Today in Focus

By The Guardian

What's Today in Focus about?

Hosted by Anushka Asthana, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining personal storytelling with insightful analysis, Today in Focus is The Guardian's daily podcast that takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday.

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The problem with OnlyFans’ ...

09.16.2021

When the ‘subscription social network’ OnlyFans announced it would be banning the sexually explicit content that made it a billion-dollar business, sex workers were up in arms – and many observers wondered how the move could make financial sense. Then ...

Today in Focus episodes:

09.16.2021 The problem with OnlyFans’ mainstream dream When the ‘subscription social network’ OnlyFans announced it would be banning the sexually explicit content that made it a billion-dollar business, sex workers were up in arms – and many observers wondered how the move could make financial sense. Then ...
09.15.2021 Who’s paying for the government’s plan to fix social care? The government’s plan to fix the ailing social care system passed into law this week. But who will benefit most and who will pick up the bill?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
09.14.2021 Is Brexit the reason McDonald's is running out of milkshakes? As gaps continue to appear on supermarkets shelves and restaurants take unavailable items off menus, Britain’s supply chains appear to be at the centre of a perfect storm of pandemic disruption coupled with post-Brexit labour shortages. Help support our independent ...
09.13.2021 Ecstasy, LSD and magic mushrooms: are these drugs the future of therapy? Scientists treating depression and a range of other mental illnesses have been running controlled trials using MDMA and psychedelic drugs such as LSD and the results have been encouraging. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
09.10.2021 A conversation about Islamophobia in the UK since 9/11 Poet Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan and standup comedian Nabil Abdul Rashid both came of age in the early 2000s, as Britain’s Muslim communities were feeling the backlash from 9/11. In conversation with Nosheen Iqbal, they look back at the past two decades ...
09.09.2021 Inside Al-Qaida: a recruit-turned-spy, a journalist and the road to 9/11 Few terrorist organisations survive for more than a few years. Al-Qaida was different. Jason Burke, who has spent much of his career reporting on the group, and former member Aimen Dean reflect on how it was able to carry out ...
09.08.2021 The children of 9/11 There were 3,051 children who lost a parent on September 11 2001. In the first of three episodes examining the reverberations of the attacks 20 years on, three of that group reflect on the weight of that private grief – ...
09.07.2021 Burnout in the US battle against wildfires More than 40,000 wildfires have burned in the US so far this year – and the firefighters who battle them have been pushed to their limit. Llew, who did the job for 20 years, explains the impact it had on ...
09.06.2021 One hour to escape: the race to get out of a Gaza tower before an Israeli airstrike A warning call told residents of al-Jalaa apartment block that their homes were about to be destroyed. This is the story of the frantic evacuation that followed – told through recordings made by the people who lived there. Help support ...
09.03.2021 One man’s epic electric test drive – from Land’s End to John o’Groats With new petrol and diesel vehicles to be banned in the UK from 2030, what can a road trip the length of the UK teach us about the future of cars?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
09.02.2021 The big coronavirus questions as a new school term begins With ministers promising a return to normal in classrooms, it’s a tough time to be a teacher – but with new information constantly emerging on vaccines for children, and the pandemic not yet over, it’s a tough time for parents ...
09.01.2021 The British citizens stranded in Kabul Day after day, Ahmad risked his life to come to the airport with his family, British passport in hand – only to be left behind when the last evacuation flight departed. Now he and many others who hoped to be ...
08.31.2021 The knock: the families torn apart by an arrest over child abuse images When the police came to Emma’s door on a Sunday evening, she could never have imagined that her ex-husband would be arrested for downloading indecent images of children. What happens to the families whose lives ‘the knock’ turns upside down?. ...
08.30.2021 Revisited: how meme stars of the early internet struck it rich with NFTs The growth of non-fungible tokens has given rise to huge windfalls for those behind early virals. Sirin Kale and Alex Hern explain all. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.27.2021 Revisited: Why is Sex and the City coming back to our screens? Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman discusses why Sex and the City was such a successful TV series, while the Guardian’s deputy television editor, Hannah J Davies, looks at what the reboot tells us about TV commissioning today. Help support our independent ...
08.26.2021 Revisited: the danger – and beauty – of ultrarunning After 21 competitors died during a 100km mountain race in Gansu province earlier this year, the Chinese government suspended all extreme sports. But those who love ultrarunning insist it can be safe – and has changed how they see the ...
08.25.2021 Revisited: Inside the ’Ndrangheta trial Guardian journalists Lorenzo Tondo and Clare Longrigg discuss the largest mafia trial in three decades. At the centre is Emanuele Mancuso, son of boss Luni Mancuso, who has been revealing the clan’s secrets after accepting police protection. Help support our ...
08.24.2021 Revisited: The pandemic scam artists making millions during lockdown When Rose got an email about a missed parcel, she thought nothing of arranging a new delivery – a mistake that would ultimately cost her thousands. The Guardian’s money editor, Hilary Osborne, reveals the scale of a lucrative new scam. ...
08.23.2021 Revisited: why has the Brazilian butt lift become so popular? The Brazilian butt lift has become the world’s fastest growing cosmetic surgery, despite mounting concerns over the number of deaths from the procedure. What is driving its popularity?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.20.2021 A Paralympian’s long journey to Tokyo In 2012, Sophie Carrigill was a complete beginner at wheelchair basketball. Now she’s going to Japan with real hopes of a gold medal – and inspiring a new generation of athletes. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.19.2021 The Plymouth attack and misogynist ‘incel’ culture The man who killed five people in south-west England last week was part of a hateful online community of men who blame women for their status as ‘involuntary celibates’. Did that contribute to his violence – and does the incel ...
08.18.2021 How the pandemic exposed the crisis in children’s social care Children’s services have reached breaking point in some areas as family breakdown and a lack of funding have resulted in a perfect storm. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.17.2021 How the Taliban took Afghanistan The departure of US forces was followed by a rout of Afghan government forces. Now, after 20 years of western intervention, Afghanistan is back under the control of the Taliban. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.16.2021 After ICU: a Covid patient meets one of the doctors who saved his life Karl Gray, a 60-year-old Salvation Army minister from north London is reunited with Dr Susan Jain, an intensive care consultant who helped save his life. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.13.2021 The fall of Andrew Cuomo The New York governor Andrew Cuomo resigned this week after 11 women came forward with sexual harassment claims, ending the career of one of the most prominent politicians in the US. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.12.2021 Has the Delta variant derailed Australia’s zero-Covid strategy? Australia appeared to be a model case for how to control the spread of Covid-19, but the arrival of the Delta variant has changed everything. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.11.2021 Scientists issue a climate code red A major UN scientific report has concluded global heating is now irreversible and it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.10.2021 Israel’s shadow war with Iran A spate of attacks on one of the world’s busiest shipping trade routes is part of an escalating tit-for-tat conflict playing out between Iran and Israel, says Martin Chulov, the Guardian’s Middle East correspondent. Help support our independent journalism at ...
08.09.2021 In search of answers about miscarriage When journalist Jennie Agg suffered four miscarriages, she set out to better understand what is known about why women lose pregnancies and why conversations on the subject are still so difficult. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.06.2021 Racism, policing and austerity: have lessons been learned since England’s 2011 riots? This week marks a decade since the riots that swept across England in August 2011. But has enough changed to prevent similar unrest happening again?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.05.2021 Why a Belarusian Olympic sprinter refused to fly home The Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya flew out of Tokyo on Wednesday to begin a life in exile after refusing to return home. Andrew Roth describes a growing threat to internal critics of the regime. Help support our independent journalism ...
08.04.2021 How Simone Biles changed gymnastics – on and off the mat US gymnastics superstar Simone Biles changed what fans of the sport thought was physically possible. Now she is at the forefront of a new conversation about athletes and mental health. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.03.2021 Are plans to change the Official Secrets Act a threat to journalism? Plans to update and expand the Official Secrets Act have been attacked as a ‘licence for cover-ups’ that could be used to thwart legitimate investigative journalism. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
08.02.2021 Why did Unesco drop Liverpool from its heritage list? The city has become one of the few places to have been dropped from the UN body’s global list of sites. What went wrong?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.30.2021 How we all got hooked on caffeine It’s the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug, it disrupts our sleep, it makes us grumpy when we miss it – and we give it to our children. What keeps us coming back?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.29.2021 The lobbying push that killed off a fight to save the Great Barrier Reef The successful campaign to keep the Great Barrier Reef off Unesco’s ‘in danger’ list has been greeted with dismay – and gloom about the reef’s chance of recovery. Graham Readfearn explains the fierce global effort to deny the impact of ...
07.28.2021 The Republican backlash in Joe Biden’s America It might seem like a post-Trump world, but in red states across the US his most hardline supporters are setting the political agenda. How much power do they have to shape the country’s future, even with a Democrat in the ...
07.27.2021 The pandemic enters a new phase Freedom day, vaccine passports, a row over the ‘pingdemic’, and then a welcome drop in cases: it’s been a rollercoaster week in the coronavirus crisis. Science editor Ian Sample speaks to new Today in Focus host Nosheen Iqbal about whether ...
07.26.2021 The authority gap: why women still aren’t taken seriously When journalist Mary Ann Sieghart set out to document the ways that women are held back by a cultural presumption of their inferiority, she found reams of data to support her case – and heard stories of how it affects ...
07.23.2021 The Pegasus project part 5: the fightback against private spyware begins After a week of stories about the abuse of private spyware by governments around the world, Michael Safi rounds off our mini-series by looking at the global impact of the Pegasus project and what could change as a result. Help ...
07.22.2021 The Pegasus Project part 4: runaway princesses and the UK connection In today’s episode, two princesses from the United Arab Emirates show up in our leaked records – and we look at whether powerful spyware is being used against UK citizens. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.21.2021 The Pegasus Project part 3: cartels, corruption and cyber-weapons In the latest part of our mini-series, Michael Safi hears from Nina Lakhani on how 15,000 Mexicans including journalists and politicians appeared on a list of possible targets for surveillance. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.20.2021 The Pegasus project part 2: cat and mouse For 10 years the Israeli surveillance company NSO has been helping governments steal secrets. Today we look at how a small team of cyber-detectives helped expose them. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.19.2021 The Pegasus project part 1: an invitation to Paris What happened when a powerful phone hacking tool was sold to governments around the world? Part 1 of a major international investigation introduces our new Today in Focus host, Michael Safi. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.16.2021 Marina Hyde on five years of watching the political circus For Anushka Asthana’s last episode, the beloved columnist makes a rare appearance to survey an era of tumult and twerps – and explain how she took it all very seriously … through jokes. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.15.2021 Inside the mind of an Olympic athlete one week before the games Tom Bosworth was ready for Tokyo 2020. Then the pandemic struck and he caught coronavirus. This is how he got himself to the starting line. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.14.2021 The heatwave forcing America to confront climate reality An extraordinary heatwave has swept the west coast of the US and Canada, leading to record temperatures, water shortages, and hundreds of deaths – and bringing home the catastrophic consequences of global heating. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.13.2021 Is it possible to make the internet safe for children? – podcast A new design code for websites, aimed at children, will soon come into force. How much difference will it make – and is a child-safe internet possible?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
07.12.2021 The people searching for missing family members during the pandemic – podcast Hannah’s brother Paul dropped out of contact almost a decade ago. She never stopped thinking about him – and, as it did for many others, the pandemic led her to try to find him again. Help support our independent journalism ...
07.09.2021 The Indigenous children who died at Canada’s residential schools Half a century ago, Barry Kennedy was taken from his family and forced into an abusive system that sought to obliterate his Indigenous heritage. Now, after the discovery of more than 1,000 bodies in unmarked graves at schools including his ...

Older episodes

Today in Focus

What's Today in Focus about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Today in Focus episodes:

The problem with OnlyFans’ mainstream dream

Who’s paying for the government’s plan to fix social care?

Is Brexit the reason McDonald's is running out of milkshakes?

Ecstasy, LSD and magic mushrooms: are these drugs the future of therapy?

A conversation about Islamophobia in the UK since 9/11

Inside Al-Qaida: a recruit-turned-spy, a journalist and the road to 9/11

The children of 9/11

Burnout in the US battle against wildfires

One hour to escape: the race to get out of a Gaza tower before an Israeli airstrike

One man’s epic electric test drive – from Land’s End to John o’Groats

The big coronavirus questions as a new school term begins

The British citizens stranded in Kabul

The knock: the families torn apart by an arrest over child abuse images

Revisited: how meme stars of the early internet struck it rich with NFTs

Revisited: Why is Sex and the City coming back to our screens?

Revisited: the danger – and beauty – of ultrarunning

Revisited: Inside the ’Ndrangheta trial

Revisited: The pandemic scam artists making millions during lockdown

Revisited: why has the Brazilian butt lift become so popular?

A Paralympian’s long journey to Tokyo

The Plymouth attack and misogynist ‘incel’ culture

How the pandemic exposed the crisis in children’s social care

How the Taliban took Afghanistan

After ICU: a Covid patient meets one of the doctors who saved his life

The fall of Andrew Cuomo

Has the Delta variant derailed Australia’s zero-Covid strategy?

Scientists issue a climate code red

Israel’s shadow war with Iran

In search of answers about miscarriage

Racism, policing and austerity: have lessons been learned since England’s 2011 riots?

Why a Belarusian Olympic sprinter refused to fly home

How Simone Biles changed gymnastics – on and off the mat

Are plans to change the Official Secrets Act a threat to journalism?

Why did Unesco drop Liverpool from its heritage list?

How we all got hooked on caffeine

The lobbying push that killed off a fight to save the Great Barrier Reef

The Republican backlash in Joe Biden’s America

The pandemic enters a new phase

The authority gap: why women still aren’t taken seriously

The Pegasus project part 5: the fightback against private spyware begins

The Pegasus Project part 4: runaway princesses and the UK connection

The Pegasus Project part 3: cartels, corruption and cyber-weapons

The Pegasus project part 2: cat and mouse

The Pegasus project part 1: an invitation to Paris

Marina Hyde on five years of watching the political circus

Inside the mind of an Olympic athlete one week before the games

The heatwave forcing America to confront climate reality

Is it possible to make the internet safe for children? – podcast

The people searching for missing family members during the pandemic – podcast

The Indigenous children who died at Canada’s residential schools

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