The girl from Acton | We call her Emma Ep1

The girl from Acton | We call her Emma Ep1

From Lucky Boy | Tortoise Investigates by The Observer

July 7, 2026 · 41 min · Season 20 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode explores the life of Emma, who becomes Asma al-Assad, the first lady of Syria, after marrying the son of a dictator.

Emma is a high achieving, middle class woman from West London - she’s destined for a successful career and a comfortable British life. But in 2001 she makes a decision that will come to define her - she marries the son of a dictator and becomes Asma al-Assad, the first lady of Syria. We call her Emma is a 6 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer. To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription. You'll get access to: This series and all our podcasts before anyone else Ad-free listening Premium newsletters Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword Exclusive offers from our partners including Mubi and iescape Tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads. Reporter - Chloe Hadjimatheou Producer - Gary Marshall Sound design - Karla Patella Podcast artwork - Lola Williams & Eliza Bourner Executive producers - Jasper Corbett and Basia Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Chloe Hadjimatheou

Topics covered

  • biography
  • politics
  • marriage
  • dictatorship
  • Syria
  • identity

Keywords

  • Emma
  • Asma al-Assad
  • Syria
  • dictator
  • marriage
  • biography
  • politics

Sponsors

The Observer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tortoise Investigates, The Observer, Acast

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