The Story

An investigation by the Times has found that HMRC, the UK’s authority responsible for the collection of taxes used private debt collection companies and letters accusing people left penniless by the pandemic of deliberately avoiding their tax bills. 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: th...

A Sunday Times investigation reveals a shady supply chain stretching from west Africa’s hazardous gold mines through Dubai and on to Europe. Who are the people who work on the illegal mines and what can we do as consumers to ensure we buy ethical gold? 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: thet...

With a week to go before Christmas, Stories of our times hosts Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch are joined by journalist and wine expert Jane Macquitty, to guide you through five of the best festive wine pairings for Christmas day.  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/st...

The MS Estonia sank into the icy Baltic Sea in 1994, descending alongside the evidence of what happened that fateful night where 852 people died. Nearly twenty-six years later the shipwreck still sits on a shallow sea bed and new evidence has raised questions about what caused it to go down.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Tim...

During four years in office, President Donald Trump has already handed out a number of controversial pardons to friends and allies, but are there more to come? And what is the intended use of the pardon power? 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:&nbsp...

As Britain becomes the first country to embark on a mass Covid-19 vaccination programme, Stories of our times have been given exclusive access to new polling showing just how difficult that task might be for the government. We hear from those who carried out the research about why more than a quarter of the UK’s population are 'vaccine hesitant', while 12% simply will not be vaccinated at all. Mea...

Cameron Wellington, a teenager from Walsall, died on November 19th after catching coronavirus. He left a devastated family behind, but could lives like his have been saved if the UK’s second national lockdown had taken place earlier? The Sunday Times Insight team have published a major investigation into the government’s handling of the second wave, and the false dichotomy between saving...

After Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group filed for administration last week we trace the rise and fall of the former 'king of the high street'. Is this the final nail in the coffin of his retail empire? The Sunday Times’s business editor Oliver Shah, a man who’s written the book when it comes to Sir Philip, shares the stories of his working relationship and what went wrong for the tycoon. This podca...

The leading Catholic school Ampleforth College has been temporarily banned by the government from taking on new pupils because of safety concerns. The boarding school is challenging a poor Ofsted report but the government said it was too slow in making improvements highlighted by repeated inspections dating back to March 2018. How did the school get here and what will happen now? This podcast was...

All this week, rainbow coloured bootlaces and armbands are being worn by football players nationwide. This is to mark the Premier League's annual 'rainbow laces' campaign in support of the LGBT+ community. As well as being a celebration of inclusion, the campaign serves as a reminder of the absence of openly gay professional male footballers in the sport. Why is this still the case? This podcast w...

In June, the charismatic leader of the Nkuringo gorilla group was killed by a poacher. The incident shocked the conservation community and caused an international outcry. How has the death of Rafiki affected the human and gorilla communities in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest? And is the pandemic responsible for a rise in poaching? This episode is in support of Tusk, one of three charities backed b...

Today, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah will speak at a High Court inquest into the death of her daughter Ella who died following an asthma attack in 2013. She believes it was the high levels of pollution that caused her daughters death. If the coroner rules that air pollution directly caused Ella's death, she would become the first person in the UK and possibly the world to have that listed on her deat...

When news broke of the assassination of the head of Iran’s nuclear programme the details suggested an operation straight out of an action film. The Iranian government’s story however was very different and involved remote controlled weapons. Yet, the question remained: who was behind the operation and what does it mean for Middle Eastern politics? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the supp...

This week the UK approved its first coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. With the end now clearly in sight, does the government's current plan for a relaxation of restrictions over Christmas still make sense? 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...

Yesterday at the High Court, a judgement was passed that could have major implications for the treatment of children at gender identity clinics. We speak to two people with very different perspectives: Keira Bell, the 23-year-old who detransitioned and is at the centre of the case; and the mother of a young transgender man, who thinks the court made the wrong decision. Guests: Sian Griffiths, educ...

In Britain, about 2.4 million children live in families who cannot afford all the food they need. During the pandemic, up to 8.1 million Britons have struggled to pay for food.   Manchester United’s star striker Marcus Rashford and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson credit their tough upbringings with inspiring them to fight childhood poverty. Rashford and Sir Alex have joined forces to support...

Transparency rules have been cast aside by ministers in their coronavirus panic. The result? Privileged access for friendly lobbyists and £1.5bn of contracts to Conservative-linked companies. We speak to the Sunday Times journalist who exposed much of it, and a lawyer bringing a case against the government. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunda...

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether Shamima Begum should be allowed to come back to Britain to fight for her citizenship. It's a legal battle that could have enormous consequences for her future and her family. 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/s...

The UK is not alone in having to decide what to do with its citizens stuck in Syrian camps and Iraqi prisons. Thousands of European nationals travelled to the Middle East to take part in the conflict that has torn the region apart. How is the rest of Europe coping with the problem? Are they bringing foreign fighters back? And what do they do with them if they do return? This podcast was broug...

Supreme Court judges are now deliberating on whether Begum should be allowed back to Britain to fight for her citizenship. But would happen if she did return? How does deradicalisation work and when can it go wrong? All this week, Stories of our Times brings you a special series on Shamima Begum, and her fight to come home to Britain. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of r...

In the second part of our series on Shamima Begum, we explore the experience of British nationals detained in Syria. What are living conditions like inside refugee camps? And should Britain repatriate its nationals who live in them? 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/storiesof...

It was a chance meeting in a Syrian camp. A veteran war reporter, a young mother, and an interview that polarised a nation. Shamima Begum was just 15 years old when she and two of her school friends from Bethnal Green left Britain to join Islamic State. Five years later, with her fate still hanging in the balance, the Supreme Court will this week decide whether she can return to the UK to challeng...

All next week Stories of our times will examine the effectiveness of the UK’s policy towards those detained in Syria; discuss de-radicalisation; and look at the dissenting views on the idea of repatriation as the Supreme Court decides whether Begum can return home to contest the removal of her citizenship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn fled house arrest in Tokyo and turned up in Beirut in December 2019, the details read like they’d come straight from the pages of a spy thriller. Accused of financial misconduct by Nissan, and facing a long trial and prison sentence, he decided to make a break for it. What’s his side of the story? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The...

Was one of the most famous interviews in UK television history secured by underhand means? Twenty-five years on, the BBC finds itself under fresh scrutiny.  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: Valentine Low, Royal Correspondent at The Times. Ros...