The founding team consists of three former senior editors on the Observer New Review, Sarah Donaldson, Jane Ferguson and Imogen Carter, the paper’s former creative director Lynsey Irvine, and investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr.
The team says it has signed two of the Guardian and Observer’s former columnists, comedian Stewart Lee and agony aunt Philippa Perry and a wider team of journalists across the arts, tech and politics.
Led by Sarah Donaldson, the former deputy editor of the Observer New Review, they aim to publish a blend of culture journalism that connects the dots between arts, tech and politics.
The new title will soft-launch on Tuesday September 30 in Liverpool during the Labour Party conference with a panel that includes contributing editor Carol Vorderman, columnist Stewart Lee and film critic Ellen E Jones.
The first phase of The Nerve will include a beta website and twice-weekly newsletter with plans to expand to a full website and biannual print publication in 2026 around the launch of the title’s first major investigation.
Donaldson said: “We chose the name because we realised nerve is the essential quality needed in our increasingly turbulent world. Too many people in positions of power are losing nerve, and the people we most admire have it in spades. We want to channel that kind of courage into a new publication. As our lives become more and more dominated by AI and algorithms we love that the name feels human and captures the idea of connecting people.”
Other contributing editors include actor Michael Sheen, US writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, photographer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Misan Harriman, musician and activist Brian Eno and investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan. Contributing writers include reporter John Sweeney, who will cover Reform, film critic and broadcaster Ellen E Jones, Kadish Morris, art critic Emily LaBarge and author and podcast host Dorian Lynskey, who will write about theatre.
Donaldson says that discussions about launching the Nerve began while Guardian News & Media was in the process of transferring the Observer title to Tortoise Media. That followed a contentious four-day journalist strike over the deal.
“That whole process really sharpened our minds,” she said. “We decided to launch a title that the journalists themselves would own, that would be truly independent, and that would have a deep and genuine connection with its members. We want to bring fun and a sense of community to covering our passion. Think of the Nerve as a dose of cultural courage for your inbox.
“The arts are fundamental to how we as human beings navigate and understand fundamental change. As a recently resurfaced Jon Stewart clip has it: ‘Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry.’ Culture has moved to the political centre stage. We want to tell people about the best and most urgent work of our artists and creatives.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive feedback we’ve had and the incredible names who’ve signed up. Stewart Lee and Philippa Perry were frequently among the most-read contributors across the entire Guardian and Observer’s weekend output. This is only the start of the journey and it’s a strategic decision to start small so that we can grow with our readers and be shaped by what they want.”
The Nerve is launching on beehiiv, one of the fastest growing newsletter platforms, and is the first UK outlet to be supported by its ‘Media Collective’ programme, joining US publications such as Status, set up by former CNN media correspondent, Oliver Darcy, and technology newsletter, Garbage Day. The Nerve will feature live events - talks with tech writer Cory Doctorow and actor Michael Sheen are already planned - followed by a rollout of multimedia and audio output.
Carole Cadwalladr launched her own newsletter - How to Survive the Broligarchy - late last year after becoming an NUJ spokesperson during the strike. She was not offered a new contract with the Observer. The rest of the team opted to take redundancy packages from Guardian News & Media.
Cadwalladr said: “I’ve loved going truly independent but I’ve always believed that journalism is a team sport. The former Observer New Review team are some of the most talented editors in the UK, Lynsey is the best creative director in the business and I’m thrilled to be part of a collective that’s fully journalist-owned and that is going to be able to take risks and experiment at a time when so many people believe the mainstream media is failing to step up to the moment.
“We have hard-hitting investigations in the pipeline but we also want to have fun. Sarah was my editor through the entire Cambridge Analytica investigation and she really did have nerves of steel. And she and Jane and Imogen have always understood the power of ‘the mix’ with cultural inspiration and entertainment alongside more serious features.”
Advisors include former Observer and Guardian US editor, John Mulholland. He said: “It’s a stellar team with decades of experience. They lived and breathed the Observer’s liberal progressive values. It’s genuinely exciting to see them taking such a bold move. If ever there was a time for some (N)nerve, it’s now.”
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