The number of people with food allergies in the UK has more than doubled since 2008, with more than 5,000 people a year hospitalised in England with anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. So what’s behind the increase and are we close to a cure? 

Find out more about The Times and The Sunday Times Christmas Appeal 2024

Donate by calling 0151 286 1594 or by following this link.

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:

• Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times. 
• Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Professor of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Read more:

• What to do if someone has an anaphylactic reaction
• Natasha died from her allergies — we do not want others to suffer

Photo: Getty images. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Christmas Day, The Times' Investigations Editor, Dominic Kennedy, will spend his last working day at the paper having started back in 1993. To mark this, Dominic sits down with Luke to talk about his career in journalism and revisits three very unique and very different stories that he’s investigated over the past 31 years. 

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

If you've been affected by issues in this podcast:

• Victim Support provides emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police. Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7) Visit the Victim Support website
• If you or someone you know has been affected by suicide or needs to talk to someone, please get in contact with the Samaritans online https://www.samaritans.org/ or call them for free on their 24-hour helpline 116 123.

Further reading: 

• How the UK became ‘western capital’ for sharia courts
• ‘I feel like I have to pay ransom to get out of my marriage’

Guest: Dominic Kennedy, Investigations Editor, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones

Clips: Parliament TV, Times Radio.

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From Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Tennessee, The Times’ Megan Agnew spent three weeks on the Taylor Swift trail, discovering the origins of the supersonic star. How does someone go from teenage guitarist to pop phenomenon? Was her fame just luck and talent, or was there a master plan behind it all?

This episode was first broadcast on June 10th 2024.

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: Megan Agnew, Senior Features Writer, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Jane Mulkerrins.

Get in touch: [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story the first episode of our series Last Man Standing - the story of British photojournalist John Cantlie who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State in 2012. While his fellow hostages were released or murdered, he remained captive. Then, a series of Isis propaganda videos emerged, fronted by Cantlie. He hasn’t been seen since.

Times War Correspondent Anthony Loyd begins his investigation into John Cantlie's disappearance and explores the events of a prior kidnap asking what compelled John to return to Syria after his first escape.

Want more? Listen to the full series of Last Man Standing here.

This episode was first published on 24 June 2022.

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.

Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, War Correspondent, The Times.

Clips: BBC, 5Live, CNN, NBC, Broadcasting House (BBC Radio 4).

Listen to the whole series: Last Man Standing 

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Maher al-Assad is the youngest sibling of the deposed Syrian dictator. He’s also known as the ‘enforcer’, renowned for his brutal crackdowns on protesters, and his role in Syria’s murky drugs empire. Reporter Oliver Marsden visits his abandoned house on the outskirts of Damascus and uncovers a strange lair, complete with an underground funicular, an escape tunnel, and a Jennifer Lopez DVD.

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

Host: Manveen Rana

Guest: Oliver Marsden, foreign correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times

Clips: Sky News, France 24, 72 Films.

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has caused widespread alarm in defence and security circles, not only in the US but amongst America’s allies. But what are her views, and why are they proving so controversial?

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 Newton Dunn, political journalist and presenter.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: ABC News; Forbes; Tulsi Gabbard YouTube; Fox News; CNN; NBC News; The View (ABC); Nikki Haley YouTube.

Photo: Getty Images. 

Get in touch: [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rap mogul’s, whose real name is Shawn Carter, billion dollar empire is at risk after he was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old in 2000. Jay-Z was named alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Both men strongly deny the claims. So how did Jay-Z become a giant of American culture?

If you've been affected by issues in this podcast:

Victim Support provides emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police. Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7) Visit the Victim Support website

Rape Crisis England & Wales offers confidential support and information to women in England and Wales who have survived any form of sexual violence, no matter how long ago. Also provides immediate support to friends and family on how to support female survivors of sexual violence. Phone: 0808 802 9999 (12–2:30pm & 7–9:30pm daily) Visit the Rape Crisis website

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: Craig McLean, freelance arts journalist and contributor to The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones.

Further listening: The P Diddy lawsuits: The downfall of a rap legend 

Read more: Jay-Z, Beyoncé and a billion-dollar hip-hop empire in jeopardy 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Clips: On The Red Carpet, Forbes, CBS, NBC News, CNN, UNICEF, MTV, BBC News, BBC Glastonbury. 

Music clips: 

Brooklyn’s Finest, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.

Izzo (H.O.V.A.), JAY-Z, ℗ 2001 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Universal Music Group.

Dead Presidents II, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.

Empire State Of Mind, JAY-Z ft. Alicia Keys, © 2014 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Roc Nation Records, LLC. 

Sorry, Beyoncé, ℗ 2016 Parkwood Entertainment LLC, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment, Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia. 

Photo: Getty Images 

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Prince Andrew has now "ceased all contact" with an alleged spy working on behalf of China's shadowy United Front Work Department. But their relationship has raised questions about how the 'desperate' prince pays for his lifestyle and whether he inadvertently enabled the Chinese state to infiltrate the British royal family.

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: Kate Mansey, Assistant Editor & Royal Editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: BBC; Sky News Australia.

Photo: Pitch@Palace. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Security services have issued an unprecedented warning about a shadowy Russian military unit accused of carrying out assassinations and cyberattacks on the streets of Britain. So as the government ramps up its defence against the threat from the Kremlin, what exactly is Unit 29155? And why is it targeting the West?

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: Fiona Hamilton, Chief Correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips: Reuters, OnDemand News, Sky News, BBC News, Channel 4 News, RT, CBS News, Independent.

Photo: Getty Images/Times Illustration

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re listening back to some of our favourite episodes of 2024.

Millions of social media users are flocking to follow the Trad Wives: stay-at-home mothers who champion a life making meals from scratch and serving their husband’s and children’s every need. Our reporter goes to meet the woman behind the most popular account: Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm. Is she selling a feminist dream or an unattainable lifestyle?

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: Megan Agnew, Senior Features Writer, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Clips: TikTok/esteecwilliams, TikTok/naraazizasmith, TikTok/ballerinafarm, ABC News. 

Get in touch:  [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After nearly a week on the run, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania for the murder of health insurance CEO, Brian Thompson. But in a macabre twist, Mangione has found widespread support on social media, which has dubbed him the ‘hot assassin’. Why?

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

Host: Luke Jones.

Guest: Sam Lovett, US reporter, The Times.

Clips: The Daily Show, ABC7 News, Fox11 News, TikTok/xyathanchekass, TikTok/dpshw, TikTok/imcodyjacob, other TikToks, Edith finding sources

Further reading: ‘The hot assassin’: how the internet became obsessed with Luigi Mangione

Get in touch: [email protected]

Photo: Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP.

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