The Story

Cyber-attacks on some of Britain's biggest companies like Marks & Spencer have cost hundreds of millions of pounds. For Jaguar Land Rover, experts estimate the cost to the company and the economy ran to billions. But most of us know almost nothing about what happens behind the scenes in the hours after a hack. Who do you call? In a bank robbery, a negotiator armed with a megaphone mi...

Deep in rural Arkansas, far right YouTuber Eric Orwoll has founded 'Return to the Land', an all-white compound. Black people, gays and Jews are not allowed to live there. Sixty years after the end of segregation in America, is his community a remote collection of oddballs, or a sign of more extremism to come? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sun...

The British army’s new fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles was meant to be their new jewel in the crown: high tech machines for an army of the future. But after nearly a decade, and more than five billion pounds spent, the vehicles have been withdrawn after accusations they have caused life changing injuries to crews. Today, we hear from the ex-soldier who was once the head of testing these vehicles,...

Warner Bros. Discovery - the revered studio behind Barbie and Casablanca - is up for sale. A bidding war has emerged between Netflix and Paramount. But could either acquisition change the film industry forever? And are these bids even legal? 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: Kevi...

From today, under-16s in Australia will be banned from using social media platforms, a world-first. The ban has caused uproar among teenagers and a court case brought by two fifteen year olds is challenging the policy. Will the ban work? And could other countries follow suit?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today:...

From former officials jailed after taking bribes to push pro-Putin propaganda, through to local councillors being expelled for offensive tweets, and leader Nigel Farage being accused of high school racism, Reform UK is struggling to stay scandal free. Will the party be able to weather the storm? Or will the waves of allegations start to shift the polls?  This podcast was brought to you thanks...

When Nikolai’s assault unit was told to advance on a Ukrainian position, he decided he’d rather blow up his own arm than continue to fight. Nikolai and two other former Russian soldiers tell The Times about their harrowing experiences at war– and why they decided to flee.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http...

Jet engines, the neighbour's lawnmower, traffic noise - it's all terrible for our health. Yet for many years the issue has been dismissed, described as the "poor cousin” of other environmental issues such as litter, air pollution and climate change. So with prolonged noise pollution linked to nearly 1,000 premature deaths in Britain in 2017, why isn't it taken more seriously? How exactly does the...

A new book by New York Magazine’s former star political writer, Olivia Nuzzi, has unleashed a chaotic slew of revelations about her alleged transgressive relationships with wayward politicians — and the US is hooked. But how did this increasingly bizarre he-said she-said story of conflicting accounts unfold? And what does it tell us about the nexus between politics and journalism - between power a...

In the 1980s, the leader of Poland’s Solidarity Movement, campaigning against communism, promised the country’s economy would one day rival Japan. The crowd laughed. Now that dream has become a reality. By the end of this year, Polish living standards are forecast to match those in the Asian economic powerhouse, and Poles across Europe are returning home. So how have they managed it? And will it l...

Today, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is announcing an independent review into rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services. Amid soaring welfare costs and long waiting lists, the government says the system needs to be transformed. But with Streeting previously claiming that some mental health conditions are ‘overdiagnosed’, are the right problems being tackled? This podcast was brou...

On Tuesday the UN General Assembly met to discuss a plan for Palestinian statehood, two months after President Trump announced his twenty-point peace plan for Israel and Gaza. But has the fighting actually stopped? Is the region any closer to peace? And could Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial derail the whole process? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support o...

The arguments over last week’s budget continue; first chancellor Rachel Reeves was accused of misleading MPs and the public over the state of public finances, then the chair of the budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, resigned. So how did this row unfold and where does it leave the Prime Minister? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and T...

In 2012 Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony went viral thanks to Kony 2012, a documentary about his atrocities. He's been on the run ever since. Today, the son who was groomed to be his father's heir tells his story for the first time. This podcast contains scenes some listeners may find distressing. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscr...

When an Oxbridge professor says his students are “functionally illiterate”, you know something is wrong. With reading levels in freefall and screentime rocketing, is the era of mass literacy over? In his wildly successful blog, James Marriot argues that three centuries after the reading revolution ignited democracy and modern science, we are now witnessing its great undoing. Where once we spent ho...

Oz Pearlman has guessed Joe Rogan's pin number, freaked out Barack Obama, mind-read Howard Stern’s secret afterlife password and left Richard Branson staring into the middle distance. But behind the viral moments is a former Wall Street analyst who insists there’s nothing supernatural in what he does, just psychology, pattern-spotting and a lifetime spent decoding how people think. We dive into th...

The inaugural conference of Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party takes place this weekend. But what should have been the coronation of the left’s most potent new force has become a shambles. Will they get it together in time to prevent Zack Polanski’s Greens from sweeping up the left vote? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: ht...

After weeks of trailing, flip-flopping, and media briefings, the government finally unveiled its budget. And while there were no real surprises, questions– both practical and existential– remain. Has Rachel Reeves done enough to save her and Keir Starmer’s jobs? And what will it mean for you, the listener?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The...

Of the thirteen sub-postmasters thought to have taken their own lives because of the Post Office scandal, only two have been named publicly. Michael Mann was one of them. Our reporter has spoken to his family, former partner and ex-colleagues to tell his story for the first time.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe tod...

The prospect of peace in Ukraine may be edging closer, after the leak of a controversial 28-point plan to end the war prompted Ukrainian and Western officials to meet for ‘productive’ talks in Geneva. Is this the beginning of the end? And how does the latest proposal ensure that Russia will not invade again? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sund...

A recent survey revealed that more than half of 16 to 34-year-olds have taken part in strangulation during sex, despite the risks of a loss of consciousness and stroke. Many feel a rise in choking in pornography is to blame, a practice the UK government is set to ban. Baroness Gabby Bertin has led an independent review which prompted the change in law. This programme contains descriptions of stran...

Across the Deep South, women raised to believe marriage was their destiny are now walking out, challenging the religious, cultural and political pressures that have shaped their lives. Meanwhile, the booming 'trad wife' movement, championed by conservative powerhouses like the late Trump supporter Charlie Kirk, is attracting a whole new generation of young women to embrace home and hearth and marr...

Tilly Norwood, the world's first 'AI actress' has rocked Hollywood, sparking union protests and denounced by actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney and Emily Blunt. For some she's a threat to the artform, for others an inevitability. She'll never forget her lines, turn up late or fall drunk out of a bar. Tilly can appear in multiple films at once and even change her appearance at will. But...

The findings of the report into the political governance and decision making during the pandemic are damning about Boris Johnson’s government’s attempts to protect the public from the virus. Who was responsible for a “toxic and sexist culture” and who misled Downing Street? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://t...

President Trump has bowed to pressure from US lawmakers, including those in his own Republican party, to release files related to the investigation into the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. As leading MAGA figures start to rebel, we ask whether Trump has lost control over his base?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscr...