The Story

An investigation by the Times has found that HMRC, the UK’s authority responsible for the collection of taxes used private debt collection companies and letters accusing people left penniless by the pandemic of deliberately avoiding their tax bills.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: Paul Morgan-Bentley, Head of Investigations at the Times.Richard Hull, a self-employed carpenter.Kirsty Howe, Director of The Firm.Host: Manveen Rana.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Sunday Times investigation reveals a shady supply chain stretching from west Africa’s hazardous gold mines through Dubai and on to Europe. Who are the people who work on the illegal mines and what can we do as consumers to ensure we buy ethical gold?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:Louise Callaghan, Middle East correspondent for The Sunday Times.Desmond Akudbilla, freelance journalist.Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With a week to go before Christmas, Stories of our times hosts Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch are joined by journalist and wine expert Jane Macquitty, to guide you through five of the best festive wine pairings for Christmas day. 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:Jane Macquitty, The Times and The Sunday Times Journalist and wine critic. Hosts: Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch.The wines:ChampagneWaitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut ChampagneWhite2018 Domaine Henri Bourgeois Cuvée Le Prieuré des Hublots SauvignonRed for goose and game2017 Villa Antinori RedRed for turkey2017 Brazin Old Vine ZinfandelPortKopke Reserve Tawny Port Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MS Estonia sank into the icy Baltic Sea in 1994, descending alongside the evidence of what happened that fateful night where 852 people died. Nearly twenty-six years later the shipwreck still sits on a shallow sea bed and new evidence has raised questions about what caused it to go down. 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:- Paul Barney - A Briton who was on board the MS Estonia when it capsized and sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994.- Henrik Evertsson - Documentary filmmaker and journalist prosecuted for investigating the sinking of the MS Estonia.- Matthew Campbell - Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times, was working in Moscow when the MS Estonia sank.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: discovery+. You can watch the full series of Estonia. It is available now on discovery+. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During four years in office, President Donald Trump has already handed out a number of controversial pardons to friends and allies, but are there more to come? And what is the intended use of the pardon power?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: Michael Gerhardt, professor of Constitutional law at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Josh Glancy, Washington Bureau Chief, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Britain becomes the first country to embark on a mass Covid-19 vaccination programme, Stories of our times have been given exclusive access to new polling showing just how difficult that task might be for the government. We hear from those who carried out the research about why more than a quarter of the UK’s population are 'vaccine hesitant', while 12% simply will not be vaccinated at all. Meanwhile, an expert on vaccine communication strategies explains what more can be done to tackle the misinformation that’s driving so many people to consider avoiding the coronavirus vaccine. 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:-Dr Phillip Lee, a GP who is also a former Conservative MP who defected to the Lib Dems over Brexit.-Thomas Borwick helped to run the Vote Leave campaign and set up get your jabs.com.-Heidi Larson, Professor of anthropology at London school of hygiene and tropical medicine. Professor Larson also founded The Vaccine Confidence Project to help fight global anti-vaccination information.Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cameron Wellington, a teenager from Walsall, died on November 19th after catching coronavirus. He left a devastated family behind, but could lives like his have been saved if the UK’s second national lockdown had taken place earlier? The Sunday Times Insight team have published a major investigation into the government’s handling of the second wave, and the false dichotomy between saving the economy and saving lives. 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.Read the Insight team's investigation here.Guests:Jane and Norman Wellington, parents of Cameron Wellington.George Arbuthnott, Deputy Editor, Sunday Times Insight. Jonathan Calvert, Editor, Sunday Times Insight. Host: Manveen Rana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group filed for administration last week we trace the rise and fall of the former 'king of the high street'. Is this the final nail in the coffin of his retail empire? The Sunday Times’s business editor Oliver Shah, a man who’s written the book when it comes to Sir Philip, shares the stories of his working relationship and what went wrong for the tycoon.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: Oliver Shah, Sunday Times business editor.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips used: BBC, Iconic, Sky News, New York Magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The leading Catholic school Ampleforth College has been temporarily banned by the government from taking on new pupils because of safety concerns. The boarding school is challenging a poor Ofsted report but the government said it was too slow in making improvements highlighted by repeated inspections dating back to March 2018. How did the school get here and what will happen now?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:Sian Griffiths, Education and families editor for The Sunday Times.A30, a former pupil at Ampleforth.Robin Dyer, Headmaster of Ampleforth College.Host: David Aaronovitch.Links to useful charities:Rape Crisis for England and Wales, NSPCC, Safeline, The Survivors Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All this week, rainbow coloured bootlaces and armbands are being worn by football players nationwide. This is to mark the Premier League's annual 'rainbow laces' campaign in support of the LGBT+ community. As well as being a celebration of inclusion, the campaign serves as a reminder of the absence of openly gay professional male footballers in the sport. Why is this still the case?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: Rebecca is a sports reporter and feature writer for the Times and Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips used: Football Daily, Kick It Out, BBC Three, ITV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.