The Story

While recovering from a heart attack, Times sports journalist Owen Slot distracted himself by watching a summer of thrilling sport. He was still hooked up to a heart rate monitor, so he decided to run an experiment: how would his heart react to the drama?

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

Read by: Owen Slot, chief sports writer, The Times.
Producer: Jennifer Kennedy.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Sport moves you like nothing else — as I found out after my heart attack
Clips: talkSPORT.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigel Farage has done the inevitable and defeated Count Binface in the Clacton by-election. To celebrate, Reform threw a gigantic Glastonbury-style festival on Clacton beach. Farage-fest 2026 featured disco, live music and even a Ferris wheel. But during his victory speech, Farage admitted for the first time that he may have made a mistake by failing to declare the £5m gift he received from Christopher Harborne. Now, just hours after his victory, the parliamentary standards watchdog has resumed its investigation into the Reform leader. So, after the Ferris wheel and the fanfare, what next for the embattled Farage?

Hosts:
Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times
Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Picture: Getty images
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been five years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital. Since then, the country has been plunged into economic crisis and women have all but disappeared from society. The Times’ special correspondent Anthony Loyd has been reporting from Afghanistan for 30 years. He’s been back on the streets of Kabul and on patrol with the Taliban’s morality police finding out what life is like for ordinary Afghans.

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.
Producers: Emily Webb, Jennifer Kennedy.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: On patrol with the Taliban’s ‘Virtue and Vice’ police
Clips: BBC, Al Jazeera, DW News, ABC News, Fox 59, CBS, ARB 24.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Scientology whistleblower told Times journalist Tom Ball that the church’s Edinburgh branch had children as young as thirteen working there during school hours. The church denied the allegation. Tom went undercover to investigate.

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: Tom Ball, news reporter, The Times
Host: Manveen Rana
Producer: Sophie McNulty
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Revealed: how Scientology recruits children as 'staff'
Further listening: Undercover at Britain’s ‘conspiracy school’
Clips: Apostate Alex - YouTube.
Photo: Ian Rutherford for The Times.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham is facing the first big test of his premiership. With jails reaching a crisis point, the government has announced an emergency early release scheme to avoid running out of prison spaces by the end of this year. But Burnham’s proposals have faced an outcry from victims. So what options are left?

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:
Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.
Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns, The Howard League for Penal Reform.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Who is in our overflowing prisons — and why?
Clips: Thames Valley Police, BBC, Sky, TalkTV.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.