ever athletes, but has often felt like a failure and fraud. She tells Simon Hattenstone about her Olympic golds, the misery that came with them, and the joy she has found since she retired. And Twisters is the tornado blockbuster that almost has it all. But its two hot stars – Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones – avoid a climactic smooch. Is Steven Spielberg to blame?

    Is this the Brat girl summer? Marina Hyde predicts a sticky end for Trump-Vance, how to be a Norwegian parent, and Ask Philippa on sibling rivalry

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2024 47:36


    Never doubt the instincts of Donald Trump, warns Marina Hyde, who just appointed a ‘never Trump guy' as his running mate. Let your kids roam free, stay home alone, have fun – and fail – Norwegian style. Charli xcx's new album, Brat, highlights how many young women now aspire to live – dirty, hedonistic, happy and bra-less. And ‘My brother's mental illness hovers over my family life' – Philippa Perry answers a reader.

    Marina Hyde's career advice for Joe Biden, the world's smallest stuntman, Philippa Perry on ‘failure', and could you forgive your childhood bully?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2024 46:07


    Marina Hyde advises the US president: ‘Walk to podium, smile, wave goodbye'; ‘I'm a failure, in debt and my partner is pregnant' – Philippa Perry helps one man open up; Superman, Frodo and Star Wars: the stunning life and career of Kiran Shah; actor Katy Wix confronts a painful memory when she gets a message out of the blue

    Claim Weekend

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel