The Story

The home secretary has said she has lost confidence in West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, after a "damning" report into the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match with Aston Villa last year. Shabana Mahmood said the report from Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, identified widespread failings at the force. But how did we get here? What did this case...

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet the Danish and Greelandic foreign ministers later today amid rising tensions over America’s desire to control the island. What would a US takeover mean for the future of Nato, and what do the people of Greenland make of being caught in a diplomatic tussle? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times....

Anti-government protests in Iran have entered their third week, with observers saying that thousands may now have been killed in an ongoing crackdown against the demonstrations. But could these protests really bring down the Iranian regime? Who in the opposition could step in to take its place? And what could the US achieve by striking Iran?  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the supp...

The 40-year-old adviser to the US president has been the frontman of Trump's recent Greenland grab threats and capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. How did a kid from liberal Santa Monica become a hardline conservative? And how is his worldview shaping American policy? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://the...

Bestselling author Sathnam Sanghera was addicted to social media for a decade. Now, like millions of us, he’s switching off. With figures showing the amount of time spent on social media peaking in 2022 and steadily declining ever since, could we be seeing the beginning of the end of social media? And, if so, how can you kick the habit for good? Read by: Sathnam Sanghera, author and Times writer....

It had it all: sex, lies, FBI stings, and the first presidential impeachment for over a century. Thirty years on from the most famous “office romance” in modern politics, Monica Lewinsky reflects, in her own words, on the impact of being 'that women'. With former president Bill Clinton’s conduct once again being questioned amid the Epstein files, we revisit 1998: the power imbalance, the media fee...

In December, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot ‘Grok’ rolled out a new image-editing feature on his social media site, X. It didn’t take long for users to exploit it, digitally undressing women and girls and spreading non-consensual deepfakes. But while a governmental backlash in the UK is growing, these photos are still flooding in. So how is this legal? And are we finally reaching a moment where the harms...

After hitting Venezuela last week and capturing the country’s president, Donald Trump turned his attention to Greenland - the US says it’ll discuss ownership with Denmark next week. Trump’s also talked about getting involved in Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia. So which country might be next? What is the ‘Donroe Doctrine?’ And could this be the end of NATO? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the...

2025 was a year of tumult for an increasingly unpopular Labour government, while insurgent parties to their right and left shot up in the polls. But what will 2026 have in store? Will Keir Starmer’s political downfall continue? And can the Greens and Reform continue their upward trajectories in the crucial local elections this May? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers o...

Today marks five years since the Jan 6 storming of the Capitol, and nearly one year of Trump 2.0. How has the US president already changed American democracy? 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 Guest: David Charter, assistant editor (US), The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Taryn Sie...

The US has bombed Venezuela and abducted its President, Nicolás Maduro. But why did Donald Trump do it? And with Maduro now in New York awaiting trial, what’s next for his country? 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 Guest: Louise Callaghan, US correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana....

Longevity science has been trying to unlock the mysteries of ageing for years; it’s spawned a multi-billion dollar global industry of supplements, anti-ageing regimens, exercise, and more. But what actually works and what’s just hokum? 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 Guest: Peta Bee, h...

In 2025 China continued to flourish. Despite the tariffs, it hit a record trade surplus of over $1 trillion, Chinese companies like DeepSeek took on the US tech giants and the country leveraged its soft power on social media sites like RedNote. With economic, technological and diplomatic might, will China try to take on America as the foremost global superpower in 2026? Or does its ruling party ha...

Millions of us now use AI daily, asking the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini to help with tasks like writing emails or designing logos. But as AI increasingly becomes part of our lives, our Silicon Valley expert predicts this year will see a significant push back against its influence.  This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe to...

In the years since Omar al-Bayoumi was released by British police, new evidence has come to light which was not shared with the officers carrying out his interrogation. Today, he stands accused of being a Saudi agent who helped the terrorists who carried out 9/11, something he has always denied. This is part three of a three-part special investigative series, first published in September. This pod...

On September 21, 2001, Omar al-Bayoumi was arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of the preparation, instigation or commission of acts of terrorism. Police would have seven days before they would need to charge, extradite, or release him. Over the next week of questioning, there would be extraordinary revelations -- but also leads not followed, and crucial information not shared. So what went wrong?...

Was there another man involved in plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands in 2001? And why did British police, acting on the instructions of American law enforcement, let him go? This is part one of a three-part special investigative series, first published in September. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe...

Romance fraud is at an all time high, low-hanging fruit in the growing world of online scams. But what are the methods? Who falls for it? And are there ways we can all avoid it? This episode was first published in April. 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:  Mary Chater, romanc...

Japanese ‘kidults’ revolutionised pop culture in the 90s and 00s, turning to their inner children to cope with economic crisis and post-industrial societal ills, despite being ridiculed. As the milestones of adulthood - property, marriage and careers - become increasingly difficult for millennials and Gen Z to achieve - are westerners now turning to ‘kidulting’ to find answers?  This episode...

A year ago Times columnist James Marriott ditched his smartphone to escape the endless notifications from his apps. How has he managed without a device many of us feel is indispensable? And could it be a more desirable future? This episode was first published in February. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://the...

From oil spills to climate change, penguins are on the frontline of environmental change. Pablo García Borboroglu has spent more than three decades rescuing colonies, moving shipping lanes, and protecting over 32 million acres of penguin habitat. He joins Adam Vaughan to share what it takes to keep these charismatic seabirds alive in a rapidly changing world. Planet Hope is a podcast from The Time...

On this special Christmas Day episode we have an exclusive, brand-new story from acclaimed author, and former CIA analyst, David McCloskey. Commissioned for The Sunday Times Review, it's read for us by the author. Before she met Painter, before the CIA came calling, Natalie Perkins had no secrets, only followers, likes, and a hope of online fame. But now, 'retired' from the spotlight and living qu...

When James Coney's son Charlie missed milestone after milestone, he knew something wasn't right. It would take 12 years before one phone call would change their lives. They learned that, not only was there finally an answer, but Charlie's DNA had been used as part of a huge scientific breakthrough. This episode was first published in February. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support...

Recreational use of the Class B drug ketamine doubled in 2024. A Sunday Times investigation has looked into where it's coming from and why it's so hard to police. This episode was first published in April. 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 Guest: Katie Gatens, Commissioning Editor, The S...

You probably don't need reminding how much of a mess our prisons are at the moment - run-down, overcrowded and sometimes with a revolving door for prisoners who reoffend. One of the charities supported by this year’s Times and Sunday Times Christmas appeal is Switchback, who’ve had great success at helping ex-offenders to ‘go straight’ when they leave prison. For more information on this year...