Guest Charlotte Ivers, Staff Writer at The Sunday Times, discusses the recently approved weight loss drug Wegovy and its potential to tackle obesity. The podcast delves into the drug's popularity among celebrities, its availability on the NHS, and its impact on public health. The speaker emphasizes sustainable solutions and lifestyle changes alongside medication to combat the obesity crisis.

This podcast explores the misuse of libel laws by the rich and powerful to intimidate the press. It delves into strategic lawsuits against public participation (slaps) and reveals tactics used by the wealthy to silence media organizations. The discussion also highlights the challenges faced by newspapers in legal disputes and the exploitation of the burden of proof in libel cases. The podcast emphasizes the need for a model law to protect journalists and publishers and provides recommendations for supporting quality journalism.

The high speed railway HS2 has been quietly graded ‘red’ by the government’s infrastructure watchdog, meaning successful delivery appears unachievable. The cost of the line - planned to run between London, and central and northern England - is at £71 billion so far; nearly £2,500 for every UK household. So what went wrong? Who’s got rich off this? And will it ever be finished?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Oliver Wright, Policy Editor, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Clips: Channel 4, HS2 Ltd, GB News, BBC, Parliament Live, The Guardian, Sky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last weekend The Times and The Sunday Times – together with Channel 4's Dispatches – broke the news of allegations against Russell Brand including rape and sexual assault. Russell Brand strongly denies all the allegations.So what happened next? Today we catch up with The Times’ head of investigations to answer listener questions and examine the fallout from the investigation.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Paul Morgan-Bentley, Head of Investigations, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Links: Decca Aitkenhead’s interview with Russell Brand, published in 2019:https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-interview-russell-brand-on-his-hedonistic-past-marriages-and-becoming-a-father-wn6gjkwzd Get in touch: If you have any information you want to share with the team behind this investigation, email investigations@news.co.uk.You can contact the Stories of Our Times team on storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.uk. Clips: Sky News, ABC News, ABC News Australia, Russell Brand on YouTube, GB News, Times Radio, BBC Radio 2, Radio X, Mindhouse Productions/BBC Two, Love Productions/Channel 4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the 1970s onwards, an estimated 5,000 NHS patients were given contaminated blood products, which contained deadly diseases like hepatitis and HIV. Today, half of those infected have died. How did this happen? As her new book is published, we hear from the Sunday Times journalist who unearthed the story, and followed it for 20 years to get answers.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Infected Blood Inquiry, World in Action, Lord Mayor of Treloar.Caroline's book, Death in the Blood, is available from the Times Bookshop now: https://timesbookshop.co.uk/death-in-the-blood-the-most-shocking-scandal-in-nhs-history-from-the-journalist-who-has-followed-the-story-for-over-two-decades-9781035405244Have thoughts about this podcast? Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Temu, the world’s biggest bargain bin. Since launching just five months ago, the app has been downloaded more than nine million times in the UK alone. Our correspondent has spent a day shopping on Temu, and delves into the tricks the Chinese retailer uses to ruthlessly undercut its rivals.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Sam Chambers, Chief Business Correspondent, The Sunday Times.  Host: Luke Jones.Clips: CNN, BBC News, Sky News, BBC Radio 4, GB News, ITV News, YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukrainian women are making fake profiles on dating apps, matching with Putin’s lonely troops and tricking them into revealing information that could help Ukraine win the war. In a rare interview, we speak to one of the women who is dating for victory.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:- Maxim Tucker, Assistant Foreign Editor, The Times.- ‘Angelica’, Ukrainian honeytrapper.Host: Luke Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode contains detailed allegations of rape and sexual assault. Following an exclusive investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches we hear how the comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse. Journalists Rosamund Urwin and Charlotte Wace reveal the harrowing stories of two of Brand’s alleged victims. Russell Brand strongly denies all the allegations. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.If you have any information you want to share, you can get in touch with the team behind this investigation by emailing investigations@news.co.uk.Guests: Rosamund Urwin, Media Editor, The Sunday Times.Charlotte Wace, News Reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Articles: Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-rape-sexual-assault-abuse-allegations-investigation-v5hxdlmb6 Comic, film star, YouTube guru: Russell Brand’s many lives - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-youtube-guru-wife-girlfriends-wealth-lrv8r36pnHow The Times and The Sunday Times investigated Russell Brand - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-investigation-sunday-times-video-watch-latest-news-x33ss0kmkVideo: You can watch our investigation on The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqfCzB1BOlMClips: BBC, Channel 4, Universal Pictures UK, ITV News, ITV, Endemol, Russell Brand YouTube Channel, CBS.  Helplines: 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. Phone: 0808 802 9999 https://rapecrisis.org.uk/Rape Crisis Scotland provides confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. They can also put you in touch with local rape crisis centres.Phone: 0808 801 03 02 http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/Rape Crisis Network Ireland supports anyone in Northern Ireland affected by rape and sexual violencehttp://www.rcni.ieSamaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provides a safe place to talk 24 hours a day: https://www.samaritans.orgPhone: 116 123Email: jo@samaritans.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a list of young British novelists to watch was released in 1983, many of them went on to become household names, thanks to both their talent and their sex appeal. A new list comes out every ten years, but has never recreated the same success as the original – so has it become harder for novelists to break through? And has the literary world lost some of its glamour? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Robbie Millen, Literary Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC Wales, ITV News, BBC News, Blue Monday/New Order/Factory Records, Granta Magazine, Booker Prize, CBS/Late Night with David Letterman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an exclusive investigation, The Times and The Sunday Times have revealed that a Tory parliamentary researcher arrested on suspicion of spying for China was the director of an influential policy group on Beijing. Chris Cash says he is “completely innocent”, and that claims that he spied for China are “extravagant” and “against everything I stand for”. Now, for the first time, the Sunday Times journalist who broke the story of Cash's arrest gives her behind-the-scenes account of how the investigation unfolded – and why we're choosing to name the suspected spy. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: PoliticsHome, China Research Group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.