The Story

On today's programme we take a break from the news. Anthony Loyd is The Times' foreign correspondent, and one of the most experienced and respected war reporters of his generation. When he goes off to war zones he always takes one essential tool: his fishing rod. Guest:  Anthony Loyd Host:  David Aaronovitch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Westminster deals with the fallout from one Russian affair, today’s Stories of our Times podcast is about the couple who blew the whistle on Russia’s state sponsored doping operation in sport. The Sunday Times’ chief sports writer David Walsh told their story to Manveen Rana. Guests:  David Walsh, Sunday Times chief sports writer and Vitaly and Yuliya Stepanov, Russian whistle blowing c...

China has cracked down in Hong Kong, Britain has banned the Chinese technology giant Huawei from its 5G network, and there’s growing disquiet about human rights abuses against China’s Uighur minority. Are we heading for a cold war with China? Guest:  Lucy Fisher, Defense Editor for The Times Host:  David Aaronovitch Clips: BBC, Talkradio, UK parliament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Over the last fortnight, Scotland has recorded many fewer deaths from Covid-19 compared to the UK as a whole. Does Scotland have a strategy the rest of Britain can learn from? Guests:  Mark McLaughlin, Politics and Education Correspondent, The Times in Scotland Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh Host:  Manveen Rana Clips: BBC, Scottish Governme...

A spate of high profile burglaries in expensive neighbourhoods and a mountain of stolen goods lead investigators to discover hundreds of burglars, all on holiday in the UK to commit their crimes. The Times’ crime correspondent explains how these individuals operate and the Sunday Times’ Matthew Campbell tells of his trip to Chile to track down the families of those convicted in the UK. ...

David Grossman is one of America's most prolific and controversial police trainers. His courses on 'kill-ology' put violence and the act of killing at the heart of law enforcement. In the aftermath of Black Lives Matter, Grossman's methods have come under question.  Host: David Aaronovitch Guest: Laura Pullman Clips: ABC, CBS, Warner Bros., Cannon Air Force Base Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Dominic Cummings has promised that a ‘hard rain’ will fall on the civil service. And last month Sir Mark Sedwill, Britain’s most senior civil servant, stood down. Has the pandemic created a moment for Dom to reinvent the heart of British government?   Guest: Oliver Wright, Policy Editor of The Times   Host: David Aaronovitch Clips: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, CNN, ABC, IPPR, The Ditch...

At the height of the Cold War, East Germany operated an elite secret academy designed to train secret police agents in tradecraft and tactics for psychological manipulation. Now, a trove of previously classified recordings that reveal the inner workings of that Stasi training school have been published.  Guests: Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent for the Times. Roger Boyes, Diplomatic Editor...

Groomsman, Michael Curran, was acclaimed for his dedicated work with top horses but went into a spiral of decline that ended in his tragic suicide. What leads someone who reaches the top of their profession to take their own life? Samaritans: 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org. Guest: David Walsh, Chief Sports Writer. Host: David Aaronovitch. Additional music: Scott Holmes, Komiku, Kai Engel and Jordan...

Sir Keir Starmer has been Labour leader for 100 days, during which he’s had to deal with his own party’s issues as well as offer a response to the government’s handling of the pandemic. Guest:  Gabriel Pogrund, Sunday Times politics and investigations reporter. Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips used: BBC, LBC, Channel 4 News, Novara Media, Sky News. Additional music: Komiku (licensed under...

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell - who was a close companion of Jeffrey Epstein - is facing decades in jail after being arrested over charges which include the enticement of minors and sex trafficking of children. Guests:  Henry Zeffman, Times Washington Correspondent. Rosie Kinchen, associate editor and the main interviewer of News Review at The Sunday Times.  Host:&nb...

Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was killed in a Russian prison in 2009. Bill Browder shares his decade long journey for justice- campaigning for a new UK law that takes on people who breach human rights.  Guest:  Bill Browder, financier and head of the Magnitsky Global Justice campaign. Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips used: Euronews, Al Jazeera, CBC. Additional music: Jordan Powell,...

What does the permanent banning of controversial right-wing commentator Katie Hopkins from Twitter say about the current landscape of social media platforms? And will Parler ever take Twitter's place online? Guests:  Hugo Rifkind, Times Columnist and leader writer. Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips used: BBC, Telegraph, Wall Street Journal, ABC, Fox News, ITV, Sky New Australia. H...

Across Britain, we are emerging from lockdown. But not everything is back to normal. As shops and pubs reopen their doors, we spend some time with three iconic businesses in London's East End.  Guests:  Anna Sereno , E. Pellicci's Cafe Reggie Adams, Marquis of Cornwallis pub Mohsin Hassan, Ali's Barber Shop Host: Manveen Rana, Asya Fouks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

An investigation by The Sunday Times has found evidence that connects a deadly incident in 2012 in southern China with the current global pandemic. Guests: Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor George Arbuthnott, Insight Deputy Editor Host: Manveen Rana Clips: BBC, Sky News, CBS, CNN, WHO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As most of England eases lockdown, we ask: is the government making the right move? Guest:  Sir David King, former chief scientific adviser, chair of the Independent SAGE. Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips used: Independent SAGE, ITV News, BBC, PBS. Additional music: Komiku, Monplaisir, Scott Holmes (licensed under Creative Commons). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

As the Robert Jenrick planning scandal unfolded, investigative reporter Gabriel Pogrund wanted to speak directly with one of the men at the centre: Richard Desmond.  The former newspaper owner and porn publisher has had a unique career.  So who is he, and how did he get close to the British political establishment?  Guests:  Gabriel Pogrund is a politics and investigations...

A trade deal between Britain and America has been held up as one of the major advantages of the UK exiting the European Union. But the disruption wrought by coronavirus and political turmoil in America are threatening to derail any prospect of a swift agreement being reached. Meanwhile, Britain appears to be inching closer to common ground for a trade deal with the EU. Guests: Henry Zeffman, Washi...

Much about the virus remains a mystery. Today, we catch up on everything we’ve learned about the virus so far - and the big unknowns - with The Times' science editor. Could a second spike in the UK be on its way? Guest:  Tom Whipple, science editor for The Times Host:  Manveen Rana. Clips: Sky News, ITV News, Al Jazeera, BBC News, DW News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

The former USA Gymnastics team doctor is now a convicted child sex offender, behind bars for 175 years. You might think that was where the story ended. But for many survivors, his sentencing was just the beginning of a long fight for justice in the sport they love.  Guests:  Rebecca Myers, reporter and feature writer for The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Additional music:&n...

1 in 5 men in the UK say they don't have any close friends. Stig Abell is one of them. What are the obstacles to making friends as an adult, and could a psychotherapist help him find answers? Guests:  Nadine Abell, Stig's wife. Cate Campbell, Psychotherapist and relationship counsellor. Xand van Tulleken, a former colleague of Stig. Host: Stig Abell, host of the Times Radio's breakfast show....

This week Manveen and David take a break as Times Radio presenters host the podcast, ahead of the launch of the station on the 29th June. For Luke Jones, going to the theatre has been an almost weekly part of his life for as long as he can remember. That is, until the coronavirus lockdown began, and the theatres closed for public safety. Now, the theatre sector is grappling with the question...

This week Manveen and David take a break as Times Radio presenters host the podcast, ahead of the launch of the station on the 29th June. The images of babies born via surrogate, waiting in a hotel in Ukraine for their biological parents to collect them during lockdown, were broadcast all over the world. Today, we go inside the global surrogacy industry and explore how the pandemic...

This week Manveen and David take a break as Times Radio presenters host the podcast, ahead of the launch of the station on the 29th June. Since the death of George Floyd, black families around the world have been considering how to cope with the impact of racist killings. But how should we all talk to our children about it? Guests: - Christabel Nsiah Buadi, writer and broadcaster. - Riana Elyse An...

This week Manveen and David take a break as Times Radio presenters host the podcast, ahead of the launch of the station on the 29th June. The government's Covid-19 contact tracing system is key to helping contain the spread of the virus, but is it fit for purpose?  Guests:  Billy Kenber, Investigations reporter at The Times. Anonymous contact tracer Host: John Pienaar, host of Times Radi...