The Story

Princess Diana's 1995 interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir is among the most famous in broadcasting history. But last month an independent investigation found that Bashir had engaged in “deceitful behaviour” in a “serious breach” of the BBC’s guidelines. So why was Bashir rehired in 2016? And with a review of editorial policy now underway, does the scandal now threaten to engulf the whole c...

Rebel MPs have been lining up to criticise plans to reduce the foreign aid budget from 0.7% of our national income to 0.5%, a loss of £4 billion. Today we explore the impact of these cuts In Westminster and in Mozambique - one of Africa's poorest countries. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month fre...

As it was the first time world leaders have met since the pandemic began, there was a huge amount to discuss, including: vaccines, climate change and security. But how much was actually achieved at the G7 summit? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests: O...

China has recently changed its two-child policy and is now allowing families to have up to three children legally. It's a move aimed to combat the country's plunging birth rate, but what does this major shift in policy mean for China? This episode describes the loss of a child. Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day. Phone: 116 12...

As athletes and competitors all over the world prepare to descend on Tokyo, locals don't seem to want them to come. With just weeks to go, will the Olympics happen? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests: -Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia editor for The Times....

Is medicine sexist, and is female health suffering as a result? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests: -Professor Jill B. Delston from the University of Missouri, author of 'Medical Sexism: Contraception Access, Reproductive Medicine, and Health Care'....

The fifteen year rule of Benjamin Netanyahu could come to an end this Sunday if a newly formed coalition government survives a vote of confidence. What will it mean for Israel if Netanyahu loses power? And what do we know about the man and the coalition set to replace him? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get on...

After an outbreak of conflict back in November last year between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, thousands have been killed, and millions are now displaced. Soldiers from neighbouring Eritrea are also involved and suspected of carrying out some of the most brutal violence on civilians. Now, the UN has warned of an imminent famine, which is endan...

The small, rural Italian town of Vo' Euganeo was sealed off after recording Europe's first Covid death. But now some locals in the village have been dubbed the 'super-immunes' as their blood-tests show that they have an extraordinarily high number of antibodies which have grown rather than fallen as they've contracted the virus. What does this tell us about the fight against Covid-19? Th...

One week from today, Boris Johnson has a big decision to make. Is it time to declare 'freedom day' on the 21st of June? Or could the government be walking into another mistake? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests:  -  Henry Ze...

For much of the pandemic, university students have been confined to their halls for months on end. For some, drugs became a way to pass the time. But as lockdown lifts, will the rise in student drug taking have a more lasting impact? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storieso...

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 hypothesis. Once regarded as a conspiracy theory, the idea is now being taken seriously by both American and British intelligence. So what changed? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Su...

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 did a landscape already ravaged by war become blighted by the peace that followed? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofo...

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 dream is quite possibly what it will remain. What's stopping millennials from getting on the housing ladder? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: the...

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 Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings gave to parliament last week. And we speak to relatives of those who died of Covid-19 about the questions still left unanswered. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and Th...

On Sunday afternoon, a Ryanair flight to Vilnius made a sudden and dramatic landing in Minsk. In what some have described as state sponsored kidnapping, a prominent Belarusian opposition activist was marched off the plane by members of the Belarusian KGB. What role has Russia played in this extraordinary episode? And with the clamour of international condemnation, will anything really change? This...

Since the announcement of the divorce between Bill and Melinda Gates, a fuller picture of the Microsoft billionaire’s life is emerging. What could it mean for the world's biggest private charitable foundation – and what role might Jeffrey Epstein have played in the rift? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one...

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 recurring lockdowns, businesses closed and workers furloughed. So how have these individuals managed to generate so much wealth, and what happens after the boom? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Tim...

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, leaving 22 people dead and hundreds injured. An investigation by The Sunday Times has found that a notorious Libyan drug gang operating in Manchester may have had more to do with the attack than previously known. This podcast was brought...

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's not the first time that Labour has been confused about its identity and purpose. What can Labour's past tell us about the party's future? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe...

Two-hundred Palestinians, including fifty-nine children have been killed in Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip over the last week. Despite mounting global pressure on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Hamas looks likely to continue. Today we hear one woman's story as she and her family take shelter in the same home. This podcast was broug...

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 strategy? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guest: Tom Whipple, Science editor at The Times. Host: Manveen Ra...

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 of politics. Today the party is facing problems. Will this populist force change course or will it continue with its anti-establishment agenda? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subsc...

Last week the Scottish National Party won a historic fourth term in government. With a commitment to hold another independence referendum – and a majority in the Scottish parliament for it – what happens next? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests: - Ki...

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. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guests: Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker staff writer and author o...