The Story
Episodes
The Hollywood fairytale of Wrexham football club
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When two actors decided to buy non-league football club Wrexham AFC, they brought the cameras with them to document every moment. With the Hollywood l...
The scandal that shook the NHS
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago today, a public inquiry concluded that patients were subject to shocking levels of neglect at Stafford Hospital, putting it among the wo...
Sunak's first 100 days: Promises, scandals and strikes
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak’s been in Number 10 for 100 days. So how’s he doing? What’s he been doing? And with Labour leading in the polls, can the UK’s thir...
The school strikes explained
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Across England and Wales today, many schools are closed and pupils are at home as the UK’s biggest teaching union goes on strike - the first of seve...
Why German tanks are going to war in Europe
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Germany confirmed it would send tanks to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia. The announcement came after weeks of foot-dragging on...
What's killing the Teesside crabs?
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a nightmarish scene unfolded on the beaches of northeast England in the last few months of 2021, fishermen raised the alarm. The mass die-off of ...
The cache and the caucus: How Biden's documents may strengthen his enemies
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On 9 January a story broke that classified documents had been found at a Washington DC office used by President Biden. In the weeks since, four more d...
A serial rapist inside the Met police
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the country’s worst sex offenders plead guilty to 48 rapes of 12 women committed over almost 20 years while he was a police officer for the M...
How the rich and powerful try to intimidate the press
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Until recently the term Slapp – strategic lawsuit against public participation – meant very little. But yesterday in parliament, an MP introduced ...
Iran: Fighting back in the face of execution
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Protests - sparked by the death of a young woman in the custody of Iranian morality police - have continued for over four months, evolving to incorpor...
The gender bill dividing the UK
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government has blocked Scottish gender recognition reforms, which would allow anyone over the age of 16 to self-declare their gender and be rec...
Are dating apps running out of steam?
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021, Sunday Times writer Megan Agnew experienced a strange sort of heartbreak after a relationship that began on a dating app. It got her thinking...
How Taylor Swift became the voice of a generation
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Taylor Swift is set to embark on her biggest and most expensive world tour. Fans flew into a frenzy when tickets went on sale after several...
Wagner Group: The private army leading Russia’s fightback
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine continues to deny Russia’s claims of victory in Soledar, where the Wagner Group – a private army – has been fighting. Why is Russia figh...
Thermonuclear fusion: A star on earth to power the world?
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At an experimental nuclear reactor in the south of France, 35 countries are trying to build a star on earth. It's just one of several facilities aroun...
Could Boris Johnson really bounce back?
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Six months since his resignation, Boris Johnson has been keeping busy. Leadership chatter won’t go away, but he is happy to let his old friends do t...
Andrew Tate's malign online influence
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the controversial influencer Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detainment on charges of rape and human trafficking in Romania was rejected...
Sam Bankman-Fried: The unravelling of a crypto whizz kid
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the disgraced boss of crypto firm FTX pleaded not guilty to fraud-related charges. Just months before, billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried had be...
Prince Harry: Going Spare
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the publication yesterday of Prince Harry's hotly anticipated memoir – Spare – it's been another explosive week for the royal family. So what...
Can the NHS be fixed any time soon?
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After fraught crisis talks, the government announced its plans to fix the NHS. So what's really going on behind hospital doors? How did we get here? A...
China's Covid gamble
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A month after the Chinese government announced an abrupt end to its “zero-Covid” policy, lifting virtually all the restrictions its citizens had b...
How I stopped being a problem drinker
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Like increasing numbers of Brits, columnist Robert Crampton had a guilty secret: he was drinking more, the older he got. Way more. In a brutally hones...
The spy who infiltrated the ‘New IRA’
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Details have emerged in court about how an undercover MI5 agent managed to infiltrate and gather evidence on the political wing of the ‘New IRA’. ...
The new science of eating well
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How should we eat? What should we eat?Author and epidemiologist Tim Spector says it’s time to ban the D word – ‘dieting’ – lose the calorie ...
Ukraine and beyond: The world in 2023
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a period of global upheaval unlike any other in living memory, we look back at the year war came to Ukraine, and how its fallout has changed Eur...
Best of 2022: Can an AI bot convince you that it's sentient?
01 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the festive period, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022.Google engineer Blake Lemoine brought an unusual concern to ...
Best of 2022: The Falklands, 40 years on: A father and son’s story
31 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022.In April 1982, Captain Christopher Craig ...
Best of 2022: The cult of crypto: How $2 trillion went up in flames
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022.It promised a financial revolution - a li...
Best of 2022: The real story of Colditz
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022.It's a legend many of us have grown up wi...
Best of 2022: Why our man in Moscow had to leave
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022.As the Ukraine war progressed, journalist...
Best of 2022: Anthony Loyd on his kidnap and escape
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. We begin with one of the most riveting s...
Wine Times with Jane Garvey and Fi Glover
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's Christmas Eve bonus episode comes courtesy of our sister podcast: Wine Times.Discussing and decanting with Suzi Ruffell and Will Lyons on a li...
The best letters to the editor of 2022
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every day, hundreds of readers write into The Times and The Sunday Times. In a year when the news didn’t seem to stop, the letters editors of the tw...
Rebuilding Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Afghanistan. Foreign financial government support has run dry, and ai...
Strikes: Is there any end in sight?
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Strike action on a scale not seen since the 1980s is set to continue into January as workers demand pay rises to match spiralling inflation. Today, as...
A life well lived: Remembering those we lost in 2022
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Times has an august history of recording the lives of significant people, and has been doing so in the obituaries pages since the 19th century. To...
The British man rescuing Ukrainians from Putin’s war
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
British volunteer Dave Young has rescued over 800 Ukrainians from the war's frontline, as well as losing his right eye to shrapnel. Anthony Loyd and f...
Qatar 2022: 'Like globalisation on an acid trip'
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As one of the most controversial World Cups in living memory heads towards its final climax this weekend -- what was it actually like being there? And...
Why helping a generation of children starts with breakfast
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day but, for increasing numbers of children, it’s a meal they miss, affecting their concentration an...
Sandy Hook a decade on: How the AR-15 became ‘America’s Rifle’
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been 10 years since America’s deadliest mass shooting in an elementary (primary) school. In the years since, the weapon used - the AR-15 - ha...
Two voices from Ukraine: 'You cannot get used to this'
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we hear from two Ukrainian journalists who we spoke to back in March, at the beginning of Russia's invasion. At that time, Kateryna Malofieieva...
Moral hypocrisy: Why are our celebrities so nice?
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are we living in a world where there is pressure on those in the public eye to exude virtue above all else? Where has this sensibility come from and i...
Do private schools need a rethink?
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the last few weeks, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for private schools in the UK to have their charitable status scrapped, but why?A...
Rishi Sunak's winter of discontent
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Rishi Sunak outlasts his predecessor in the top job, just how is he doing? With polls suggesting a heavy Conservative loss at the next election, a ...
Why it's time to talk about male suicide
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Seventy-five percent of all lives lost to suicide in the UK are male. And one charity is leading a campaign to do something about it. For this year, T...
Nato’s arms race with Putin
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Putin’s invasion has ushered in a new era of industrial warfare. As the winter freeze sets in, the pace of the war has not yet abated. Weapon stocks...
The British Museum or Greece: Who should lose their marbles?
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, reports emerged that the chair of the British Museum, ex-chancellor George Osborne, has been holding ‘secret’ talks with the Gre...
China’s protests: A view from the inside
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese cities have seen days of extraordinary protests calling for an end to the country’s zero-Covid measures, and for President Xi to step down. ...
Nicola Sturgeon's great independence gamble
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a stinging rebuke from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom - which ruled that the devolved Scottish parliament cannot authorise an independe...
Tutankhamun: The Times scoop of a century
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One hundred years ago, when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered in Egypt, the world learnt of the treasures via The Times which had secured th...
Is the House of Lords beyond fixing?
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every prime minister's last act in office is to choose a final list of people to elevate to the House of Lords, parliament's second chamber. And Boris...
How a dead police officer’s phone exposed misogyny, corruption and racism
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, retired Gwent police officer Ricky Jones took his own life. Jones’s family - who he’d subjected to years of abuse - looked through his ol...
The Stasi's Romeo Agents (Pt 2) - The Spy Who Left Me
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Romeo agents have infiltrated the West German Government by wooing secretaries of high-up officials. In the second part of this two-part series, a new...
The Stasi's Romeo Agents (Pt 1) - School for Seduction
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the best way to spy on your enemies? Sleep with their secretaries. In part one of this two-part series, new evidence is unearthed of East Ger...
Undercover at Boohoo: The human cost of fast fashion
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fast fashion clothing company Boohoo has exploded in popularity since the pandemic. After reports of appalling working conditions in 2020, the company...
The perfect storm facing the NHS
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amid staff shortages, Covid backlogs and potentially the first national nursing strike in the NHS’s history, the health service is facing a challeng...
Donald Trump's third run
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It was the worst-kept secret in US politics: that former President Trump would be running again in 2024. After a disappointing midterm election for Re...
Putin’s humiliation, Kherson’s liberation: Inside an occupied city
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainian troops forced Putin’s war machine into a chaotic exit from the city of Kherson last Friday. After eight months of Russian occupation, it w...
Camp 41: The research station helping to save the Amazon
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the 27th UN Climate Change Conference draws to a close, The Times’ environment editor Adam Vaughan has travelled deep into the Amazon rainforest ...
Are we entering Austerity 2.0?
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tomorrow, our newest Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will announce his Autumn Statement. In previews, he's prepared the country for 'some pain' to fill a £50 ...
Could a jab cure cancer?
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The team behind one of the most successful Covid-19 vaccines have returned to their original mission: making cancer vaccines. The BioNTech professors ...
World Cup: Our football writer’s five stages of grief
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the twelve years since Qatar was awarded the World Cup, a number of questions have been raised about the appropriateness of hosting the tournament ...
Inside Hong Kong: A city on the edge?
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Draconian Covid rules and crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters turned the global business hub into a walled city. As it slowly reopens, expats are c...
Britain’s migration crisis, explained
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman is at the centre of a migration crisis after the Manston immigration centre was reported as unsafe, understaffed a...
Bird flu: The devastating pandemic that’s flown under the radar
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over 5.5 million farm birds have been culled to stem the largest outbreak of avian influenza ever recorded in the UK. The virus has spread to Britain’...
US midterms 2022: An existential election
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tomorrow, for the first time since the election that many Americans still believe was 'stolen', voters in the US head back to the polls. Almost everyt...
Has Brazil's election helped to save the planet?
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brazil’s left-wing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has achieved a historic victory over his far-right rival, the incumbent president Jai...
The fall of Facebook
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years the once dominant social media platform has been hit by problem after problem. Fewer people use it, and revenues and profits are down....
Could Donald Trump go to jail?
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Former US president Donald Trump is facing a host of legal issues. So which could prove the most problematic for him and what could be the consequence...
Harry and Meghan: What the courtiers saw
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A royal correspondent’s best sources are often the unseen aides, advisors and staff, working behind the scenes. Who are these advisors? What do they...
The challenge ahead for Rishi Sunak
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of his first week in power, Rishi Sunak already faces a backlash over his choice for home secretary. And more importantly, what can he poss...
Is Labour ready for power?
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With Labour riding high in the polls, Keir Starmer is calling for an early general election. But after 12 years in the shadows, few members of La...
Is the UK heading for a housing crash?
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mortgage rates have risen sharply, hitting their highest levels in 14 years. We trace the ripple effect across the economy, as higher rates threaten t...
Lance Armstrong: The flawed fairytale
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In October 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was banned from the sport for life and stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles after anti-doping a...
Liz Truss quits – and Boris Johnson weighs his return
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
She’s the shortest serving prime minister in British history.As the Conservative party embarks on the process of finding another new leader, Tim Shi...
The child abuse inquiry: What have we learned since Jimmy Savile?
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago, the Jimmy Savile affair shocked the nation, sparking a moral panic about child abuse and institutional cover ups. In response, the gove...
Can the new chancellor save the economy – and the PM?
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has announced plans to scrap “almost all” the tax cuts in last month’s mini-budget and curtail support for hous...
The Post Office scandal and the broken system that caused it
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The second stage of the inquiry into the Post Office scandal begins this week, focusing on the computer system at the centre of the story. How much di...
Will China invade Taiwan?
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China’s ruling Communist Party’s Congress begins on Sunday where Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term - effectively allowi...
Meet the Editors: Celebrating 200 years of The Sunday Times
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month the Sunday Times turns 200 years old. To mark the occasion, Times Radio’s John Pienaar has been speaking to the editors: Emma Tucker, who...
Elon Musk (probably) buys Twitter
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a long and twisting road: six months of ‘on again off again’, after Elon Musk made an offer to buy Twitter, only to back out a few mon...
The real story of Colditz
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a legend many of us have grown up with: a plucky group of British officers, finding themselves trapped in a heavily guarded POW camp during the S...
Putin's draft, sham referendums and the Ukrainian fight back
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Vladimir Putin turns 70 today. In recent weeks, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen territorial losses, a shambolic partial mobilisation, sham ref...
A wild weekend of... Scrabble
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We take a look at a popular Sunday Times feature about the National Scrabble Championships in the UK and uncover a hidden community of word nerds. Plu...
Why Iranians are burning their hijabs
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini whilst in police custody has sparked nationwide protests in Iran. The authorities have responded with a heavy cra...
The Chancellor, the u-turn and a political meltdown
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After nine days of political pressure, chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has u-turned on the government’s plan to abolish the top rate of income tax, saying...
The hunt for FBI 'fugitive' Nicholas Rossi
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After an international manhunt, the FBI and Interpol say they have found a man wanted on multiple charges in four US states, who faked his death befor...
A eulogy for the 'good' internet
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the World Wide Web was launched in 1991, hopes for it were high. But three decades later, the internet seems to be defined not by interconnectivi...
Death in Qatar: What really happened to British businessman Marc Bennett?
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Christmas Day three years ago British businessman Marc Bennett was found dead in his four star hotel room in Qatar. He'd been successfully working ...
How religious clashes came to Leicester
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leicester has always been held up as a beacon of multicultural Britain. But for more than two weeks, the city has witnessed religious clashes between ...
The South Korean culture machine that conquered the world
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From Squid Game to K-pop to kimchi, South Korea has taken the planet by storm. How did a once-impoverished country turn its fortunes around? And what ...
How Labour plans to defeat Liz Truss
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the Labour Party meets in Liverpool for its annual conference, the dividing lines between the two biggest parties have rarely been more stark. Ahea...
Is Italy heading for its first hard right leader since Mussolini?
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The hard right is on the rise in Italy. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is tipped to win Sunday’s general election. If it does, she’ll ...
A beginner's guide to Trussonomics
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss has inherited an economy in turmoil. With the nation on the verge of recession and significant challenge...
The secret history of women’s football
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Women’s Super League kicked off this weekend, following the euphoria of the Lionesses' win at Euro 2022 this summer. How was that success won? W...
What the world makes of Liz Truss
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss will make her first foreign trip as prime minister this week to the UN general assembly in New York. She already has plenty of experience in...
What can we expect from King Charles III?
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a lifetime of preparation the former Prince of Wales became King Charles III. What kind of monarch will he be? What challenges will he face? And...
Ukraine’s fightback: A turning point in the war?
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainian forces have retaken over 3000 sq miles of Russian-occupied territories in the northeast of the country. Could these developments signal a ch...
A private audience: The Queen and her prime ministers
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over her reign, Queen Elizabeth II saw more prime ministers than any previous monarch. What relationship did she have with them and what happens behin...
The Queen as diplomat: William Hague reflects
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of her life the Queen visited every inhabited continent and met hundreds of world leaders, helping the UK forge relations across the g...