The Story

Former ministers have broken ranks to describe how successive prime ministers, including Boris Johnson, withheld arms from Ukraine until just weeks before February’s invasion because of fears they might provoke Vladimir Putin. How did they get it so wrong? 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:...

In 2018, the Sunday Times broke the story that then-serving Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke had been accused of rape by a former aide. Elphicke denied the allegation and sued for libel, and the paper spent the next four years in a legal battle, which has only just concluded. To read more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/charlie-elphicke-the-predator-mp-and-his-protection-racket-3kb30pl6w &nbsp...

As Northern Ireland goes to the polls on Thursday, we could be about to witness a political earthquake. Today: what it might mean on both sides of the Irish border if Sinn Fein sweeps to power. 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: Justine M...

What happens when one half of a couple becomes a parent against their will? 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:  Jenny Kleeman, Times Radio presenter and investigative journalist. Host: David Aaronovitch. Hosted...

With potential war crimes in Ukraine unfolding over social media, internet whizzes around the world are using Bellingcat's open source toolkit to find, fact-check, and expose them in real time. 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: Elliot Higgins...

As Shanghai enters the fourth week of the world’s strictest Covid lockdown, residents are running out of food, medicine and patience – and there’s no end in sight. Meanwhile Beijing has begun mass testing and ordered its nearly 22 million residents to remain in the city. Should China rethink its Covid strategy? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The S...

Nicknamed Le Grêlé, or ‘the pockmarked man’, a French serial killer evaded police for decades, until he claimed one last life – his own. 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:  Peter Conradi, Europe Editor, The Sunday Times. Host:  David...

It's been six weeks since the British government opened a new immigration route to help Ukrainian refugees come to the UK - 'Homes for Ukraine'. Amongst the reports of bureaucratic delays and safety issues, we hear about the scheme from the two sides at the heart of it: Ukrainian refugees and their host family. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The S...

On Sunday voters will go to the polls in France in a repeat of 2017’s run off between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. So what issues are coming up on the campaign trail? What are the prospects for the incumbent? And could the far right populist triumph in a key election for the future of Europe? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times....

Today, MPs will vote on whether to hold an investigation to look into the Prime Minister's alleged misleading of the Commons during the Partygate saga. Last week, Johnson and - unexpectedly - Chancellor Rishi Sunak were both fined for violating their own lockdown rules. Boris Johnson's critics say this makes him a 'lawmaker lawbreaker'. So how serious is this for the PM's future? This podcast was...

Doctors knew in 1973 that the epilepsy drug sodium valproate posed a risk to unborn children – and ordered that warnings be removed from packets. Almost 50 years and 20,000 disabled babies later, it is still being prescribed to pregnant women. 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:  thetime...

In an audacious hostile takeover bid, Elon Musk is holding Twitter to ransom. Either they let him run the whole company, or he'll pull the plug, selling off his stake and sinking their share price. So, what next for Twitter? And why does the world’s richest man want to buy it? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and ge...

Whether you like it or not, these days everyone seems to be enlisted in the culture wars. But why does the debate seem so angry and intolerant? Can we find some answers in novels written 150 years ago? 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: James M...

Since the first case in Ukraine was reported to The Times, many more have emerged. But why is this particular weapon so hard to talk about? 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 . This episode contains reference to sexual violence and rape. Guests : - Cath...

Just before the pandemic, the government promised a 'dementia moonshot' to blast us towards a dementia cure. What happened to it? Today: former prime minister David Cameron and Sunday Times science editor Ben Spencer on Britain’s fastest growing disease, dementia. 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 f...

The Russian military has suffered an unexpected battering, but Putin shows no sign of backing down. What can history teach us about what might happen next? 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: Roger Boyes, Diplomatic Editor, The Times. Host: Manv...

In the second of this two-part podcast, we find out what effect Mouayed Bashir's death has had on his family in Newport, South Wales - as the inquest into his death is delayed - and look at how the police interact with the black community in England and Wales.   This is the second of a two-part podcast examining the death of a black man following contact with police. This podcast wa...

On the 17th February last year, in Newport, the family of Mouayed Bashir called 999. According to his parents he'd been suffering a mental health episode that morning. Nearly three hours later the 29-year-old had died after being restrained by police officers in his bedroom. So what happened? This is part one of a two part podcast examining the death of a black man following contact with poli...

Rule No 1 in space is 'don't rock the boat' - and certainly don't talk about politics. But Putin’s bombs are visible from the International Space Station, and a war of words over Ukraine may have put joint efforts in space in real jeopardy. 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.c...

Over two episodes, Matthew Syed takes listeners inside GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham. Today, he hears from some of the staff who share how their different backgrounds help contribute to the organisation’s work. 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:...

Over two episodes, Matthew Syed takes listeners inside GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham. Today, he speaks to the Director, Sir Jeremy Fleming, on a wide range of topics, from the threats facing the UK, misinformation, the Online Harms Bill, and how working in security and intelligence has changed over the course of his 30-year career.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of...

This week the government said it would ban so-called conversion therapy for gay or bisexual people in England and Wales, but not for transgender people. The policy followed two U-turns in the space of an evening. It's a sensitive and controversial issue which was the subject of a special investigation on this podcast last August, by the journalist Emily Sargent. So today we're revisiting the first...

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 podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe to...

Since firing 800 of its employees with no warning, P&O Ferries has faced mounting pressure from the government and calls for CEO Peter Hebblethwaite to resign. How did this happen? And what's on the horizon for the embattled company? 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/stor...

It's been billed as the future of the internet. But what exactly is 'The Metaverse'? One Sunday Times journalist takes a journey into the the virtual-reality world. It may be for over-13s, but she found harassment, racism and talk of porn make it scary even for adults. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one mo...