Bedside Guardian 2026

Wars launched without warning, wildfires raging in Britain, a man with a bin on his head briefly becoming a political superstar … 2026 has been nothing if not startling.

Culture and sport delivered their own gasps of surprise – from raw, tell-all albums to astonishing record-breaking marathons – and of course there was a heart-shaking World Cup.

For the last 12 months, Guardian journalists have travelled to flood zones to find washed-away villages, followed political money trails to the pockets of billionaires, and done deep-dives into chatbot consciousness. They had ringside seats for the shouts of unexpected joy too – New Yorkers partying with their new mayor, a Ukrainian soldier returning from the dead and middle aged women rediscovering the delights of the dancefloor.

In this round-up of remarkable articles and photos from the previous year, we can see evidence of both the best and worst of humanity – and savour some of the most incisive, thought-provoking and moving journalism the world has to offer.

THE BEDSIDE GUARDIAN 2026
Edited by Homa Khaleeli
Foreword by Gordon Brown

‘The Epstein files reveal a patriarchy in action. This is a world where the men are rich and powerful, and the women are not. The emails showcase the private behaviour of a male ruling class, as they network, joke, and trade information. Women exist at the periphery, tolerated because they arrange food, they organise diaries, they provide sex, they grace a table.’
Amelia Gentleman on the Epstein files

‘It makes no sense to put off enjoyment or aliveness until such time as you’re no longer facing an unmanageable to-do list; you are, I regret to inform you, likely to end your life with a long to-do list of uncompleted tasks.’
Oliver Burkeman on the secret of happiness

Binface said he hoped to appeal to disillusioned Reform voters and others who would have voted for other parties, given a chance. ‘When you think about it, you can see why I might court the immigrant vote,’ he added. ‘I’m the ultimate alien, though I should stress, not an illegal one.’
Peter Walker on Count Binface