The Story
Episodes
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...
'Soldier X': What we know so far about the killing of Agnes Wanjiru
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the past six weeks, The Sunday Times has been reporting on the unsolved murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a young mother living near a British Army base in...
COP26: Inside the Amazon tribe fighting to save the rainforest
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the first week of COP26 draws to a close, we're going on a journey, deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest to see how one indigenous tribe is...
Havana Syndrome: Super weapon or hysteria?
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Since 2016, a mysterious illness has affected US diplomatic and security staff working abroad. The symptoms include headaches, fatigue and problems wi...
The Trump voters building a new state in the American Redoubt
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A year on from the US presidential election, America's most conservative citizens are relocating en masse to a remote region in the Pacific North...
Lebanon: Anatomy of a failed state
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lebanon is in economic crisis with shortages of food, medicine and electricity on the ground. Today, how did the country, whose capital was once ...
Good COP, bad COP: What to expect from the climate summit
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As delegates from almost two hundred nations gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference, the stakes couldn't be higher. But can the conference...
The pandemic: The best and worst case scenarios for this winter
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Will this winter be good, bad, or somewhere in between? Today we take stock of the pandemic, and science editor Tom Whipple helps us imagine what migh...
Perez Hilton: The gossip blogger who changed celebrity culture forever
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Perez Hilton was the original celebrity gossip blogger, who spared no one with his spiky, often malicious posts – and Britney Spears became a favour...
Rishi Sunak's spending review: Is the economy going back to the 70s?
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the chancellor's budget and spending review tomorrow, we look for lessons from the past. Plus, The Times speaks with Rishi Sunak.This podcast...
The tech billionaires trying to outmanoeuvre death
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The desire to live forever is as old as life itself. Now some of the world's richest people are investing heavily in the science of immortality. Could...
What can be done to keep MPs safe?
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Westminster, the shock was palpable. How could this have happened again? While MPs' safety is being re-examined following the killing of Sir David ...
Eric Zemmour: Right-wing firebrand, potential president?
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As politicians in France vie to be the challenger in next year's French presidential election an outsider looks to be a contender. Who is Eric Zemmour...
The inside story of Newcastle United's Saudi takeover
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a landmark deal signed earlier this month, Newcastle United was bought by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium. The club now has the richest owners i...
What are Vladimir Putin's mercenaries doing in West Africa?
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When a cargo plane containing four helicopters and a large consignment of military hardware touched down in the capital of Mali last month, observers ...
Tim Shipman on Boris Johnson's big gamble
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson may have appeared unassailable last week at Conservative Party conference, but could the next few months cause the prime minister more o...
Testosterone in women's sport: What makes an athlete?
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the UK, there is no clear consensus about how trans athletes should be included in competitive sport. Last month, a major review by the Sports Coun...
Nine British soldiers and the murder of Agnes Wanjiru
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nine years ago Agnes Wanjiru was found dead in a septic tank in Kenya. The young mother vanished after British troops enjoyed a debauched night out in...
Prince Andrew: No way back
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With allegations of sexual abuse, a dubious friendship with a convicted paedophile and a court case set to unfold in America, is it the end of the roa...
Bonus episode: Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory
09 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Something a bit different on Stories of our times today.Today's show consists of a recording that was thought to have been lost, of an electric perfor...
Policing in the dock: What's wrong with the Met?
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens has brought the force to a point of near-crisis. The government has a...
Sick Money (Pt 2): How Big Pharma made a killing from the pandemic
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The second of two episodes this week, taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry.Big drug companies have won plaudits for their work producin...
Sick Money (Pt 1): Exposing the drug companies' price gouging tactics
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of two episodes this week, we're taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry. How much does the medication you take actually cost...
Childcare is a mess. Who will tidy it up?
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The childcare sector is on its knees with nursery staff on low wages struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile parents buckle under the pressure of soar...
Britain's supply chain crisis: A new 'winter of discontent'?
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's being called a 'perfect storm'. Rocketing gas prices and a shortage of lorry drivers have combined to cause a devastating ripple of chaos for bus...
Cannabis psychosis: How super-powered skunk blew our minds
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cannabis is far stronger than it used to be, and psychosis rates are soaring. What's causing some cannabis users to develop mental health issues, and ...
The climate change radicals causing motorway mayhem
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Insulate Britain has staged sit-ins on the M25 and on the roads to Heathrow and the Port of Dover. The protesters are willing to risk going to prison ...
Cash for access: Prince Charles and the oligarch
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Clarence House is caught up in a scandal involving a Russian banker, a group of royal fixers and a £500,000 donation that went missing. The Sunday Ti...
AUKUS: What lies beneath the new submarine pact?
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Until last week, it was one of the government's most closely guarded secrets. Only about ten people in Britain had been privy to the details.And then ...
Priti Patel: Turning the tide on the migrant crisis?
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In her two years as Home Secretary, Priti Patel has cultivated an image as a hardliner on immigration. Despite all her tough talk, the extent to which...
Trouble for Auntie: Testing times at the BBC
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's been an intense year for the BBC: budget cuts, a series of staff departures and redundancies, accusations of bias… and now, it has a hawkish ne...
Unregistered: The schools unaccountable for child abuse
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Violence and neglect are rife in unregistered schools across the UK. We explore how a legal loophole allows these establishments to operate under the ...
Thinking Straight (Pt 7): The ban
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors'&nb...
Justin Trudeau: The rise and (possible) fall of Canada's PM
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last month Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election, hoping to capitalise on support for his pandemic response. With the election...
The history of abortion in America
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A new law restricting abortions in the state of Texas could spell the end of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which guaranteed access to abortion for wom...
San Francisco and the American nightmare
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Since the internet boom in the mid-90s, San Francisco has become a tech superpower, overtaking Silicon Valley. The city has more billionaires per...
Back to life? What Covid has in store this autumn
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As people return to work and school, and Covid numbers continue to rise, just how normal might this autumn be?This podcast was brought to you thanks t...
Thinking Straight (Pt 6): Conversion and transitioning
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors'&nb...
COP26: The road to Glasgow
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Next month world leaders will come together in Glasgow for COP26, the annual UN climate change conference, where the fate of the planet hangs in the b...