The Story
Episodes
Sober October: Me, my father and the demon drink
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As many take a break from booze for Sober October, the writer Hannah Betts marks ten years since she gave up alcohol. It’s given her a moment to ref...
How I survived October 7
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago today, 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed in an orchestrated terrorist attack by Hamas. 251 were taken hostage. Today, we hea...
Lessons from the world's assisted dying capital [Replay]
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Parliament will look at proposals to give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to choose to end their lives. To better und...
Inside the six-day siege that changed Britain
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On April 30, 1980, six gunmen stormed the Iranian embassy in London, taking everyone inside hostage. The ensuing siege would change the course of hist...
Iran strikes Israel. What next?
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israel has vowed that Tehran will ‘pay’ after Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, following an Israeli ground invasion in souther...
The Tory Hunger Games
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the competition between the leadership candidates - Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat - heats up as the four make...
The historian who picked nearly every winner calls the US election
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For 40 years, Professor Allan Lichtman has honed a near-perfect system for picking the next American president. It was inspired by a Soviet seismologi...
Anna Wintour: The most powerful woman in fashion
29 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
She's a fashion icon - known for her sharp bob and dark glasses. As Paris Fashion Week wraps up, we consider the enduring influence of the Vogue edito...
William Hague talks to Yuval Noah Harari: The power of information
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yuval Noah Harari’s books Sapiens and Homo Deus sold millions around the world. His latest - Nexus - examines information and how we share it, from ...
What is Hezbollah and can anyone avert all-out war?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As fighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, who is the Iranian-backed group and could this new conflict break out into a wider, regional war...
Investigation: The families living in Britain's ‘slums of the future’
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Sydney and her 23-month-old son turned to the council for temporary accommodation, they were housed in an old office converted into a studio flat...
Is Keir Starmer’s honeymoon over?
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The prime minister has told his party’s conference that there is ‘light at the end of this tunnel’. But after weeks of bad press about his top a...
How Sally Rooney became the voice of a generation
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney is a publishing sensation and became a huge star whilst still in her twenties. Her ne...
Slackers or grafters? The truth about working from home
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Labour’s party conference gets into full swing in Liverpool this week, we look in detail at a key part of the government’s employment rights pa...
Exploding pagers and Israel's new phase of war
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exploding pagers and walkie-talkies targeting Hezbollah members have killed dozens of people and injured thousands in Lebanon and Syria. Israel hasn’...
The British missile that Putin fears
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the UN General Assembly next week, Ukraine's President Zelensky will present his 'plan for victory' to world leaders. Key to that victory, he think...
The King’s Prince Andrew problem just got bigger
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a new TV drama re-examines Prince Andrew’s controversial 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, it's understood King Charles is losing patience with his b...
Inside the land of silent women
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you live in a society where you can’t speak in public? Where you can’t travel to work without a chaperone? Where you can’t leave the city...
Why the price of gold is skyrocketing
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The shiny, indestructible metal saw its fortunes wane in the postwar years, but investors and central banks are again flocking to it, with its value h...
From the archive: Undercover at one of the UK's most dangerous prisons
14 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the week that thousands of inmates were freed early from prison, we revisit our recent undercover investigation which prompted an urgent investigat...
Undercover: The Times investigation into Turkish plastic surgery clinics
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Medical tourism to Turkey for ‘Brazilian butt lifts’ and liposuction is surging despite the risks. The UK government says at least 28 people ...
Trump vs. Harris: Did the debate shift the dial?
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris came straight after a strong performance against the former President, Donald Trump. Our correspond...
The AfD and Germany's Nazi past
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The hard-right Alternative for Germany party won its first state election earlier this month in Thuringia. Anti-immigrant, anti-woke and anti-green, i...
Trump vs. Harris: The battle of the sexes
09 Sep 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. ...
Prince Harry at 40: Time to reconcile?
08 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week the Duke of Sussex turns forty. A milestone for anyone - but for Harry, could this moment of natural reflection be a turning point? The...
‘We need to talk about what motherhood does to women’
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe Blaskey, author of Motherkind, didn’t realise that she was unprepared for the huge psychological and physiological changes that motherhood broug...
William Hague talks to Tony Blair: Legacy, war and prospects for peace in the Middle East
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Will there ever be peace in the Middle East? How should we interact with China, Russia and Europe? And how does the man who took the UK into the Iraq ...
The UK bans some arms sales to Israel, but what difference will it make?
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has condemned the British government’s decision to suspend some arms sales as ‘shameful’. But wha...
Why tech billionaires are backing Trump
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk and other tech billionaires in Democrat-leaning Silicon Valley are backing Donald Trump in 2024. What’s driving this shift, and what could...
Why some experts are doubting Lucy Letby’s conviction
01 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories have swirled around the former nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies. But now some experts have also raised concerns about ...
From the archive: The Grenfell fire (Pt 2): The cladding scandal
31 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Public Inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower will publish its final report on Wednesday. Ahead of its findings, we're re-visiting a two-part ser...
From the archive: The Grenfell fire (Pt 1): Stories from the tower
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Public Inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower will publish its final report on Wednesday. Ahead of its findings, we revisit a two-part podcast fr...
Uncovered: The ‘Ketamine Queen’ and the death of Matthew Perry
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two doctors and a dealer known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ have been charged in connection with the Friends actor's drug overdose in October. What doe...
The tragedy of Mike Lynch and the sunken yacht
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Five bodies were found yesterday inside a shipwrecked yacht in the search for British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and fellow missing passengers. Just hours...
Why there’s talk of civil war in Israel
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The war in Gaza has put Israeli society under unprecedented strain, exacerbating political, religious and ethnic divisions. While Netanyahu told a new...
What’s fuelling the emergence of Ireland's far right?
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new political movement is fomenting in Ireland, inspired by American far-right groups and fuelled by anger over immigration.This podcast was brought...
Why Trump is struggling against Harris
18 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the Democratic National Convention begins today, the Harris campaign is riding a wave of momentum. Why has Trump struggled to find a foothold?This ...
What 50 years of best-selling books says about us
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Sunday Times bestsellers list celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend - so what do Britain’s favourite books say about who we are?A 20 per ...
The political transformation of Elon Musk
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether amplifier of far-right voices or dogged defender of free speech, Elon Musk divides opinion. But what’s led the one-time political liberal to...
The gambling addicts hooked on crypto
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The government says it wants to make the UK a global hub for crypto firms. But with the NHS warning it’s being left to ‘pick up the pieces’ as p...
The incursion humiliating Putin
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Ukrainian advance into Russia is a bold gamble that may change the course of the war. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support o...
The social media Ozempic pushers
11 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Times investigates how easy it is to buy weight loss jabs online, despite the risk of serious side effects for those of a healthy weight.This podc...
The high school class that found a serial killer
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Alex Campbell suggested to his high school sociology class that they would be investigating a 40-year-old cold case, he had no idea where it woul...
Why Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her running mate. The Minnesota governor is seen as a safe choice who can appeal to white working class vot...
Inside Britain’s far right
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Riots have engulfed Britain after the stabbing of three girls in Southport. The far-right are being blamed for inciting the violence and disorder - bu...
How Putin played the West in the prisoner swap
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, 24 prisoners, spanning seven countries, were exchanged in the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War. Is this a triumph for diplomacy, or...
Our four rules for your summer reading
04 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sally Rooney, confessions of guilt, and fist fights - two of our books editors take you through their four golden rules for what to read on your holid...
Planet Hope: Capturing nature’s urgent calls with Paul Nicklen
03 Aug 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
The downfall of Huw Edwards
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. Will he go to prison and could this latest scandal topple the BBC Director Gener...
'Tourists go home': Why Europe is at its limit
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of tourists flock to Europe each year - with some hotspots completely flooded by visitors. Locals are fighting back - in one extreme case eve...
Will Labour raise taxes?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Reeves' first statement as the new Chancellor has kicked off a huge political row. She accused her predecessor Jeremy Hunt of lying about the '...
Kidnap for ransom: The search for Muriel McKay (Pt 2)
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1969, 55-year-old Muriel McKay, the wife of a Sun newspaper executive, was abducted for a million-pound ransom. She was killed, but her body was ne...
Kidnap for ransom: The disappearance of Muriel McKay (Pt 1)
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the 29th of December in 1969, the wife of a Sun newspaper executive was abducted from her home. In a case of mistaken identity, Muriel McKay w...
Planet Hope: Coral reef gardening with Titouan Bernicot
27 Jul 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
William Hague talks to Seb Coe: Olympics, doping and the trans issue
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In his monthly episode for The Story, former foreign secretary and Times columnist Lord Hague sits down with Lord Sebastian Coe - gold medal winning O...
Amazon at 30: How one company changed the world
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s thirty years since Amazon launched. What began as a website selling books has become an online juggernaut - where you can buy just about everyt...
Strictly Come Dancing and the bullying allegations
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's the BBC's flagship Saturday night entertainment show and is a cash cow for the corporation but in recent weeks allegations of physical and verbal...
Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden has stepped down as the Democrat’s nominee for president, endorsing his vice-president Kamala Harris. So, what happens next? Are there oth...
Trad Wives: The influencers selling 1950s house-wife life
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of social media users are flocking to follow the Trad Wives: stay-at-home mothers who champion a life making meals from scratch and serving t...
Planet Hope: Discovering the ocean's twilight zone with Luiz Rocha
20 Jul 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
Introducing Cocaine Inc.
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you the first episode of a new eight-part series.Cocaine Inc. is hosted by Fiona Hamilton, chief reporter at The Times, David Collins,...
‘A boss move’: Why Trump’s VP pick shows he thinks he can’t lose
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the last day of the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump has been officially crowned as his party’s nomination for president ...
King’s Speech: How Labour plans to change Britain
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The King unveils Labour’s plans for government today surrounded by pomp and ceremony. What is Labour looking to achieve, does it live up to the prom...
The Holly Willoughby trial and a toxic online subculture
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, 37-year-old Gavin Plumb was sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of a plot to kidnap, rape and murder the TV presenter, Holly...
Trump shooting: Our eyewitness account
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday evening, news broke that Donald Trump had been the victim of an attempted assassination during a political rally in Pennsylvania. Our...
The rise and fall, and rise again of Gareth Southgate
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
England are through to a historic second Euros final in as many tournaments - but for Gareth Southgate it hasn’t been an easy journey. The foo...
What now for the Tories?
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The infighting has already begun as party leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch called one of Rishi Sunak’s private secretaries a ‘buffoon’ at a shad...
Labour: Meet Starmer's top advisors
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In recent days Sir Keir Starmer has been appointing his cabinet as the country’s new leadership takes shape. But who are the people you won’t see ...
How France’s left stopped a far-right surge
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Against all predictions, France’s left wing coalition won more seats than Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France’s parliamentary elections. Wi...
Labour: Huge majority, thin support
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Sir Keir Starmer begins his first full week in Downing Street, he must win over a jaded public and see off the twin challenges of Nigel Farage’s ...
Planet Hope: Reconnecting to nature through sound with Michel André
06 Jul 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
Election special: Labour landslide
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A clear landslide. But underneath, the tectonic plates of British politics are shifting; Labour was punished in a string of seats for its stance on Ga...
Election special: Coming soon
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Story team will be up all night watching as the results roll in. A special episode will be dropping into your feed at dawn with reaction from Will...
‘Politics has failed.’ William Hague talks to John Kerry
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Secretary John Kerry served as Obama’s secretary of state and Biden’s climate envoy. He was a senator for decades, a Navy officer and is a three-t...
Will Biden step aside?
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been nearly a week since President Biden’s disastrous debate against Donald Trump. The resulting panic over a Trump presidency intensified am...
Is the hard-right about to take power in France?
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As France’s hard-right National Rally take the lead in the first round of the country’s parliamentary elections, will the political spectrum unite...
Will Reform throw a brick in the Tories' red wall?
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, Boris Johnson’s Conservatives upended decades’ of traditional voting behaviour, as lifelong Labour seats in the north and midlands fell t...
Planet Hope: Strengthening the protection of oceans with Sylvia Earle
29 Jun 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
Who is the real Nigel Farage?
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From his school days to how he made his money, the friends he’s made (and lost) to his wives, mistresses, and allegations of facism and racism, whic...
Trump, Biden and the presidential debate that could change the election
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight, in the first of only two presidential debates, the two oldest candidates in history have a lot to prove. Joe Biden faces serious questions ab...
The election flutters costing the Conservatives
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Five Conservative politicians are now being investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly placing bets on the date of the general election. Hu...
Are animals conscious? Why we’re starting to think so
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After centuries of dismissing the rest of the animal kingdom as non-sentient beings, scientists and philosophers are starting to make a new declaratio...
Keir Starmer: Up close and personal
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Critics say the Labour leader is robotic, boring and hard to read, but is that all there is to the man in the running to become the next prime ministe...
Planet Hope: Rewilding the Earth with Kris Tompkins
22 Jun 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
The wipe out scenario haunting the Conservatives
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1993 the Canadian Conservative party went into the election in power but lost all but two of its seats. A party called Reform came to dominate righ...
The TikTok election wars
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s being described as the UK’s first TikTok election - so can a flying pig, Cilla Black, and Nigel Farage have the power to change the result on...
The Green vote: every colour of the rainbow?
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who’s voting Green in this election? There’s the fruit bowl analogy - mangos, melons and figs (we’ll explain) - and, more unkindly, the carpark....
The new science of ageing and the quest to live forever
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The super-rich are trialling innumerable whacky theories to radically extend their lives, from not eating after 11pm to taking hundreds of supplements...
Could the 'blue wall' fall?
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Surrey has always been a bastion of support for the Conservatives but this election the Liberal Democrats believe they stand a chance of taking some o...
Planet Hope: Solving hidden hunger with Felix Brooks-Church
15 Jun 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
The UK economy’s broken. Can Labour fix it?
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Election Day looms, the one thing everyone can agree on is that the British economy is in a pretty parlous state. So, what's Labour offereing to ge...
Football’s civil war: Man City vs Premier League
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City, England's top club, has launched unprecedented legal action against the Premier League - the league it plays in. With...
Young, French, and voting hard-right
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
French president Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election after his party was soundly defeated by the hard-right opposition in Sunday’s EU electio...
Why are more young people getting cancer?
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of the world's biggest killers but cancer is usually more associated with people in the later stages of life. While that's still largely the ...
Tracing the origin story of Taylor Swift
09 Jun 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...
Planet Hope: Respecting reptiles and rainforests with Romulus Whitaker
08 Jun 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 as a bonus weekly ser...
From the archive: One man’s mission to meet every Second World War veteran
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To mark 80 years since D-Day, we revisit the remarkable story of a young man who travel the world to interview surviving World War II veterans. 25-yea...
France’s #MeToo moment
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the #MeToo movement first emerged in America in 2017, women in France spoke out about their own experiences, but it’s taken until this year to ...
What the polls teach us about modern Britain
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Labour as safe as it seems? Why do some of our votes matter ‘more’ than others? And what do polls tell us about who we really are? We tak...
Nigel Farage is standing. Are the Tories in deep trouble?
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nigel Farage has promised to lead a “political revolt” as he announced his return to frontline politics as the new leader of Reform UK - and as a ...