The Story

Former contestants on Married At First Sight this week made serious allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. All men accused deny any wrong doing. For TV producer and writer Daisy Goodwin, creator of shows like Grand Designs and Victoria, it’s another sign that reality TV is losing its grip, with people getting hurt. So how did we get here?

Ready by: Daisy Goodwin, TV producer and writer for The Times.
Producer: Dave Creasey.
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Read more: I made reality TV shows — they are even more extreme now
Clips: C4, BBC.
Photo: Getty Images
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Two significant developments surround the story of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. First, detectives investigating Andrew could examine allegations of sexual misconduct and corruption as part of their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office. Andrew has not been charged and denies all wrongdoing. Secondly, newly released government files show that it was the late Queen’s wish for Andrew to take on the prominent trade envoy role now under scrutiny.

On The Royals podcast, Roya Nikkhah is joined by The Sunday Times’s Whitehall correspondent Katie Tarrant to discuss the latest police developments and unpack the government files. We also hear from Fiona Hamilton, chief news correspondent for The Times, on the Thames Valley Police briefing.

Producer: Robert Wallace.
Executive Producer: Priyanka Deladia.
Read more: The Andrew files - read the documents in full
Image: Getty.
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.

For decades, Pakistan was viewed by Western leaders with deep suspicion. They were accused of taking billions in US counter terrorism funding, while allegedly harbouring Taliban networks at the same time – even Osama Bin Laden himself. Now, that same country finds itself at the centre of efforts to broker peace between the US and Iran. So how did Pakistan pull off one of the most dramatic geopolitical reinventions of the modern era? And who's side are they really on?

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: Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Dave Creasey & Harry Stott.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]
Read more: Pakistan’s PM is ecstatic to be US-Iran peacemaker. Not everyone agrees
Clips: BBC, CNN.
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.

With Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership on the brink, the revolving door of Number 10 feels like it has never been more pronounced. But is this true? Why is Britain burning through leaders at record speed? And has the country become fundamentally ungovernable?

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, associate editor, The Sunday Times
Host: Luke Jones
Producer: Sophie McNulty, Colette Fountain
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Seven PMs in ten years? How British politics got into this mess
Further listening: Labour’s Brexit conundrum
Clips: BBC, 10 Downing Street - YouTube, The Guardian, Keir Starmer - Facebook, The Independent, Times Radio, Pharos Foundation, UK Parliament
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 new Ebola outbreak, driven by a rare strain of the virus, has struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The rapid rise in cases and deaths suggests that the virus had been circulating for some time before the alarm was raised. So why wasn’t it detected sooner? And have recent international aid cuts made us more vulnerable to outbreaks of infectious diseases?

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: Paul Hunter, professor in medicine, University of East Anglia.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: ‘There are bodies everywhere’: ghost of ebola returns to haunt Congo
Further listening: How the hantavirus cruise ship nightmare unfolded - The Saturday Story
Clips: PBS, AFP.
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.