The Story

Britney Spears’s private life has been on show ever since she emerged on the music scene back in the late ’90s. In recent years she's been hitting headlines for other reasons, with new questions arising about her conservatorship which she's been under since 2008. Worried fans have launched the #FreeBritney campaign, but is their continued concern unwarranted? 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.Guests: Jen Zaborowski. host of We Need to Talk About Britney podcast.Zoe Brennan-Krohn, Staff attorney with the ACLU's Disability Rights project.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: Page Six, Britney: For the Record, Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show, 5 News, CBS LA News, AP, 2016 Billboard Awards, ABC, ET, NBC, CNN, Britney’s Gram Podcast, Channel 4 News, ITV, Hollywood TV.Instagram: Britney Spears.Youtube: Jake Thompson.Tiktok accounts: tythecrazyguy, thenailaddict, gabytropp, matthewlitty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The coronavirus pandemic is keeping us all at home and many of us have been taking a long, hard look at our closest and most intimate relationships - and deciding to call it quits. What's causing all the break ups? And with the end of lockdown far from sight are more relationships doomed?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.Guests: -Katie Glass, Feature writer, columnist and freelance journalist.-Emma Kenny, Psychologist and broadcaster.-Lucy Gould, Senior associate at Stewarts.Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the government wrestles with how best to help those in need during the pandemic, it's brought to the surface many of the historical divisions within the Conservative party. After years of austerity and cuts, they're now the party offering financial support to millions. But how long are they prepared to do so?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.Guests: Esther Webber, The Times's Red Box reporter.Tim Bale, Professor of politics at Queen Mary's University of London.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips from: Euronews, BBC, Telegraph, UK Parliament, Sky News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist, is a conservative superstar of the culture wars. Known for his confidence in debates, Decca Aitkenhead meets him a changed man. Worshipped by many for his self-help scriptures, Peterson has spent the past year battling drug rehab, suicidal thoughts and Covid-19.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.Guest:Decca Aitkenhead, Chief interviewer for The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: BBC News, The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast, CBC, Channel 4, Truthspeak, GQ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bizarre conspiracy theory on the social media platform TikTok is uncovered after a Twitter thread goes viral. What does this say about how misinformation spreads online? What are the unintended consequences? And are generations further apart than ever before?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.Guests:Daniel Kunka, a screenwriter in Los Angeles.Seren Morris, freelance journalist.Pat Palmer, a former primary school teacher.Elizabeth MacLeod, an author on Helen Keller.TikTokker Keith Runk.Host: Will Roe.Clips used: Krunk19 TikTok, LucyEdwardsblind TikTok, Helen Keller YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his latest book, Empireland, Times writer Sathnam Sanghera attempts to expose what he sees as a blind spot in our understanding of history: the details and impact of the British Empire. Is there a reason Britain has struggled to face its colonial past?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.Guest: Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain and writer for The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special series for the Sunday Times, writer Rosie Kinchen examines what's behind our true crime obsession. Kinchen makes contact with Amanda Knox - someone affected by this - and finds out Knox recently campaigned for the release of a German national - who Knox believes was wrongfully convicted of murder in the Unites States in 1990, in a story that has echoes of her own. 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.Guests:Rosie Kinchen, features writer at the Sunday Times.Amanda Knox, journalist and podcaster.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: iHeartRadio, Sundance TV and Sundance Now, ABC, ITN, CBS, Sky News, Channel 4, WSLS 10, Phoenix YouTube.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conspiracies spread fast on anonymous platforms like 4chan. QAnon's evolution on the site is fuelled by unfounded theories which suggest that President Trump is waging a secret war against Satan-worshipping paedophiles who hold some of the highest positions in the country. Now that Donald Trump is no longer in office, what happens to those who believed in QAnon's ideas? 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.Guest: Jared Holt, Visiting research fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research lab.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: CBS, CNN, Fox 5 New York, ABC, NBC, CNBC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Egypt, the Arab Spring was just the start. Ten years ago, protests erupted in Tahrir Square that would force the president from power and kick off a decade of political transformation. We speak to the editor of the country's last major opposition media about how these events changed history and shaped her life.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.Guest:Lina Attalah, founder and editor of Mada Masr.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips used: ABC News, CNN, Sky News, France 24, Democracy Now!, Channel 4 News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alibaba Group founder and billionaire Jack Ma has emerged into the public for the first time since disappearing in October last year. Growing scrutiny of his business plans has fuelled speculation that his absence is part of a broader crackdown by the Chinese government. Where has he been? And what does his disappearance mean for the future of Chinese business? 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.Guests: Philip Sherwell, Asia correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: CBC, ABC, CNBC, World Economic Forum, Alibaba Group, CBS, ITV, Financial Times, CNA Insider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.