logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
44m 15s

Operation Asshole: Paul Watson's whale w...

The Observer
About this episode

Out on the high seas, Paul Watson became a hero and pariah of the environmental movement. Now he sits in a remote prison. How should we treat the radicals willing to go to extremes to protect the planet?


Reported by: Basia Cummings and Xavier Greenwood

Produced by: Xavier Greenwood

Sound design by: Hannah Varrall and Dominic Delargy

Edited by: Gary Marshall and Matt Russell

Podcast artwork by: Jon Hill


Image credit: Mirco Taliercio/laif/ Camera Press


To find out more about Tortoise:


Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Nov 18
Deep Water
<p>Three years ago, travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving. An extreme and beautiful sport defined by one objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. It soon became a calling. Then, she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours that a group of top di ... Show More
27m 48s
Nov 11
William: The reluctant prince
With Prince Harry in effective exile and Andrew disgraced, the Royal family is smaller than ever before and at a potential crisis point. Prince William has already signalled his intention to be a different kind of monarch to King Charles. But can the monarchy survive, and what is ... Show More
28m 52s
Nov 4
Epping: A very English uprising
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 ... Show More
25m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
The Seagull | Dangerous Memories Ep 2
<p>Fipsi starts to question what really happened in the soft pink room, and how to help her friends who are still on their journeys with Anne Craig. But for one of them it’s already too late, as she makes a series of life altering decisions.</p><br><p>This is episode 2 of 6 of Da ... Show More
43m 45s
Sep 2023
Sliding doors
Kirat is a successful marketer and radio presenter. Online, she’s contacted by a man she vaguely knows called Bobby, and they start chatting. Slowly, they become close… and she’s reeled in to a scam of epic proportions.All 6 episodes are available to listen now.To get exclusive a ... Show More
31m 2s
Oct 2024
Amber | Elon's Spies Ep3
To his surprise, Alexi finds himself speaking to a local reporter at the Gold Coast Bulletin in Australia. It’s not where he thought the story would take him but it reveals a new case involving Elon and his spies. You can find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - f ... Show More
40m 34s
Jun 2024
The other Gas Man | The Gas Man Ep 4
<p>Chloe makes a startling discovery about another chemical trafficker that has consequences for her investigation. A Kurdish survivor of mustard gas shares her story.</p><br><p>To find out more about Tortoise:</p><br><p><a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tortoise/id144142899 ... Show More
46m 41s
Oct 2024
Pedo guy | Elon's Spies Ep1
<p>In 2018, Vernon Unsworth is at the centre of a global news story. He plays a crucial role in rescuing a young football team who became trapped in a flooded cave system. Overnight, he is a hero. But there’s a darker side of his story that’s less well known. That’s where Elon Mu ... Show More
38m 49s
Jul 2024
That amazing healer lady | Dangerous Memories Ep 1
<p>A group of well-heeled young English women hear about an intriguing therapist figure, who describes herself as a ‘teacher of personal development’. One by one they start to visit her for sessions and, for some, it will lead to disastrous consequences.&nbsp;</p><br><p>This is e ... Show More
38m 58s
Jul 2024
The bath | Ep 1
Neil Gaiman is one of the world’s most successful authors. And one of the most loved. His works have been adapted for film, TV and the stage. Now two women, a former nanny and a fan, allege he sexually assaulted and abused them while they were in consensual relationships with him ... Show More
56m 17s
Oct 2024
Introducing ...Elon's Spies
Introducing...Elon's SpiesElon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser. But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s le ... Show More
40m 45s
Nov 2024
The world’s loneliest penguin
<p>An emperor penguin has turned up on a surfers beach in southwestern Australia, more than 2000 miles away from its natural habitat in the Antarctic. How did it end up so far off course?&nbsp;</p><br><p>Writer and producer: Claudia Williams</p><p>Episode photography: Jon Jones</ ... Show More
8 m
Nov 6
Kidnapped in Colombia: Into the Jungle (Part 2 of 2)
We return to Matt Scott and his terrifying escapade in South America. The young British backpacker was recently kidnapped by armed men. But he’s just made a break for it - over a precipitous ridge deep in the rainforest. Will he make it down in one piece? Will the soldiers lay ch ... Show More
49m 42s