The Story

Last week, Hollywood’s actors joined its writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years. The West Wing’s Richard Schiff tells us his fears for new actors and how it feels to know that AI could “clone” him for future projects.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: Richard Schiff, actor and director, andConstance Kampfner, News Reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: Universal Studios, Guardian News, Sky News, Associated Press, NBC, Theme Park Times, WGA West. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The giant panda has become one of China’s diplomatic tools, after a pair were gifted to President Nixon as an act of friendship in the 1970s. But with US-China relations deteriorating - what can pandas tell us about the two superpowers’ modern relationship?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: Didi Tang, Beijing Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: The National Archives, CNN, France 24, CCTV, NBC News, Richard Nixon Foundation, Action News 5, TikTok/@care2petitions, pandavoices.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a by-election triple whammy tomorrow - and seats up for grabs include Boris Johnson's former constituency of Uxbridge. The votes were triggered after three Conservative MPs resigned - and the Tories are already saying they’re expecting to lose all three. The Times has been finding out how voters feel - and they’re not happy. So what could tomorrow’s results mean for Rishi Sunak’s and Keir Starmer’s chances at the next general election?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: Tim Shipman, Chief Political Commentator, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen RanaClips: The Times, BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, Channel 4 News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year. After months of bright pink promo ‘Barbie’ - starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig - finally hits the big screen this week. Little girls have been playing with the doll for 64 years... but she's not without her controversies. So, is life in plastic really still fantastic? 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: Hadley Freeman, columnist, The Times. Host: Jane Mulkerrins, Associate Editor, The Times magazine.  Clips: Warner Bros. Pictures, Aqua, CNN, BBC, News 12, Barbie Collectors, CBC.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Councillors in Orkney have voted to explore ways that the group of Scottish islands could break away from Scotland and the UK. Proposals include becoming a crown dependency or even a self-governing territory of Norway - so how might Orxit work? And how could this debate hurt the SNP at the next election?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: Mike Wade, Senior Reporter Scotland, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Clips: BBC Radio Scotland, Reuters, DW News, WION, Orkney Islands Council, The Orkney News, STV, LBC.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday evening, five days after allegations were first published, Huw Edwards was named by his wife as the BBC presenter accused of paying £35,000 to a young person for sexually explicit photographs. As further allegations emerge, the Metropolitan Police says it has found no evidence of a criminal offence and Edwards is receiving in-patient hospital care for his mental health after a “serious episode.” So how did the week unfold? And where does it leave the debate over public interest, privacy and duty of care?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. Host: Manveen Rana.Guests:Alex Farber, Media Correspondent, The Times.Pia Sarma, Editorial Legal Director, Times Media.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Sky, Channel 4, Reuters, BBC, Andrew Gold, TalkTV, Channel 5, Sky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, the Israeli army entered the Jenin refugee camp on the West Bank and carried out a two-day raid where the target - according to Israel - was the headquarters of local militants. During the incursion, journalists were not allowed into the camp. Now that the rubble is being cleared - what really happened? And has it fed the flames of the 'Jenin Brigades' - a new generation of resistance that could be the most dangerous iteration yet?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: Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Editor, The Times.Host. Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC News, Sky News, Al Jazeera English. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2020, orcas have been carrying out hundreds of attacks on boats near Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal, but last month one of the animals made global headlines when it hit a yacht off the coast of Scotland. Researchers are trying to understand the behaviour - could it be that the killer whales are out for revenge on humanity?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: Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times.Host. Manveen Rana.Clips: ABC’s Good Morning America, PBS NewsHour, Matt Johnston via Storyful, April Boyes via Storyful, Daniel Kriz via Storyful, Reuters, BBC News, Blackfish/Magnolia Pictures, CBS News, CNN.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine, men and women are working secretly, behind enemy lines. They're blowing up bridges, identifying targets for bombing raids and killing anyone caught collaborating with the enemy. So who are they? How are they recruited? And how has one man managed to infiltrate the Russian army itself?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: Maxim Tucker, assistant foreign editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Ukrainian National Resistance, BBC, CNN, PBS, DW News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The biggest and most controversial issue for the 31 member nations at the Nato summit in Lithuania tomorrow will be whether to offer fast-track membership to Ukraine. Would this be a step too far – or has the invasion by Russia made it inevitable? We speak to a former Nato secretary-general. 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: Lord George Robertson, Nato secretary-general, 1999-2004. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: NATO History, Woodrow Wilson Centre, AP Archive, Voice of America, PA Media, BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Reuters.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.