The Story

While recovering from a heart attack, Times sports journalist Owen Slot distracted himself by watching a summer of thrilling sport. He was still hooked up to a heart rate monitor, so he decided to run an experiment: how would his heart react to the drama?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/t...

Nigel Farage has done the inevitable and defeated Count Binface in the Clacton by-election. To celebrate, Reform threw a gigantic Glastonbury-style festival on Clacton beach. Farage-fest 2026 featured disco, live music and even a Ferris wheel. But during his victory speech, Farage admitted for the first time that he may have made a mistake by failing to declare the £5m gift he received from Christ...

It’s been five years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital. Since then, the country has been plunged into economic crisis and women have all but disappeared from society. The Times’ special correspondent Anthony Loyd has been reporting from Afghanistan for 30 years. He’s been back on the streets of Kabul and on patrol with the Taliban’s morality police finding out what life is like for...

A Scientology whistleblower told Times journalist Tom Ball that the church’s Edinburgh branch had children as young as thirteen working there during school hours. The church denied the allegation. Tom went undercover to investigate.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Tom Ball...

Andy Burnham is facing the first big test of his premiership. With jails reaching a crisis point, the government has announced an emergency early release scheme to avoid running out of prison spaces by the end of this year. But Burnham’s proposals have faced an outcry from victims. So what options are left? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunda...

Nigel Farage has had a tricky summer. With his party down in the polls and beset by scandal, it hasn’t been ideal preparation for Thursday’s by-election. So Times Radio's Rosie Wright heads to the seaside in Essex to see how locals are feeling about the vote, before asking one of our politicos if the whole stunt has actually backfired. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of reade...

The UK produces around half of the food we eat but this year's droughts have led to shriveling crops and farmers struggling to feed their animals. Is our changing climate jeopardising our food security? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guests: Olly Harrison, cereals farmer. Ben Cooke, e...

This week, Jason Arday, who made history as Cambridge’s youngest black professor, resigned after facing serious allegations of plagiarism. How did Arday's dramatic downfall unfold? And why has this academic row sparked global headlines?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest:...

The Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila smashed the speed record for the world’s 14 highest peaks. But soon after, her career unravelled. Could she have done more to help another mountaineer in trouble? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by: Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor...

In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, citizens are facing escalating missile attacks from Russia and the country is out of interceptor missiles to prevent them. But behind the scenes, Ukraine has been plotting to bring down Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries. If successful, it could be ruinous for the Russian economy. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Time...

After breaking the story of a secret scheme to sell off the World Cup, our reporter unpacks the growing rebellion threatening to end Gianni Infantino's presidency. But how did Infantino’s plans unravel so quickly? And can FIFA be redeemed after yet another leadership scandal? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http:/...

‘There’s something wrong when aspirational high achievers see no future for themselves here,’ says Times columnist Cindy Yu. The exodus is small, but growing - the Office for National Statistics says there’s been a fivefold increase in 25-to-34-year-old British nationals leaving the UK since 2022. But why are they off, what are they searching for, and could anything encourage them to stay? This po...

The largest single illegal border crossing in the history of the European Union took place last week as 60,000 migrants arrived in the Spanish city of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa. But why did they all come at once? Was a Spanish legal change to blame, or foreign actors annoyed at Spain’s lenient migration policy? And how did it reignite questions about migration in the UK? This podcast was...

A six-part investigation by the French newspaper Le Monde has portrayed the luxury conglomerate LVMH as in the midst of a Succession-style drama, controlled by an ageing king: Bernard Arnault. Arnault made his first appearance on X to post a three-page sarcastic takedown of the piece. So what’s really going on?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and...

President Trump wants American women to have more babies. But despite policies like offering a baby bonus of a thousand dollars, birthrates continue to fall. So why are fewer Americans choosing to have children? And what does the answer reveal about the country today? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetime...

As demand for fashionable pets soars, vets and animal welfare charities say we're creating breeds that are destined to suffer. So, why are we prioritising cuteness over welfare? And what would it take to change the way we breed and buy our pets? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by:...

Donald Trump has announced that a deal has been reached to disarm Hamas in Gaza, while also forcing Israel to withdraw its troops from the strip. The President is hailing it as a ‘monumental step towards lasting PEACE and SECURITY’. But can it succeed where so many other attempts have failed? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscr...

After a scandal-ridden tournament, there’s a new crisis brewing for the World Cup. As exclusively revealed by the Times, FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to monetise and Americanise football by selling off the tournament. But the Union of European Football Associations, UEFA, has threatened to boycott the tournament if that goes ahead. So what is Infantino thinking? And what does Donald...

Why are transport links in the north of England so poor, and what could Andy Burnham do about it? Should women be worried about Meta’s AI glasses? And what is Trump planning – in Iran and beyond? You asked, so we answered, in this edition of our monthly Q&A series.  If you have a question, send it to us at thestory@thetimes.com , and we’ll try to answer it in a future Q&A episode! Thi...

Tom Clarke speaks to The Times’ chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler, following his exclusive story on Fifa president Gianni Infantino's plans to offer 'stakes' in the World Cup. So, what are these plans? Why does it matter and what happens next?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory G...

Andy Burnham’s plans to shift power out of London are already taking shape, with No 10 North open for business in Manchester. The city sees yet more political action tomorrow, with Labour expected to win Britain’s biggest ever by-election and usher in a new mayor. But what will Burnham’s plans for devolution really mean for the country?   This podcast was brought to you thanks to the sup...

In France and Spain wildfires have been ripping through communities, forcing 325,000 to flee. And it’s not just mainland Europe feeling the heat. In Britain, wildfires have broken out across the country. So what does the future hold? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guests:  Katie...

We’re publishing our monthly Q&A episode this Thursday. Send us your questions by Wednesday 12pm BST! We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Further listening: Q&A: Departures, diplomacy, and an unused motorhome This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe&nbs...

In Germany the radical right is on the rise. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has gone from the fringes to the second largest party in federal government. And it is expected to win more state elections this autumn. So how did the AfD become so popular in a country that's worked so hard to distance itself from its fascist history? And could it be stopped? This podcast was brought to you thanks...

Alex Baber is a self-taught investigator from rural West Virginia who claims to have solved a case that’s defeated the world’s best cryptographers for half a century: the identity of the Zodiac killer. Baber used AI to interpret the coded notes the serial killer left behind and, in the process, made another startling discovery. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of Th...