The Manchester Guardian viewed itself as a leading liberal voice and wanted to extend its reach, particularly in the United States, in the changing political climate after the First World War.

Before long the Manchester Guardian could boast "there is scarcely a corner of the civilised world to which it is not being posted regularly", although the newspaper was banned in Nazi Germany[5] for a time.

By the end of Ensor's editorship, curtailed by his death from cancer in 2007,[10] more advances in technology meant that even Weekly readers in the most remote locations were able to access the internet.

In 2007 a digital edition[12] of the Guardian Weekly was created, an editor's blog[13] was added and a presence on social media sites Facebook[14] and Twitter[15] came soon after.

[16] The Guardian Weekly’s evolution continued under Abby Deveney,[17] a newspaper, newswire and web editor with more than three decades of international experience living and working in North America, Asia and Europe.

Under Canadian Deveney, the Weekly embraced long-form journalism, with a greater emphasis on insightful writing, deep analysis and lively features that showcase a well-rounded world view.

[19] The title is printed at sites in the UK, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the United States in a full-colour news magazine format.

Britain, Australia, the United States and Canada are the Guardian Weekly’s top markets, followed by New Zealand, France and Germany.

[1] Readers say typical reasons for subscribing include: a family habit of taking the Manchester Guardian; a spell working abroad in development or teaching; and retirement or emigration (often to Australia, New Zealand or North America).