The Story

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...

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day but, for increasing numbers of children, it’s a meal they miss, affecting their concentration and learning at school. So, as the cost of living crisis affects so many this winter, what can be done? We learn of the work of one of the charities being supported by this year’s Christmas Appeal, Magic Breakfast, which provides food for breakfast clubs...

It’s been 10 years since America’s deadliest mass shooting in an elementary (primary) school. In the years since, the weapon used - the AR-15 - has also been deployed in some of the decade’s most horrifying shootings. So how did the AR-15 rifle become the weapon of choice for mass shooters?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Su...

Today, we hear from two Ukrainian journalists who we spoke to back in March, at the beginning of Russia's invasion. At that time, Kateryna Malofieieva was in the Donbas, following the ever-shifting front line of the war. Natalia Gryvnyak was in Kyiv, trying to decide whether or not to leave the country. What has happened to them in the tumultuous ten months since? This podcast was brought to you t...

Are we living in a world where there is pressure on those in the public eye to exude virtue above all else? Where has this sensibility come from and is it leading to a blandness in our arts and culture? 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: James Marriott, Times columnist...

In the last few weeks, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for private schools in the UK to have their charitable status scrapped, but why? Also today, The Sunday Times launches its annual Parent Power Schools Guide. School league tables: the best UK primary and secondary schools revealed Find the best primary and secondary schools in your area with our guide to academic performance...

As Rishi Sunak outlasts his predecessor in the top job, just how is he doing? With polls suggesting a heavy Conservative loss at the next election, a cost of living crisis and strikes across numerous sectors, what can we make of the prime minister’s first few weeks in power? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetime...

Seventy-five percent of all lives lost to suicide in the UK are male. And one charity is leading a campaign to do something about it. For this year, The Times and The Sunday Times is supporting the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) who help people in crisis.   To donate to The Times and Sunday Times Christmas Appeal visit  thetimes.co.uk/christmasappeal  or call 0151 284...

Putin’s invasion has ushered in a new era of industrial warfare. As the winter freeze sets in, the pace of the war has not yet abated. Weapon stocks are running low and Russia is rearming. The West now faces a choice: either summon the political will (and the money) to become an arsenal for democracy, or put pressure on Ukraine to make compromises. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the sup...

Over the weekend, reports emerged that the chair of the British Museum, ex-chancellor George Osborne, has been holding ‘secret’ talks with the Greek prime minister over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece. Also known as the Elgin Marbles, the pieces have become symbolic of a wider debate about colonial legacy and restitution in the cultural world. Supporters of the marbles staying put...

Chinese cities have seen days of extraordinary protests calling for an end to the country’s zero-Covid measures, and for President Xi to step down. So what is it about this generation of students that’s motivated them to come out en masse on the streets for the first time since Tiananmen Square? And what does it mean for President Xi?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of...

After a stinging rebuke from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom - which ruled that the devolved Scottish parliament cannot authorise an independence referendum - SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has doubled down saying democracy itself is now at stake, and vowing to turn the next general election into a 'de facto' referendum. Could that work? And what does that even mean? This podcast was brought t...

One hundred years ago, when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered in Egypt, the world learnt of the treasures via The Times which had secured the exclusive rights and photographs. So just how did the newspaper get the scoop? 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: Nick Mays,...

Every prime minister's last act in office is to choose a final list of people to elevate to the House of Lords, parliament's second chamber. And Boris Johnson's resignation honours are already kicking up a storm… 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: Lara Spirit, Red Box reporte...

In 2020, retired Gwent police officer Ricky Jones took his own life. Jones’s family - who he’d subjected to years of abuse - looked through his old iPhone to try to understand more about their husband and father. But it revealed things even they were not prepared for. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk...

Romeo agents have infiltrated the West German Government by wooing secretaries of high-up officials. In the second part of this two-part series, a new agent reveals information about corruption at the very top. You can read Oliver Moody's article here . This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourti...

What’s the best way to spy on your enemies? Sleep with their secretaries. In part one of this two-part series, new evidence is unearthed of East Germany‘s ruthless blueprint for Cold War sexpionage, revealing for the first time stories of the agents sent to seduce young women working for West Germany’s top politicians. You can read Oliver Moody's article here . This podcast was brought to you than...

Fast fashion clothing company Boohoo has exploded in popularity since the pandemic. After reports of appalling working conditions in 2020, the company had made a big show of trying to do better. So has it? A Times reporter goes undercover at one of their warehouses to find out. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thet...

Amid staff shortages, Covid backlogs and potentially the first national nursing strike in the NHS’s history, the health service is facing a challenging winter ahead. How did we get here? And just how bad could things get? 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,...