The Story

Inside GCHQ: A conversation with the director

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over two episodes, Matthew Syed takes listeners inside GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham. Today, he speaks to the Director, Sir Jeremy Fleming, on a...

The conversion therapy row

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the government said it would ban so-called conversion therapy for gay or bisexual people in England and Wales, but not for transgender peopl...

The Falklands: 40 years on, a father and son’s story

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In April 1982, Captain Christopher Craig set sail with his crew on the frigate HMS Alacrity to the Falkland Islands after Argentina had invaded the Br...

P&O Ferries: Lost at sea

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since firing 800 of its employees with no warning, P&O Ferries has faced mounting pressure from the government and calls for CEO Peter Hebblethwai...

The Metaverse: New frontiers or same old issues?

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been billed as the future of the internet. But what exactly is 'The Metaverse'? One Sunday Times journalist takes a journey into the the virtual-...

The Ukrainian exodus

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly four million refugees have fled the war in Ukraine since it began a month ago. It's the biggest movement of people since records began. We hear...

Could Putin be prosecuted for war crimes?

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitals bombed. Thousands of civilians killed. If war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, as many suspect, have the events of the past month expo...

Cocaine and kids: The new face of football hooliganism

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every week thousands of fans criss-cross the country to support their football team, but among them are those who others wish would stay at home. A Ti...

Ukraine's Foreign Legion

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When President Zelensky put a call out for fighters to join the defence of Ukraine against the Russian assault, an estimated 20,000 answered - includi...

Why is everything so expensive?

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're feeling the pinch as the cost of everyday items increases. Why is this happening? And what might the Chancellor say in his Spring Statement to a...

Covid is back. Why?

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Covid cases are surging in the UK, and more people over 70 are testing positive than at any time in the pandemic. What’s going on? We speak to one o...

Freezing Putin’s war chest: Are the sanctions working?

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A number of Western nations have imposed sanctions on Russia, its leadership and some of Putin's alleged allies. But are they working?This podcast was...

Investigation: Undercover at the DVLA

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Times undercover investigation has revealed a catalogue of problems at the DVLA that have led to drivers waiting for months for their licence renewa...

Is Russia's war good or bad for China?

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, in a further sign that the Russian military could be in trouble, it was revealed that the Kremlin asked China for military aid. But will Be...

The truth behind Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's imprisonment in Iran

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After nearly six years of detention in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released to join her family in the UK. Here, we return to an episode f...

Ukraine: Mothers and babies caught in conflict

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last Wednesday, a maternity hospital in Mariupol was bombed. The World Health Organisation says there have been 24 attacks in Ukraine on healthcare fa...

The 'ghost children' of the pandemic

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been almost two years since the first national lockdown, when schools closed their doors and the nation's families got to grips with home schooli...

Reporting from Ukraine's front line

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the war stretches into its third week, the city of Kharkiv has been among the worst hit. Today: what it's like to report from a city devastate...

Sporting boycotts and the hockey player who could ice Putin

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the government with his assets in the UK frozen, leaving the football club in limbo. T...

The view from Russia

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ruble is in free fall and western companies have pulled out of Russia. Those who are brave enough to protest the war are being arrested, while oth...

Russian forces vs the Ukrainian spirit

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While Ukrainian cities are being bombarded with Russian fire, it might be of little comfort but Ukraine is winning the information war. Whether it's i...

‘Putin has already lost’: A conversation with the former head of UK armed forces

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did the British military see Putin’s war in Ukraine coming? What more should Britain be doing? And how might the war end? Manveen Rana speaks with t...

What Putin wants

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is going through his mind? Where will this end? And would he press that button?There's a view of Putin which says these are impossible questions ...

The murder of Sarah Everard, a year on

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One year ago this week, Sarah Everard was kidnapped by a serving police officer as she walked home in south London and then raped and killed. Her murd...

Volodymyr Zelensky: Comedian to commander

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

He describes himself as the enemy’s number one target. So, as a plot to assassinate the Ukrainian President was reportedly thwarted by the nation’...

How the Ukraine crisis has changed Germany's place in the world

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The war in Ukraine is forcing countries to reconsider their relations with Europe's easternmost neighbour. As Germany prepares to almost double its sp...

Ukraine: Living in a warzone

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As thousands flee the bombing to get to safety, we hear from two local journalists about what it's like to watch and report as your home country comes...

The Russian mercenaries stalking President Zelensky

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Ukraine’s capital Kyiv continues to come under fire from Russian forces, a 36-hour curfew has been imposed and residents have taken shelter. One ...

The week that shook the monarchy

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following the announcement of Prince Andrew’s settlement with Virginia Guiffre, the Queen was diagnosed with Covid and Prince Charles faced question...

How the truckers' protests divided Canada

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last weekend police swept through Ottawa, clearing a settlement of protestors. For three weeks, truck drivers from all over the country gathered in th...

Pam & Tommy: The sex tape that launched the internet

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When a home video was leaked back in 1995, the intimate lives of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee were available for all to see in a way that had never p...

Putin sends the tanks into Ukraine

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The drumbeat of war has been ringing loudly in the last few days. Last night it reached fever pitch, as President Putin addressed Russia and...

Trump: The 800-pound gorilla in the Republican Party

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite various legal battles closing in on him, Donald Trump remains a looming presence and the de facto leader of the Republican Party in the US. Bu...

The US-style conspiracy theorists now at work in Britain

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week a small mob filmed themselves shouting abuse at the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, including the offensive call of ‘paedo protector’.&...

Cressida Dick's resignation: What next for the Met?

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The resignation of Dame Cressida Dick leaves a vacuum at the top of Britain's biggest police force. What eroded London mayor Sadiq Khan's confidence i...

Being a woman under the new Taliban

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks six months since the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, to the Taliban. They now control the entire country and life there has transfor...

What causes long Covid?

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Covid swept the world, it also swept The Times. For some colleagues it was mild; for others it meant months in intensive care. And for a third grou...

Can magic mushrooms treat mental illness?

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

They're illegal Class A drugs in the UK - right alongside cocaine and heroine. But new research is exploring whether magic mushroom micro-dosing can t...

Spotify, Joe Rogan and the Covid culture war

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It began last month when a number of musical titans began to leave Spotify, accusing Joe Rogan's podcast of spreading Covid misinformation. Rogan's na...

How British institutions were funded by the opioid epidemic

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For years, the Sackler family were one of the go-to philanthropic organisations in the UK, but now, as they face lawsuits in the US for their role in ...

A MeToo moment for medicine

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stories of sexual harassment and assault are emerging in the health professions and some are now speaking out for the first time. We hear what happene...

Will Putin invade Ukraine?

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over 100,000 Russian troops have amassed on the Ukrainian border, stoking fears across the West that President Putin is posturing for an invasion. But...

Myanmar's bloody revolution, one year on

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a year since Myanmar's violent military junta overthrew the country's democratic experiment and seized power in a coup. With thousands of ci...

Sue Gray, partygate and what it means for Boris Johnson

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman takes us inside the halls of Westminster as a pared-down update on Sue Gray's investigation into partygate...

The Beijing Winter Olympics: Should China be left out in the cold?

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Winter Olympics is just a few days away, but before the games have even begun they’re already mired in controversy. Several countries are boycot...

Remembering the Holocaust: A survivor's story

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. In this episode, we'll hear the story of Manfred Goldberg, one of a dwindling number of survivors who are still able ...

Kim Jong-Un's decade in power

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Kim Jong-Un took over from his father as Supreme Leader of North Korea, many predicted he wouldn't last - and that the country would be changed f...

The challengers vying to replace Boris Johnson

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the Sue Gray report imminent and a Tory rebellion in the offing, secret campaigning has already started for a new prime minister. Who are the can...

Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell: What happens next?

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, Prince Andrew – no longer His Royal Highness – has failed to have a sexual assault case agai...

Veganuary: The myths, the science and the future of food

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Veganuary broke records this year, with half a million Brits giving it a go. But when even McDonalds and Greggs are getting on board the vegan train, ...

Is Uber over?

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The firm once hailed as the future of city transport is battling a driver shortage, post-pandemic demand and rising fares, leaving some disgruntled pa...

Boris Johnson: Is the party finally over?

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After numerous allegations about parties at Downing Street during lockdown, what does the future hold for Boris Johnson? Is it game over?This podcast ...

The hidden cost of the Afghanistan war (Pt 2): Coming home

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode contains strong language, discussions of suicide, and descriptions of violence in war that some listeners might find distressing.The s...

The hidden cost of the Afghanistan war (Pt 1): Trauma

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode contains strong language, discussions of suicide, and descriptions of violence in war that some listeners might find distressing.The f...

What's fuelling the protests in Kazakhstan?

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Protests and riots have spread across Kazakhstan where the government has responded with deadly force. Russian troops that had entered the countr...

Djokovic and the vaccine sceptics in sport

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's split families and friendships. Now the debate over vaccinations is tearing through the world of sport. As tennis superstar Novak Djokovic f...

Elizabeth Holmes: The downfall of a billion dollar startup

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Holmes was once hailed as a visionary, and her company Theranos was set to revolutionise the world of medicine. But her success was a tale o...

The cost of living crunch

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The cost of living is reaching a crisis - for people trying to pay the bills and for the government under pressure to find solutions. With tax rises l...

The Omicron wave: What next?

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been just over six weeks since the discovery of the Omicron variant. In England, the government now seems to be growing in confidence that it's c...

Has the pandemic affected our memories?

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sunday Times special correspondent Josh Glancy explores how the pandemic and successive lockdowns have left us in a brain fog struggling with the conc...

Biden and Trump: What to expect from US politics in 2022

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A year on from the storming of the US Capitol, 2022 looks to be anything but a quiet year in American politics. We take stock of the year gone by, and...

Brexit and Northern Ireland: The year of the protocol

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's a year since the post-Brexit transition period ended, and the Northern Ireland protocol came into effect. As Foreign Secretary Liz Truss prepares...

New Year dispatches from around the world

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a special episode of Stories of our times, where we join Times and Sunday Times correspondents around the globe. Here are their New Year postc...

Empire of pain: The Sacklers and the opioid crisis

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we head towards the end of 2021, we bring you some of the best episodes of the year. Today: Once hailed as a pain obliterating wonder drug, OxyCont...

It's more than just football: The Gareth Southgate story

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we head towards the end of 2021, we bring you some of the best episodes of the year. Today, we return to the Euros.At times over the past few years...

Three incredible tales of scientific progress

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we head towards the end of 2021, we bring you some of the best episodes of the year. Today: Extraordinary scientific advances have taken place both...

Drunk nation: Why do British people drink so much?

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we head towards the end of 2021, we bring you some of the best episodes of Stories of our times from throughout the year.Today: We drank our way th...

Jamie Cullum: Christmas wines with the piano man

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode of Stories of our times comes courtesy of our sister podcast: Wine Times. Pulling crackers and drinking wine with Miquita Oliver and W...

Joshua's story: Climbing the mountaintop

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One young man tells the story of how the challenges experienced while undertaking courses in the wilds of Britain with Outward Bound helped his own de...

A Life Well Lived: Remembering those we lost in 2021

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Times has an august history of recording the lives of significant people and has been doing so since the 19th century in the obituaries ...

Will Russia invade Ukraine?

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In recent weeks Russia has increased its military presence on the Ukrainian border, worsening already-strained relationships with the West. ...

Christmas dispatches from around the world

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a special episode of Stories of our times, where we join Times and Sunday Times correspondents around the globe. Here are their Christmas...

The Ghislaine Maxwell trial so far

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Prosecutors in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial have rested their case following two weeks of testimony. So, as the trial continues in New Yo...

The refugee chef making a difference

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Times columnist Giles Coren meets, Nestor Masudi, a chef from the Democratic Republic of Congo who arrived in the UK with nothing but - thanks to the ...

The Interpreter (Pt 2): Escape from Kabul

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday we listened back to our episode from August about an Afghan interpreter, Ahmadzai, whose life hung in the balance as the Taliban regained po...

The Interpreter (Pt 1): Hunted by the Taliban

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we come to the end of 2021, we're revisiting some of the biggest stories of the year.Today, we look back to the moment the Taliban regained power i...

How Pentecostalism is taking over the world

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From Brazil to South Korea, Justin Bieber to Bukayo Saka, Pentecostal Christianity is suddenly everywhere. By 2050, the movement is predicted to have ...

The little Somerset village taking on climate change

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's just a tiny collection of houses and a church. But could Steart in Somerset have found a pioneering solution for carbon capture? In partnership w...

The best-selling author and the man wrongly convicted of her rape

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1981, Alice Sebold gave evidence that sent a man she believed raped her to prison for 16 years. She wrote about her ordeal which took place in Syra...

The case of Peng Shuai and the calls for an Olympic boycott

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week the USA and Australia announced diplomatic boycotts of next year's Winter Olympics which are to be held in China. The announcements come at ...

What happens to Afghanistan's female judges?

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Afghanistan’s female judges worked at the highest levels of the judiciary, sentencing members of the Taliban, Isis and Al-Qaeda. Since th...

The Prussian prince, the MI6 spy and the plot to kill Hitler

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1944, some of Adolf Hitler's most trusted senior officers narrowly failed in their attempt to assassinate him. But was that the whole...

The human cost of the migrant crisis

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last Wednesday, 27 people died crossing the Channel from France in a small, inflatable dinghy. On the same day, many more did make it, landing on the ...

The Omicron variant: What we know so far

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The news of a new Covid variant swept the world in hours. Days later, new restrictions were introduced. Today: what the emergence of Omicron could mea...

The end of an era: Barbados becomes a Republic

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty-five years ago, Barbados gained independence from Britain. Despite independence, Queen Elizabeth has remained head of state. Today, th...

Can working with abusive men cut violence against women?

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Domestic violence programmes have traditionally been tailored for the victims. Now, there’s a push to work with the perpetrators to stop their abusi...

Ghislaine Maxwell on trial

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, after 16 months in solitary confinement, Ghislaine Maxwell will finally go on trial in New York, where she is charged with multiple sex tra...

The fourth wave: What's behind Europe's Covid riots

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is being battered by a fourth wave of Covid. Today we speak to our correspondent in Berlin, to find out how the German-speaking parts of Europe...

Can the NHS cope this winter?

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The NHS is under intense pressure, but since the peak of the pandemic public attention has largely moved elsewhere. Today we catch up with The Ti...

Crisis on Europe's doorstep: When migration becomes a weapon

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last week tensions at the border between neighbouring Poland and Belarus escalated as thousands of people, looking to start a new life in th...

Xi Jinping: The man behind the myth

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Xi Jinping is consolidating his position as the all-powerful president of China. But who is the man at the top of the sharpest pyramid in the world of...

Botched Botox and fillers: The ugly side of the beauty industry

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, the government brought in a new law to stop under-eighteens using Botox and fillers for cosmetic reasons in England. But with reports...

COP26: Success - or cop out?

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The ink has dried on the agreement and the dignitaries have returned home - so what really happened at COP - and what does it mean for the planet?This...

The rise of killer robots: The future of modern warfare?

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

They used to be the stuff of sci-fi and futuristic Hollywood films. But now, artificially intelligent weapons are transforming armies around the world...

The Yorkshire racism scandal engulfing English cricket

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The scandal at Yorkshire County Cricket Club has triggered a wave of resignations at the county and condemnation from all corners. It's led to an exis...

The autism research row: Genetics under fire

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Spectrum 10k was supposed to be Britain's biggest ever study of autism. But just weeks after launch, it was put on pause. As the genetics revolut...

The bullying inquiry that's shaken British horse racing

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's a sport in which men and women compete equally. But is horse racing all that it seems? New accusations paint a picture of a culture tha...

The U-bend U-turn: Why are England’s rivers so dirty?

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There was public outcry when MPs voted against stricter penalties for water companies dumping raw sewage into England’s rivers. But following a U-tu...

Insight investigation: The great untold peerage scandal

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Sunday Times investigation revealed this weekend that every chief Conservative Party treasurer in the past seven years gave the party £3m – and e...

The return of 'Tory sleaze'? Owen Paterson and the rules on MPs lobbying

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A debate on changing the procedure by which standards in Parliament are upheld last week led to a backlash from MPs - and a major u-turn. So, as the g...