The first woman to run MI6, the foreign branch of Britain's Secret Intelligence Services has been named. Blaise Metreweli takes over the role of ‘C,’ as the head of the service has always been called, in the autumn. She will go from complete anonymity to becoming the public face of British foreign espionage. A long career in espionage means much is shrouded in mystery but we have some fascinating details about the new C and about the history of the job.

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:

• Larisa Brown, Defence Editor, The Times.
• Dr Daniel Lomas - Assistant professor in International Relations. University of Nottingham.

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Shabnam Grewal. 

Further reading:

Who really is the new MI6 chief? Here’s everything we could find

Blaise Metreweli to be first female chief of MI6

Clips: Sky news, Eon Productions & MGM, @Legaseewarveterans, ITN archive, ABC, Politico.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]     

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

Decca Aitkenhead was nine when a GP risked jail to help her mother to die. Years later she watched her best friend succumb to the slow torture of Huntington's disease, and for a few days she found herself confronting her own death. She tells Jane Mulkerrins how those experiences have shaped her views on assisted dying. 

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: Decca Aitkenhead, Chief Interviewer, The Sunday Times.

Host: Jane Mulkerrins.

Producer: Edward Drummond.

Further reading: I was 9 when a GP risked jail to help mum die. The law must change

Further listening: The debate about death that split the country

Clips: ITV/Concord Media, Parliament.

Photo: Decca Aitkenhead. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

As thousands of Ukrainian soldiers struggle with debilitating PTSD since the Russian invasion, one unconventional therapy has proved surprisingly effective: ketamine. How did this become a treatment for mental illness? And does it really work? 

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: Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Clips: Netflix/How to change your mind.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected].

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

How did Israel pull off the most devastating attack on the Iranian regime in its 45 year history and did it achieve its aim of destroying the country's ability to produce a nuclear weapon? As Tehran retaliates for the deaths of its leading military and nuclear personnel, what is the path to de-escalation, and is there a path to something far worse?

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

Host: Luke Jones 

Producer: Hannah Varrall, Edith Rousselot

Further reading: What weapons does Iran have and how long can it attack Israel?

Further listening: The General & The Journalist, from The Times and The Sunday Times

Clips: BBC News, France 24, Times News, Youtube @IsraeliPM, WTHR, Sky News, Associated Press, Al Jazeera English, CBS News, Bloomberg News, Guardian News, Fox 9 Minneapolis, Facebook @Firstpost. 

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected]     

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

Weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy aren't just changing bodies - they're rewiring society. Half a million Britons have tried them and that number’s soaring. So what will be different in this slim new world? Sunday Times science editor Ben Spencer explains how the drugs are fundamentally altering everything from alcohol to airlines. We also hear Harriet Walker's experience of taking the drugs, and why the expression "on the pen" is now firmly in the vernacular of fashion week.

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: 

• Ben Spencer, Science Editor, The Sunday Times.
• Harriet Walker, Fashion Editor, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Further reading:

I tried Ozempic microdosing, the secret way the rich lose weight

All the ways Ozempic will change our world, from alcohol to airlines

Clips: Times Radio, Doctor Mike / Youtube, Mark Lewis / YouTube, Fox, @Alexanderweightjourney / YouTube, @DoctorYoun / YouTube, Dr Emma Anders / YouTube, FatOldClimber / YouTube, @ChrisWilx / YouTube, SouthPark / Paramount Plus / Comedy Central, TikTok / Kasiedate, TikTok / @Gabysuecum, TikTok / sistershred. 

Photo: Romas Foord for The Times magazine. 

Get in touch: [email protected] 

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

This episode was originally published in March.

The word "unprecedented" is often used to describe Donald Trump's presidency. He's broken with convention repeatedly: from announcing tariffs on allies, to the suggestion that he wants to buy Greenland. But are these moves really without precedent? Or do Trump's politics echo that of 19th century US presidents, but with a more alarming twist?

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: Nick Bryant

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Emily Webb.

Clips: ABC News, CNBC, Niki Ashton Youtube, CBS News, New York Times, FOX, MSNBC, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, NBC, Washington Post, BBC.

Photo: Getty Images.

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

A pattern is seemingly emerging with a series of high profile targeted killings taking place inside Russian territory, blamed on Ukrainian forces. This week, an in depth look at those stories, who may be responsible for them, why they may be happening and what are rules when it comes to assessing wether they are legally and ethically justified.

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

The protests in Los Angeles have created a political opportunity for California’s Democrat governor, Gavin Newsom. He has called Donald Trump a “stone-cold liar” and said that democracy itself is under threat after the president ordered the National Guard and the Marines onto the streets of LA. Have the Democrats found a credible opponent who could take on 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

Guests: George Grylls, Washington Correspondent, The Times, Samuel Lovett, US Reporter, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Shabnam Grewal.

Further reading:

Does LA have a migrant problem? The history explained ,

Is Trump’s deployment of marines ‘un-American’ or necessary? ,

Trump calls for arrest of ‘grossly incompetent’ Gavin Newsom ,

How one LA protest spiraled out

Clips: Sky, Fox29philly, Fox news, CNN, MSNBC, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, therecount, Kare11, 

Photo: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]  

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

For years, the Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed used his power to abuse and rape women who worked for him. He was never prosecuted. In her new book The Monster of Harrods: Al-Fayed and the secret, shameful history of a British institution, Alison Kervin reveals the staggering scale of his abuse and the huge number of people who enabled it.

This episode contains details of rape and sexual abuse. If you need support, go to www.247sexualabusesupport.org.uk or call 0808 500 2222.

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: Alison Kervin, Author of The Monster of Harrod's: Al-Fayed and the secret, shameful history of a British Institution.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Edith Rousselot.

Further reading: The monster of Harrods: ‘Mohamed Al Fayed raped me’

Clips: BBC News, Sky News, 7News Australia. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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

On Monday a boat of twelve activists, including Greta Thunberg, was intercepted by Israel on its way to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza. More than a humanitarian mission, its aim was to keep the world's attention on what the UN calls "the hungriest place on earth". Israel dismissed the project as a “selfie yacht” guided by "instagram activism". Gabrielle Weiniger tells Manveen Rana how the incident became the latest battle in the war of messaging for both sides. 

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: Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent for The Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Anna Dowell, Hannah Varrall

Further reading: Israel deports Greta Thunberg after seizing Madleen aid boat

Further listening: 'People are starving' - How Trump lost patience with Israel

Clips:  theipaper via YouTube, ‘The Left in the European Parliament’ via Youtube, Office of the Israeli Prime Minister, CNN, Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Louise Callaghan, BBC, Al Jazeera, Daily Sabah via Facebook, Palestine Deep Dive via YouTube, France 24 English via YouTube, Israel MFA via X.com, The Sun

Photo: Getty Images

Get in touch: [email protected] 

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