The Story
Episodes
Why the Wuhan lab leak theory is being taken seriously
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden has launched a 90-day investigation into the origins of the virus, following reports which give fresh life to the Wuhan lab-leak hypot...
Trash Island: The mountain of plastic blighting the Balkans
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the middle of one of the world's most beautiful rivers, the Drina, there now floats an island of rubbish – with no one taking responsibility. How...
Millennials: Why can't they get on the housing ladder?
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Living the British dream – as dozens of TV shows testify – has always meant owning your own home. But today, if you’re a millennial in a city, a...
Failures of State: The Dominic Cummings evidence
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It was a day that brought Westminster to a standstill. Today the Sunday Times Insight team analyses the nearly 7 hours of evidence the former Dow...
How Belarus hijacked a plane
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday afternoon, a Ryanair flight to Vilnius made a sudden and dramatic landing in Minsk. In what some have described as state sponsored kidnappin...
The secret life of Bill Gates
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Since the announcement of the divorce between Bill and Melinda Gates, a fuller picture of the Microsoft billionaire’s life is emerging. What could i...
The Sunday Times Rich List: How the pandemic spawned more billionaires than ever
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The annual Sunday Times Rich List has identified a record-breaking 24 new billionaires this year. For many of us, it's been a bleak year with recurrin...
The Manchester Arena bombing: Four years on
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It happened on the 22nd of May 2017, when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb as attendees of an Ariana Grande concert were exiting the Manchester Arena...
Labour's identity crisis: Lessons from the past
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The devastating results for Labour at the Hartlepool by-election have made it clearer than ever that the party is facing an existential crisis. But it...
A view from Gaza
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two-hundred Palestinians, including fifty-nine children have been killed in Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip over the last week. Despite mountin...
Covid: Will the Indian variant change our roadmap back to normality?
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Could the Indian Covid-19 variant pose "serious disruption" to lockdown easing and what does our response tell us about the future of our pandemic str...
Italy's Five Star Movement: A well executed punchline or a comedy of errors?
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Italy's Five Star Movement, a political party co-founded by comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009, promised radical change by putting citizens back in control...
What next for Scottish independence?
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the Scottish National Party won a historic fourth term in government. With a commitment to hold another independence referendum – and a ma...
Empire of pain: The Sacklers and the opioid crisis
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once hailed as a pain obliterating wonder drug, OxyContin helped give birth to one of the most devastating public health crises in the developed world...
India's second wave
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
All across India there are scenes of devastation and desperation as the country grapples with a brutal second wave of Covid-19. What went wrong? And w...
Investigation: The prince, the palace & Putin
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A Sunday Times Insight investigation reveals a royal allegedly using their position to enrich themselves. Going undercover and working with Channel 4'...
Northern Ireland: Who will replace first minister Arlene Foster?
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Northern Ireland's first minister, DUP leader Arlene Foster, has stepped down. Who will take over the top job? And what could it mean for the future o...
Apps changing how we date: Meet the founder of Bumble
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
She cofounded Tinder in her twenties, then became the target of misogynistic trolling. Now her female-friendly dating app Bumble has made her one of t...
What does the Hartlepool by-election mean for Johnson and Starmer?
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday the 6th May, voters in Hartlepool will elect the first new MP since Boris Johnson and the Conservatives’ landslide victory in 2019. With...
President Biden's grand plan: The new Roosevelt?
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Joe Biden has proposed some of the most expansive and expensive economic reforms in America in recent political memory. He’s been keen to ...
Corrupt cops and the journalists risking all in the line of duty
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After a groundbreaking investigation carried out by The Times back in the 1960s, an anti-corruption police unit was set up to investigate corrupt...
Anatomy of a No 10 scandal
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
They're calling it the 'cash for cushions' scandal. How did the refurbishment of the prime minister's flat snowball out of control? And what lies ahea...
The curious case of Sweden (revisited)
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During the coronavirus pandemic, Sweden’s approach has been different to most western European nations. But a year on, how have the Swedes fared, an...
Mystery: The children who won't wake up
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of children have succumbed to a mystery illness that can keep them in a sleeplike state for years and scientists are stumped. What does it fe...
The rise of crypto art: Power to the Beeple
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In March, one digital art creation titled: "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" by artist Beeple, sold for a groundbreaking $69.3 million. What is digital...
Dispatch from El Paso: Crisis at the border
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump came to power promising to "build a wall." Throughout his term there was turmoil at the border. When Joe Biden took office, he ...
George Floyd: The Derek Chauvin trial - journey to an historic verdict
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, the former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May. What does the verdict mean...
Jordan: A very British history and a royal family feud
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Almost exactly a century ago, the state of Jordan was created with the help of the British. Now, the Hashemite Royal Family in Jordan have found thems...
Covid-19: The unlikeliest of opportunities
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused global disruption and changed so many of our lives forever. Today we look at cases in which lockdown has presented in...
The Oxfam scandal in the Democratic Republic of Congo
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An investigation by The Times has brought to light allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, exploitation and assault at Oxfam International's missi...
Inside EncroChat: The criminal chat app
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last summer, a hack of EncroChat phones by police forces led to the arrest of criminals involved in gangs, drugs and weapons across Europe. Who were t...
Fire on the streets of Northern Ireland
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions have erupted in Northern Ireland once again, as leaders attempt to preserve a long-standing peace deal in the region. Twenty-three years afte...
Vaccine passports and data privacy
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week it was announced by the government that so-called vaccine passports could be rolled out across the country to help ease lockdown measures. B...
Britain's race report: What went wrong?
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of last month, we saw the release of the Race and Ethnic disparities report, it was controversial and many called into question its integri...
Philip: The tale of the lost Prince
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The longest serving royal consort has passed away after seven decades of steadfast support of our monarch. Today we take you to the moment his wife, Q...
Free speech on campus
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The government is proposing new laws that will allow academics, students or visiting speakers the power to sue universities for compensation, if they ...
Investigation: The leaseholders hung out to dry
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not many feelings come close to the thrill of getting your foot on the property ladder after months of mortgages, solicitors and surveys. But what hap...
Britain's overflowing cemeteries: How to solve a grave problem
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There's a looming crisis in the cemeteries of Britain: many of them are running out of space. How have we got here and what can we do about it?This po...
Three incredible tales of scientific progress
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Extraordinary scientific advances have taken place over the past year both because of Covid and despite it.Today we bring you three tales of human ing...
The Suez Canal: What happened when a ship got stuck?
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the Ever Given vessel was freed earlier this week, the world breathed a huge sigh of relief. But what does this incident tell us about internati...
The Covid superstitions putting people with albinism at risk
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism – those born without pigmentation in their skin, hair and eyes – have long been discriminated against ...
Police, protest and Priti Patel
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions between the police and communities across the UK are at an all time high. One woman is behind the push to increase police powers. Who is Prit...
The rape culture crisis in Britain's elite private schools
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Around the country, girls who have suffered in silence for years at some of England's top schools are finally speaking out about the sexual abuse they...
Peer pressure: Time for change in the House of Lords?
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time to rethink the way British democracy works and reform the upper chamber of parliament?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support...
British cycling: A doctor, drugs & a scandal
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the former Team GB and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman was struck off the medical register after being found guilty of ordering a banned sub...
Revisiting old friends after a year of Covid
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks a year since the Covid lockdown began. Every aspect of our daily life has been affected and more than 146,000 people have died of the ...
Dog theft: Inside the canine crime epidemic
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the pandemic, demand for dogs has soared, and thieves have taken note. Dog theft has skyrocketed over the last year with criminal gangs cas...
General Sir Nick Carter on the threats facing Britain
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday the government published new plans for the future of the military. Manveen Rana speaks to the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick C...
Prince William: Repairing the crown's image
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Almost ten years ago, the world watched as a future king got married. Now, after a bombshell interview, things couldn't feel further removed from that...
The food critic behind Italy’s deadliest terrorist attack
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Federico Umberto D’Amato, the former spy who created the country’s culinary bible, is accused of being behind the 1980 Bologna atrocity. Could thi...
The lost children: How school closures hit the most vulnerable kids
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week schools in England reopened after months of shutdown due to the pandemic, but has keeping kids out of the classroom come at a social greater...
Sarah Everard: How her vigil galvanised a movement
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday night the Metropolitan Police arrested four people at a vigil for Sarah Everard. What went wrong that night? And what does it mean for the...
The invisible epidemic of eating disorders in Britain
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Content warning: this episode contains discussion of eating disorders and mentions of suicidal thoughts.At times during the pandemic, it's felt like d...
Hunting the COVID-19 variants
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New variants of COVID-19 have caused spikes in infections around the world and rang alarm bells about vaccine resistance. We speak to two scientists t...
What if bitcoin hits $1 million?
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bitcoin is surging. Last month, it surpassed $50,000 per coin, and big institutions are buying in alongside retail investors. The new frenzy has start...
Failures of State: The origins of Covid-19 (Pt 3)
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the final part of our Failures of State series, the Sunday Times Insight team take David Aaronovitch on a hunt for answers.This podcast was brought...
The fallout in Scotland: What now for the SNP?
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For more than a decade Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were the dream team that dominated Scottish politics, leading the charge for Scottish independ...
Meghan and Harry v The Firm
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a bombshell world exclusive interview, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, sat down with Oprah Winfrey and talked at lengths about reasons for...
Failures of State: How Britain made the same mistake twice (Pt 2)
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of three episodes this week, the Sunday Times Insight team explains how Britain unleashed a second disastrous wave of the virus despite ...
Failures of State: The inside story of Britain’s battle with coronavirus (Pt 1)
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, a Sunday Times investigation exposed failures at the top of government which may have cost thousands of lives. Now the team behind those re...
An exclusive interview with the fake heiress Anna Delvey
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What happened when Laura Pullman met the newly released Anna Delvey (AKA Sorokin) for The Sunday Times? Anna is a modern day Gatsby who scammed New Yo...
Budget 2021: Who is Rishi Sunak?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not many knew of Rishi Sunak until he was appointed Chancellor last year. Now a household name, today he will deliver his second b...
Inside Britain's first gaming addiction clinic for teenagers
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do if your child couldn't stop gaming? Jenny Kleeman meets a teenage patient getting specialist help. This podcast was brought to ...
The blame game: What really caused the Texas blackouts?
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Texas is still reeling from an unprecedented energy disaster, where unusually cold temperatures brought their power grid to a standstill earlier ...
Update on Shamima Begum: Bring Me Home
27 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court has ruled that Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return to the UK to fight her citizenship case. Begum, who was a teenager when s...
The Jessie Earl story: The family pain of an unsolved murder
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Features writer for The Sunday Times Rosie Kinchen examines what it's like to live through the ordeal of losing your daughter and never getting the re...
Investigation: One bruise and they took the baby away
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If one day, you saw your newborn baby with a little bruise you couldn't explain, what would you do? Many people like Holly Kobayashi would ask a ...
Guns, skis and corruption: Biathlon
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three years ago, a dramatic raid at the headquarters of a popular winter sports blew open a scandal at the International Biathlon Union. The former pr...
From conspiracy theories to Congress: The Marjorie Taylor Greene story
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is the Congresswoman who has split the Republican party with her toxic views?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of T...
How China uses LinkedIn to steal state secrets
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Times has uncovered that spies are creating fake business profiles on the professional networking site so that they can identify targets and obtai...
Past Imperfect: Nadiya Hussain
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus edition we are bringing you an episode from another Times podcast - Past Imperfect.Nadiya Hussain MBE rose to fame after winning...
It's a Sin: Should gay roles be reserved for gay actors?
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Before Channel 4's hit series It's Sin was broadcast, writer Russell T Davies made headlines for his comments on how the show was cast. Should LGBTQ+ ...
How Russia's vaccine disinformation war backfired
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In October, a Stories of our times investigation blew the lid off a Russian disinformation campaign, which had aimed to stoke fears about th...
A lockdown exit strategy: Lessons from Israel and Australia
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday the prime minister will unveil a roadmap for how we exit lockdown. Today we look to two countries which might show us a glimpse of...
Post-Brexit Britain 2021: Who do we think we are?
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's been over a year since the UK officially left the EU on the 31st of January 2020 in a vote which was fuelled by decades of British Euro...
Afghanistan's road to peace: Murder in Kabul
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, a team of assassins shot and killed two of Afghanistan’s most eminent women. The murder of the two Supreme Court judges is part of ...
The strange case of the spy in the bag: Is it time for a review?
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A decade after an MI6 agent was found dead in a North Face holdall, the detective who led the inquiry wants a forensic case review.This podcast was br...
Inside Porton Down: Britain’s top secret laboratory
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What goes on inside one of the most secure, secretive and at times controversial British institutions? The Times is the first newspaper to b...
Civil disobedience and the future of Myanmar's democracy
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Protesters in Myanmar are demanding the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was arrested when the military seized power. How did this count...
The second impeachment: Trump on trial again
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today the Senate trial begins: Donald Trump is charged with ‘incitement of insurrection’ over the Capitol riot. After four controversial years in ...
GameStop: A very modern fable
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The inside story of how the WallStreetBets forum on Reddit took on Wall Street, sending shares in the struggling retailer GameStop skyrocket...
Brain trauma: The issue rugby can no longer ignore
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the annual Six Nations tournament gets underway this weekend, recent high profile lawsuits filed against rugby union’s governing bodies from ex-p...
How Brussels bungled the vaccine
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two weeks ago AstraZeneca shocked the EU by cutting its vaccine delivery by 60%. What went wrong, and why? And could the high drama that followed have...
India: The farmers v the government
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For months, protesters have been camping out on the outskirts of Delhi, demanding the repeal of a set of agricultural laws. Last week, as India tried ...
What's behind the movement to #FreeBritney?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Britney Spears’s private life has been on show ever since she emerged on the music scene back in the late ’90s. In recent years she's been hitting...
Love and lockdown: The spike in divorces and breakups
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The coronavirus pandemic is keeping us all at home and many of us have been taking a long, hard look at our closest and most intimate relationships - ...
Universal Credit, Free School Meals and a history of Tory welfare
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the government wrestles with how best to help those in need during the pandemic, it's brought to the surface many of the historical divis...
When Decca Met... Jordan Peterson
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist, is a conservative superstar of the culture wars. Known for his confidence in debates, Decca Aitkenhead meets...
A TikTok conspiracy theory: Helen Keller is a fraud?
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A bizarre conspiracy theory on the social media platform TikTok is uncovered after a Twitter thread goes viral. What does this say about how misinform...
Empireland: How imperialism shaped modern Britain
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In his latest book, Empireland, Times writer Sathnam Sanghera attempts to expose what he sees as a blind spot in our understanding of history: th...
Amanda Knox: Is our obsession with true crime unhealthy?
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a special series for the Sunday Times, writer Rosie Kinchen examines what's behind our true crime obsession. Kinchen makes contact with Amanda Knox...
Is this the end of QAnon?
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracies spread fast on anonymous platforms like 4chan. QAnon's evolution on the site is fuelled by unfounded theories which suggest that Pre...
The Arab Spring ten years on: Egypt
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For Egypt, the Arab Spring was just the start. Ten years ago, protests erupted in Tahrir Square that would force the president from power and kick off...
The mysterious disappearance of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alibaba Group founder and billionaire Jack Ma has emerged into the public for the first time since disappearing in October last year. Growing scr...
Inauguration Day: Two presidents, two speeches, and an uncivil war
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some 25,000 troops stood guard during the inauguration of President Joe Biden. The high levels of security was just one sign that the country is ...
The Vaccine: What if the virus mutates again?
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some scientists worry that a new vaccine-resistant strain of the virus could emerge. We speak to virologists about concerns that the UK's vaccine stra...
Alaska and Trump: Drilling for oil in a wildlife refuge
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While attention was pointed towards the storming of the Capitol, over four thousand miles away in north-eastern Alaska, an auction was held to sell th...
Impeachment: Lessons from the past
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for inciting a mob that stormed the capitol building - making him the first pres...
The Vaccine: When will we all get it?
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the GPs on the frontline of the UK's vaccination efforts, and the Times science correspondent, on the bottlenecks and obstacles that are h...
The Arab Spring ten years on: Tunisia
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In late 2010, Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire, sparking waves of anti-government protests. ...