The Story

Ukraine continues to deny Russia’s claims of victory in Soledar, where the Wagner Group – a private army – has been fighting. Why is Russia fighting for such a small town? And who are the mercenaries leading the assault? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guest: Marc Bennetts, Forei...

At an experimental nuclear reactor in the south of France, 35 countries are trying to build a star on earth. It's just one of several facilities around the world where scientists are trying to create the future of energy. If they pull it off, thermonuclear fusion could solve the world’s energy crisis, efficiently creating almost limitless clean energy. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the...

Six months since his resignation, Boris Johnson has been keeping busy. Leadership chatter won’t go away, but he is happy to let his old friends do the talking. Meanwhile, his influence looms over Rishi Sunak's Brexit talks.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . Guest: Tim Shipman...

This week, the controversial influencer Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detainment on charges of rape and human trafficking in Romania was rejected. Tate gained notoriety through his often violent and misogynistic rhetoric online. Who is he and how did he gain his huge online following - and what’s he like in person? Some people might find some of the content in this podcast offensive. This podca...

Last week, the disgraced boss of crypto firm FTX pleaded not guilty to fraud-related charges. Just months before, billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried had been rubbing shoulders with supermodels and world leaders, and was known for his multi-million dollar charitable and political donations. So how did he end up on the wrong side of the law?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of...

With the publication yesterday of Prince Harry's hotly anticipated memoir – Spare – it's been another explosive week for the royal family. So what's in the book? And, as the dust starts to settle, how will this latest drama end? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Roya Nikkhah,...

After fraught crisis talks, the government announced its plans to fix the NHS. So what's really going on behind hospital doors? How did we get here? And what are the solutions? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Shaun Lintern, Health Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Ran...

A month after the Chinese government announced an abrupt end to its “zero-Covid” policy, lifting virtually all the restrictions its citizens had been living under for three years, the country is now experiencing a huge wave of infections. With Chinese New Year approaching, can the country’s already stretched health system cope? And what will the coming weeks hold for the Chinese people? This podca...

Like increasing numbers of Brits, columnist Robert Crampton had a guilty secret: he was drinking more, the older he got. Way more. In a brutally honest account, he reveals what finally led him to quit. Websites and numbers for concerns regarding alcohol addiction:  Drinkline is the national alcohol helpline. If you're worried about your own or someone else's drinking, you can call this free h...

Details have emerged in court about how an undercover MI5 agent managed to infiltrate and gather evidence on the political wing of the ‘New IRA’. Dennis McFadden’s work led to the arrest of a number of the organisation's top people, who all deny the charges against them.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: theti...

How should we eat? What should we eat? Author and epidemiologist Tim Spector says it’s time to ban the D word – ‘dieting’ – lose the calorie counting and enjoy food in a more integrated way.  Tim Spector’s latest book, ‘Food for Life, The New Science of Eating Well’ : https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/435986/food-for-life-by-spector-tim/9781787330498 This podcast was brought to you thanks to th...

After a period of global upheaval unlike any other in living memory, we look back at the year war came to Ukraine, and how its fallout has changed Europe and the world. We ask two of our most experienced foreign correspondents for their views on the people and events likely to shape global events in 2023, as the world adjusts to the “new normal” of conflict and economic turbulence. This podcast wa...

Over the festive period, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. Google engineer Blake Lemoine brought an unusual concern to his company: he feared the AI language program he was working with had gained sentience. Even if he's wrong – and Google certainly thinks he is – is the fact that an AI bot can imitate sentience so convincingly reason enough to be worried? This podcas...

In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. In April 1982, Captain Christopher Craig set sail with his crew on the frigate HMS Alacrity to the Falkland Islands after Argentina had invaded the British overseas territory. Four decades on, Chris and his son Duncan - then a six-year-old schoolboy in Bournemouth - reflect on that war. This...

In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. It promised a financial revolution - a liberation from money middlemen. But then the $3 trillion industry of cryptocurrency lost two thirds of its value in six months. So was it all a cult of personality? Or is the revolution still to come? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the suppo...

In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. It's a legend many of us have grown up with: a plucky group of British officers, finding themselves trapped in a heavily guarded POW camp during the Second World War, try every trick they can think of to break out. But, in a new book by Ben Macintyre, we hear for the first time the real stor...

In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. As the Ukraine war progressed, journalists, activists and critics were forced to flee the country. But as Putin’s grip on the media tightened, what was it like for the people who were left? And when does it become too dangerous to stay?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the sup...

In the week between Christmas and New Year, we’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2022. We begin with one of the most riveting stories of the year, from The Times’ war correspondent Anthony Loyd. In their podcast series Last Man Standing , Anthony and Manveen investigated the kidnap of the British photojournalist John Cantlie. Cantlie had been taken hostage by Islamic State in...

Today's Christmas Eve bonus episode comes courtesy of our sister podcast: Wine Times. Discussing and decanting with Suzi Ruffell and Will Lyons on a live special of Wine Times are Times Radio broadcasters Jane Garvey and Fi Glover. As well as four great wines to taste, Fi explains why she refuses to feel stressed about Christmas this year, Jane discusses her love for Cava, Will shares why Brits ar...

Every day, hundreds of readers write into The Times and The Sunday Times. In a year when the news didn’t seem to stop, the letters editors of the two papers pick out their highlights. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes .    Guests : - Andrew Riley, Letters Editor, The Times....

Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Afghanistan. Foreign financial government support has run dry, and aid agencies are left to plug the gaps amid drought and famine. Our correspondent has been to visit projects run by Afghanaid, one of the organisations being supported by this year’s Christmas Appeal.  For more information and to donate to the Tim...

Strike action on a scale not seen since the 1980s is set to continue into January as workers demand pay rises to match spiralling inflation. Today, as ambulance crews in England and Wales begin a strike, why are so many joining the picket line and how is the government responding to the industrial action? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday...

The Times has an august history of recording the lives of significant people, and has been doing so in the obituaries pages since the 19th century. Today, we remember some of the people who may not be household names but are no less fascinating. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes . &...

British volunteer Dave Young has rescued over 800 Ukrainians from the war's frontline, as well as losing his right eye to shrapnel. Anthony Loyd and filmmaker Federica De Caria join Dave in the city of Bakhmut, the epicentre of the bloodiest attritional battle of winter, as he embarks on dangerous rescue work – and considers what drives him to keep going. Watch Anthony Loyd and Federica De Caria's...

As one of the most controversial World Cups in living memory heads towards its final climax this weekend -- what was it actually like being there? And for the host nation -- after scandals, condemnation and $200 billion -- was it worth it? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes .   G...