The Story

The Sunday Edition: The cost of being ugly

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we look back on one of our favourite episodes from the past few months: a deep dive into the economics of beauty, with Tom Whipple.Do looks matt...

AI Very British Revolution!

18 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the Tech Podcast from The Times.The Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, join...

A shaky ceasefire in Gaza

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There was widespread jubilation at the announcement that a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu's governme...

What’s behind the rise in knife crime on our streets

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Analysis of a decade’s worth of sentencing data across England and Wales between 2013 and 2023 has revealed a worrying uptick in knife crime nationw...

The Government’s anti-corruption minister resigns

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tulip Siddiq, Labour’s anti-corruption minister, has resigned after reporting by the Sunday Times revealed that she resided in a series of propertie...

'We’re praying for mercy here': Escaping the LA inferno

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As LA continues to battle its worst fires in history, the political blame game has started, with Donald Trump accusing California’s governor, Gavin ...

Blake Lively v Justin Baldoni

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Having made a multi-million dollar film together, Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are now trading muti-million dollar lawsuits over wh...

The Sunday Edition: The SAS murders and the conspiracy to cover them up - Part 2

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, has combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and go...

The Saturday Edition: The SAS murders and the conspiracy to cover them up - Part 1

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week the Times revealed that ministers are considering bringing back a retired military chief to lead the armed forces amid concerns the likely f...

Donald Trump’s imperial ambitions

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US president-elect has sparked a series of diplomatic rows after saying he was willing to use military or economic force to take control of Greenl...

The journalist who exposed Britain’s grooming gangs

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has unleashed a huge political row in the UK over whether there should be a national inquiry into the gangs that groomed young girls for rap...

Is Elon Musk dictating the British political agenda?

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scroll through his latest posts on X and Elon Musk has a laser focus on UK politics. His main targets? Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips MP and their res...

The decline of dating apps, and what could replace them

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Official figures show that for the first time, people are leaving dating apps. So why the exodus? And could future apps - with AI and augmented realit...

Why Donald Trump courted the wrestling world

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Linda McMahon, the wife of WWE’s founder Vince McMahon has just been nominated to be Donald Trump’s secretary for education. What’s behind Trump...

Cocaine Inc. (Bonus) - Colombia: Seized and stolen again

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Drill talks to Richard McColl about living and working at the centre of the global cocaine trade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Cocaine Inc. (Bonus) - Question Time

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cocaine Inc. hosts Fiona, David and Stephen answer your questions about how they made the series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Cocaine Inc. (Bonus) - The Artist

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Mee, a former cocaine trafficker who worked with the Cali Cartel, sits down to discuss how he built an illicit empire.David Collins and execut...

Cocaine Inc. (Ep 8) - Bringing it Home

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The investigation takes us to a $10 million home in a leafy city suburb.Back home in Melbourne, Stephen Drill picks up a money trail leading right pas...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 7) - The Dubai Gold Rush

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Undercover in a gleaming world where nobody asks questions. David Collins follows the money trail through Dubai’s crowded gold souk to its luxu...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 6) - Sunshine and Lollipops

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Drug money is carried out of the UK in suitcases carried by passengers travelling in luxury.A cash mule tells David Collins about the brazen operation...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 5) - The Woodchurch Estate

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the streets of northern England where chaos reigns among those doing the selling. David Collins spends time in Merseyside, speaking to people ...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 4) - The Pineapple Trader

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s vast ports act as logistic hubs in a worldwide operation that relies on corruption and torture. In the Netherlands, Fiona Hamilton rev...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 3) - The 64 Million Percent Mark-up

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As cocaine is smuggled out of South America it multiplies in value, driving people to extremes. Stephen Drill follows the trail to Mexico and unc...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 2) - The Sweet Song

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Where people fight and die in the coca plantations. In Colombia, Stephen Drill discovers how the international cocaine business starts, and the c...

Cocaine Inc. (Pt 1) - A shooting at Christmas

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between now and January 6th we will be playing the 2024 award-winning series, Cocaine Inc., from The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia.&...

What's behind the rise in food allergies

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The number of people with food allergies in the UK has more than doubled since 2008, with more than 5,000 people a year hospitalised in England with a...

Life as an investigative reporter

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Christmas Day, The Times' Investigations Editor, Dominic Kennedy, will spend his last working day at the paper having started back in 1993. To mark...

Tracing the origin story of Taylor Swift [Replay]

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Tennessee, The Times’ Megan Agnew spent three weeks on the Taylor Swift trail, discovering the origins of the sup...

Last Man Standing: On the trail (Pt 1)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story the first episode of our series Last Man Standing - the story of British photojournalist J...

Inside the lair of Assad’s 'drug lord' brother

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maher al-Assad is the youngest sibling of the deposed Syrian dictator. He’s also known as the ‘enforcer’, renowned for his brutal crackdowns on ...

Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump and the spying game

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has caused widespread alarm in defence and security circles, not only in t...

Jay-Z and the rape allegations

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The rap mogul’s, whose real name is Shawn Carter, billion dollar empire is at risk after he was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13...

Prince Andrew and the Chinese 'spy'

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prince Andrew has now "ceased all contact" with an alleged spy working on behalf of China's shadowy United Front Work Department. But their relationsh...

Unit 29155: The Russian cyberagency targeting Britain

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Security services have issued an unprecedented warning about a shadowy Russian military unit accused of carrying out assassinations and cyberattacks o...

Trad Wives: The influencers selling 1950s house-wife life [Replay]

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2024.Millions of social media users are flocking to follow the Trad Wives: stay-at-home mo...

How the CEO murder suspect became a social media folk hero

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After nearly a week on the run, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania for the murder of health insurance CEO, Brian Thompson. But in a macabre t...

William Hague talks to Sir Kim Darroch: Dealing with Trump 2.0

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Kim Darroch is the former UK ambassador to the USA and worked with Trump for two years during the President’s first term. So how should the UK d...

The true cost of plant-based milk

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Healthier, eco-friendly, altogether virtuous. This may be how we think of milk alternatives but new research is calling into question the ‘plan...

ISIS 2.0?

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a new leadership emerges in Syria, disparate groups remain in control of different parts of the country. In the midst of the fluctuating situation,...

Gisèle Pelicot and the trial that changed France

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity when her husband - and dozens of other men - were charged with raping and sexually assaulting her. Her d...

Who should keep the Elgin Marbles? [Replay]

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, No 10 confirmed it wouldn’t stand in the way of a deal to return the Elgin Marbles to their original home in Athens. The comments came af...

How to keep blaming your predecessors

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode of our fellow Times podcast How To Win An Election.The prime minister wants to ...

The death of clubbing

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nightclubs are closing their doors at an alarming rate. Research by The Night Time Industries Association shows that as many as three clubs a week hav...

Why the Syrian civil war is back

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With wars raging in Israel and Lebanon, no one was watching neighbouring Syria. Until an alliance of rebel forces launched an astonishing offensive a ...

The AI that could block kids from social media

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Australia became the first country to block under 16s from social media. Age verification AI could be a crucial tool in the ban, so we spok...

Gregg Wallace vs. 'middle class women of a certain age'

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gregg Wallace, the presenter of one of the BBC's most popular programmes 'MasterChef' has stepped back from the show while allegations of historical m...

The myth of the X exodus

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It started two years ago, when Elon Musk bought Twitter, now X. People fled the social media platform, citing a change in the algorithm and concerns o...

What’s fuelling the emergence of Ireland's far right? [Replay]

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ireland went to the polls in a general election where for the first time in the history of the republic, immigration was among the leading i...

Jane & Fi talk to General David Petraeus

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from Off Air with Jane & Fi podcast from The Times.General David Petraeus, ...

Who really runs Britain?

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Observers of Britain today might think of it as a more meritocratic and socially equal society than ever before. But, while the narratives have certai...

The debate about death that split the country

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow, MPs will vote on a Bill that, if passed, would allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live the right to take their own liv...

Inside the Laos party town where backpackers die

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With six backpackers dead from suspected methanol poisoning, how did the remote town of Vang Vieng become the go-to destination for gap year hedonism,...

‘I gave my life to the CIA. They betrayed me.’

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Sept 12, 2001, Blerim Skoro was approached by a man and a woman while he was in prison. They turned out to be CIA agents. That one meeting would ch...

Did the Queen hate Boris Johnson?

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past eight years, Sunday Times chief political commentator, Tim Shipman has written the story of British politics. From Brexit to backstops, ...

A Very British Scandal: How Captain Tom's charity got caught up in controversy [REPLAY]

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, over four years later, a report from the Charity commission concluded that Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter and her husband had committed “...

Planet Hope: Finding Hope for our Planet

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative, hosted by The Story.In this special episo...

Putin’s “nuclear blackmail”

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The decision by the US to allow Ukraine to launch western long-range missiles into Russia has provoked a furious reaction from Moscow, and pushed tens...

Are food shortages the farmers' secret weapon?

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over ten thousand farmers marched on Westminster this week, protesting changes to inheritance tax. But does the government’s new policy mean the end...

Why young Brits are turning to Dubai

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As inquiries about relocating to the Emirati city from the UK have risen four-fold in the past five years; what does its allure say about life back ho...

Why Tim Spector wants to bring back the nanny state

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government should treat ultra-processed foods like cigarettes and alcohol - and bring in higher taxes on the companies that make them, says Profes...

Korea's 4b 'anti-men' movement comes to America

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No sex, no babies, no marriage, no men. In 2018 a niche feminist movement started in South Korea as a reaction to the country’s entrenched misogyny....

Undercover: The Times investigation into Turkish plastic surgery clinics [Replay]

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week the health secretary has urged people to “think very carefully” before flying overseas for plastic surgery as the NHS is left to “pick...

Trump, Putin and an uncertain future for Ukraine

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The election of Donald Trump has raised serious questions about the flow of American funds and weapons to Ukraine's forces. So what is the mood in Kyi...

Inside the scandal that brought down the Archbishop of Canterbury

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned after being accused of mishandling abuse allegations against a man described as the “most prolific serial ...

'Send in the troops': Trump's mass deportation plan explained

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has started to appoint key figures to his new administration, and one of the early picks is Tom Homan - his new ‘border tsar’. The pr...

Why are we getting worse at sleeping, not better?

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you get a decent night’s rest regularly, you’re likely to be slimmer, happier and healthier. But with research suggesting that the more we thin...

The millions of Americans who think the Democrats despise them

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For weeks, we were told the polls were too close to call. But when the votes were counted, the Democrats lost every single swing state - and the popul...

Prince William on the "hardest year" of his life

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from our sister podcast, The Royals with Roya and Kate. They have been in South...

The political transformation of Elon Musk [Replay]

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has aggressively backed Donald Trump in the US election, raising questions about whether he may be part of Donald Trump's new administration...

The cost of being ugly

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do looks matter? Pulchronomics, the study of economics and beauty, says they do. But just how much impact does being attractive have on your love life...

Team Trump’s plan to remake America

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has stormed to victory, so what does his vision for the future of the US look like? Who will he take into the White House with him? And w...

Ball gowns and battle grounds: The re-election of Donald Trump

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After two years of campaigning, Americans have cast their votes, with Trump riding a growing wave of momentum. This is how the night unfolded.This pod...

Revealed: The property empires that make Charles and William millions

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An investigation by the Sunday Times’ Insight team has revealed for the first time the extensive property empires of the King and Prince of Wales. T...

Can Kemi Badenoch make the Tories popular again?

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch grew up in Nigeria and - as the state failed - was forced to complete her homework by candlelight. So how has that s...

The budget recovery plan!

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the new Money Podcast from The Times. Rachel Reeves’ first budget raised...

Trump vs. Harris: The battle of the sexes [Replay]

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off tonight in their first TV debate, it’s more than just a political showdown - it's a battle of the sexes. ...

How violent could the US election get?

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As polling day approaches, fears are growing that the result will not be accepted by the losing side. The potential consequences range from election d...

The £40 billion gamble

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has raised taxes by £40 billion in the first Labour budget in fourteen years. Does it ‘fix the foundations’ or does ...

Liam Payne and the rise of pink cocaine

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The One Direction star is alleged to have died with a substance known as ‘pink cocaine’ in his system. This popular, dangerous high could mark a n...

The Democrats voting for Trump

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris’ campaign is pulling out all the stops to woo black and Latino Americans, over concerns that voters from these groups are signalling t...

My daughter died of ME. I had to fight the NHS for answers

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Sean O’Neill’s daughter Maeve died aged 27 from malnutrition caused by severe ME - myalgic encephalomyelitis - he faced years of waiting for ...

Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive of Microsoft

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the new Tech Podcast from The Times. Presenters Katie Prescott and Danny F...

Melania: Donald Trump’s secret weapon?

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The former first lady’s new ‘tell all’ memoir addresses everything from her nude modelling and her husband’s policies to her surprising stance...

'Rivals' and the cult of Jilly Cooper

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

'Rivals' hit our TV screens this month; it’s the first adaptation of a Jilly Cooper ‘bonkbuster,’ the 87 year old Dame who taught a generation a...

The Irish politician and the Russian 'honeytrap'

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When news dropped that a member of Ireland’s parliament was a suspected Russian agent, chaos ensued in the Irish parliament as politicians stood up ...

The full story of the Chris Kaba killing

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anger is building on both sides after a Met police officer was found not guilty of the murder of an unarmed black man. Chris Kaba was shot dead in 202...

What the death of the Hamas leader means for the war

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Israel released pictures of an underground bunker, furnished with flat screen TV and a hot shower. It was the place where Hamas leader Yahy...

What happens if the American election is a tie?

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One tiny ‘blue dot’ in Omaha, Nebraska could result in a tie between Trump and Harris. Why? And what happens then to decide who wins?This podcast ...

Can a ‘miracle’ weight loss drug end Britain's obesity epidemic? [Replay]

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government has announced a five-year trial of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro to consider whether its use could reduce unemployment and relieve pres...

Al Gore, tech and climate

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the new Tech Podcast from The Times. Presenters Katie Prescott and Danny F...

The death of One Direction star Liam Payne

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday night it was announced that Liam Payne had died in Buenos Aires aged 31, where he was on holiday. What does his death say about the ...

A brief history of Israel and Lebanon at war

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions are escalating between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy militia in Lebanon. Attacks on both sides have led to thousands dead and over a m...

Gangs of Marseille: Inside France's drugs wars

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new era of violence is erupting in the French city of Marseille between rival drug gangs. Deaths are soaring - with 49 murders in the first half of ...

Why the US government is gunning for Google

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, the US Justice Department sued Google, alleging it illegally monopolised the online search market. The US government won, and is now threaten...

How Kamala Harris schmoozed California

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris may become the first female president of the United States – but who is she? Megan Agnew rode through the hills of San Francisco, talk...

Could there (ever) be a road map for peace in the Middle East?

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we bring you a conversation from our fellow podcasters and Times Radio broadcasters Jane & Fi.This week marked a year since the October 7 at...

100 days of Starmer: What makes a good PM?

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has been prime minister for 100 days. It's the point in any premiership that's considered a measure of how a new leader is performing, ev...

A diary from Gaza - what happened next

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A year on from the October 7th attacks in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage, Israel's bombardment of Gaza has resulted in th...

The Boris Johnson interview

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the publication of his memoir “Unleashed”, Boris Johnson sat down with Times Radio’s Stig Abell to talk about Donald Trump, Brexit, and ...

How The Sunday Times broke the freebies scandal

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray resigned amid weeks of bad headlines for the government over freebies. Labour’s troubles arguably began...