The Story

Boris Johnson may have appeared unassailable last week at Conservative Party conference, but could the next few months cause the prime minister more of a headache than he's expecting?   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: Tim Shipman,...

In the UK, there is no clear consensus about how trans athletes should be included in competitive sport. Last month, a major review by the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG) found that trans female athletes retain some competitive advantages and that inclusion cannot always coexist with fairness and safety. While the new guidance has been welcomed by some, it's also faced criticism from LGB...

Nine years ago Agnes Wanjiru was found dead in a septic tank in Kenya. The young mother vanished after British troops enjoyed a debauched night out in a hotel. Now detectives want to question the soldiers who were there. 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/storiesofourtim...

With allegations of sexual abuse, a dubious friendship with a convicted paedophile and a court case set to unfold in America, is it the end of the road for Prince Andrew? Should the Duke of York ever be allowed to play a public role again? 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...

Something a bit different on Stories of our times today. Today's show consists of a recording that was thought to have been lost, of an electric performance at the 2014 Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival - one of the most memorable in the festival's history - by husband and wife Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory of love poems from the poetry collection The Love Book edited by...

The murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens has brought the force to a point of near-crisis. The government has announced an inquiry. How can the police regain women's trust? 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 . 'Sar...

The second of two episodes this week, taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry. Big drug companies have won plaudits for their work producing Covid vaccines within a year of the start of the pandemic. How much money are they making from them? And why are vaccines for other emerging diseases not being produced? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times...

In the first of two episodes this week, we're taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry. How much does the medication you take actually cost? What if a company came along and bought the rights to a particular drug and started charging double, triple, or even 10,000 times as much for the same drugs? Today: how a company made millions by raising the price on drugs that should have cost pen...

The childcare sector is on its knees with nursery staff on low wages struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile parents buckle under the pressure of soaring childcare costs. And yet, the government has done little to help. Does this broken system need a complete rethink? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get on...

It's being called a 'perfect storm'. Rocketing gas prices and a shortage of lorry drivers have combined to cause a devastating ripple of chaos for businesses and families across the country. How much of this crisis could have been avoided? And how bad could it get? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one m...

Cannabis is far stronger than it used to be, and psychosis rates are soaring. What's causing some cannabis users to develop mental health issues, and how can they be treated?  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: Megan Agnew, commissioning&n...

Insulate Britain has staged sit-ins on the M25 and on the roads to Heathrow and the Port of Dover. The protesters are willing to risk going to prison for the cause. Who are they? And will they succeed? 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 Bal...

Clarence House is caught up in a scandal involving a Russian banker, a group of royal fixers and a £500,000 donation that went missing. The Sunday Times has been investigating the practice of paid intermediaries taking money from wealthy donors in exchange for honours and access to the Prince of Wales. How damaging are the revelations? And what do they mean for the future king? This podcast was br...

Until last week, it was one of the government's most closely guarded secrets. Only about ten people in Britain had been privy to the details. And then – out of the blue – the UK, the US and Australia unveiled a new strategic alliance. The deal promises nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, and renewed security in the Indo-Pacific region. Today we look at how the announcement has been met in So...

In her two years as Home Secretary, Priti Patel has cultivated an image as a hardliner on immigration. Despite all her tough talk, the extent to which she's achieved anything concrete is debatable, and this summer has seen record numbers of migrants crossing the channel. With the Nationality and Borders Bill -- a radical overhaul of asylum laws -- making its way through parliament, will Patel fina...

It's been an intense year for the BBC: budget cuts, a series of staff departures and redundancies, accusations of bias… and now, it has a hawkish new culture secretary to contend with. Plus, just around the corner, a new deal with the government over the licence fee is widely expected to shrink budgets further. How will the BBC look and sound for future generations? This podcast was brought to you...

Violence and neglect are rife in unregistered schools across the UK. We explore how a legal loophole allows these establishments to operate under the radar, ignoring basic educational and safeguarding standards. With inspectors powerless to intervene, the abuse continues. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one...

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms.  In this final episode of a seven-part series, reporter Emily Sargent turns her attention to Westminster.  What's happened in the three years since the Government pledged to end the practice of conversion therapy?&n...

Last month Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election, hoping to capitalise on support for his pandemic response. With the election just days away, and polls showing a neck and neck race, could the move become one of Canada's biggest political miscalculations? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and...

A new law restricting abortions in the state of Texas could spell the end of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which guaranteed access to abortion for women in America. Today: the legal history of abortion in the US, and the effect the new law might have. 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: ...

Since the internet boom in the mid-90s, San Francisco has become a tech superpower, overtaking Silicon Valley. The city has more billionaires per square mile than anywhere in the US, but it also has more homeless people. Danny Fortson meets the residents of its tent cities. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and...

As people return to work and school, and Covid numbers continue to rise, just how normal might this autumn be? 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: -Jill Treanor, City Editor, The Sunday Times. -Tom Calver, senior data journalist, The Times and The Su...

Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms.  Research suggests that trans people are twice as likely to have been offered some form of conversion therapy than any other group in the LGBTQ+ community. In this sixth episode of a seven-part series, reporter Emil...

Next month world leaders will come together in Glasgow for COP26, the annual UN climate change conference, where the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. The summit will be just the culmination of a long process; much of the real work happens now, in the days and weeks beforehand. So, as COP26 draws closer, are negotiations as far along as they need to be? This podcast was brought to you thank...

After 16 years as Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel is exiting the international stage. What did the world's most powerful woman stand for, and what will her legacy be? 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:  Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent for...