The Story

It's that time of year again. The Sunday Times Tax List. So who made it to the top? And is there a bit of a dark side to the list this year? 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: Robert Watts, journalist, The Sunday Times. Host: Luke Jones. Further reading: The Tax List 2025: the UK’s 100 biggest taxpayers revealed Photo: Getty Images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last weekend, The Sunday Times' Josh Glancy landed in Tel Aviv, after the ceasefire had just been announced. Israelis held their breath to see if it would hold, and if their loved ones would be the hostages released. 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: Josh Glancy, News Review Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Taryn Siegel. Photo: Getty Images Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many, paying off a mortgage is one of their biggest financial goals. So, this week Holly and Lucy are joined by mortgage expert Sarah Tucker from The Mortgage Mum and Leigh Macfarlane, a content creator documenting her journey to becoming mortgage free. They share practical tips and strategies to make your dream of financial freedom a reality. Contact: Lucy and Holly at: moneyteam@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon labelled the new kid on the block, Elon Musk, as “racist” and “truly evil”, it hit the headlines. But what’s their feud really about? And what does it tell us about the two sides of President Donald Trump? 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: Oliver Bateman, journalist and historian. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: NBC, CNBC Television, CNN, CNN News-18, MSNBC, PBS, All-In Podcast, Sirius XM. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost two years, two armies have fought a brutal civil war in Sudan, Africa’s third largest country. Over 150,000 have died, 11 million have been displaced and evidence of genocidal war crimes have emerged. So why has the war in Sudan been forgotten? The Times’ Special Correspondent Anthony Loyd has recently returned from a reporting trip on the frontline and tells The Story about the people he met. This episode includes descriptions of war and rape. 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: Anthony Loyd, Special Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC. Photo: Anthony Loyd/The Times. Watch Anthony’s video from Sudan Further reading: Inside Sudan’s forgotten war: 150,000 dead, 11 million displaced Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to killing three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July. But why wasn’t the 18 year old - who was referred to counter terrorism scheme Prevent three times - stopped before he could commit his crimes? And, as the Prime Minister warns of a new kind of terrorism, does Britain need to rethink its whole strategy around terror to prevent an attack like this happening again? This podcast contains descriptions of violence. 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: Read more: Axel Rudakubana: from class clown to killerSouthport attack timeline: missed opportunities and misinformationHost: Manveen Rana. Clips: GB News, 10 Downing Street, UK Parliament. Photo: Merseyside Police / PA. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Reeves travels to the World Economic Forum today to shore up support among CEOs and world leaders in Davos. The chancellor hopes to boost investment amidst volatile bond markets, borrowing costs hitting a 27-year high, and the prospect of Trump tariffs. But is the government heading for a Liz Truss-style crash? 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: Dominic O’Connell, Columnist, The Times, and Business Presenter, Times Radio. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: GB News, Sky News, NBC News, UK Parliament, BBC News. Photo: Times Design/Getty Images Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At 12pm ET today, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. To mark this historic occasion, we’ve gathered together two of our US experts from either side of the Atlantic – one who attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, and one who will be attending this one. What’s so different this time around? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Straight Arrow News, CNN, ABC News, NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, CNN. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we look back on one of our favourite episodes from the past few months: a deep dive into the economics of beauty, with Tom Whipple. Do looks matter? Pulchronomics, the study of economics and beauty, says they do. But just how much impact does being attractive have on your love life, career and happiness? Are our fortunes really determined by our looks? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.com/subscribe Guest: Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times. Host: Luke Jones. Times Poll: How attractive are you? Rate yourself out of five Clips: Britain’s Got Talent ITV/Thames. Photo: Times Design, Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the Tech Podcast from The Times. The Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, joins the pod to discuss the British Government's 'AI Opportunities Action Plan' (and Elon Musk). Plus, a new guide the UK's fastest growing tech companies is revealed by The Times and Sunday Times, read all about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was widespread jubilation at the announcement that a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu's government is still to formally approve the deal that would bring to an end 15 months of conflict. The deal includes the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. But how exactly will it work? And, more importantly, will it last? 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: Samer Al-Atrush, Middle East Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: The Times and The Sunday Times, Reuters, Times Radio, Al Jazeera, Parliamentlive.tv, Sky, CBS, BBC, @zakisolja / X. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Analysis of a decade’s worth of sentencing data across England and Wales between 2013 and 2023 has revealed a worrying uptick in knife crime nationwide. For the first time, the contents of more than 4.7 million lines of crime and sentencing data have been used by The Times to build profiles of fatal stabbing victims and offenders convicted of knife possession. 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 Woode, Crime Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Clips: BBC 5Live, Sky News, ITV Anglia, X/@crimeLdn Photo: Times Design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tulip Siddiq, Labour’s anti-corruption minister, has resigned after reporting by the Sunday Times revealed that she resided in a series of properties bought by associates of her aunt, the now deposed leader of Bangladesh, who’s accused of siphoning off billions from the country. The journalist who followed the story all the way to Dhaka speaks to The Story. 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: Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Times Radio, Channel 4 News. Photo: Getty Images. Further reading: Tulip Siddiq’s flyers found in palace of deposed Bangladesh leader Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As LA continues to battle its worst fires in history, the political blame game has started, with Donald Trump accusing California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, of caring more about fish than people. We’ll explain. 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: Hosts: Luke Jones and Edith Rousselot Clips: NBC News, NewsNation, CBS News, ABC 10, KTLA 5, The Tonight Show Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having made a multi-million dollar film together, Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are now trading muti-million dollar lawsuits over what did (or didn’t) happen on set and during the promotional tour for It Ends With Us. But what do court documents and private texts allege about Hollywood's dark arts? And like MeToo, could this be the start of another watershed moment triggered by Tinseltown? 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: Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: It Ends With Us / Justin Baldoni / Sony / Columbia Pictures / Wayfarer Studios / Blake Lively, Entertainment Tonight, MsMojo, YouTube / @TheAmalaEkpunobi, YouTube / Megyn Kelly, The Hollywood Reporter, TikTok / @lovingsingle, YouTube / TED / Justin Baldoni, TikTok / justinbaldoni. Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, has combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and government cover ups into the murder of civilians during the Afghan conflict. Today, in part two, we hear about the methods used to stymie, block and obstruct the course of justice. This episode was originally published on 10 May 2024. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestory Guests: Read the full Insight investigation Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the Times revealed that ministers are considering bringing back a retired military chief to lead the armed forces amid concerns the likely frontrunner, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has been tainted by the inquiry. Government sources stress that Jenkins has supported the inquiry. Last year, The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and government cover ups into the murder of civilians during the Afghan conflict. Today, in part one, we hear about the senior special forces commander, codename N1466, who blew the whistle. This episode was originally published on 9 May 2024. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestory Guests: Read the full Insight investigation Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Military.com. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US president-elect has sparked a series of diplomatic rows after saying he was willing to use military or economic force to take control of Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada. How seriously should we take Donald Trump’s claims and where did they come from? 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: Josh Glancy, News Review Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: NBC News, Fox News, ABC News, Reuters/TV2, France Inter Radio. Photo: Getty Images Further listening: Why Donald Trump courted the wrestling world Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk has unleashed a huge political row in the UK over whether there should be a national inquiry into the gangs that groomed young girls for rape in a number of Britain's northern towns. But whilst the world's richest man accused the 'legacy media' of a cover-up, the scandal was actually exposed by Times journalist Andrew Norfolk. So how did he uncover the shocking story? And has enough been done to make sure it never happens again? 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: Andrew Norfolk, former Chief Investigations Reporter, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Image: The Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scroll through his latest posts on X and Elon Musk has a laser focus on UK politics. His main targets? Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips MP and their response to the country’s grooming scandal. He’s also blowing hot and cold on Reform UK. So what influence is the world’s richest man having on British politics? And why is he doing it? 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: Aubrey Allegretti, Chief Political Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Sky News, Times Radio, Parliament, BBC, France 24. Photo: Getty Images. Further listening: The political transformation of Elon Musk Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.