The Story

We take a look at a popular Sunday Times feature about the National Scrabble Championships in the UK and uncover a hidden community of word nerds. Plus, tile by tile, we trace the evolution of the popular game - from going online during the pandemic to banning offensive words following the Black Lives Matter protests.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: Ralph Jones, writer and Sunday Times contributor. Host: Jenny Kleeman.Clips: Sky News, YouTube channel Dweebovision.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini whilst in police custody has sparked nationwide protests in Iran. The authorities have responded with a heavy crackdown, and it’s estimated over 130 people have died so far. As protests continue, could the death of one young woman lead to regime change?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get 3 months for just £1: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guest: Ramita Navai, journalist, Sunday Times contributor, author of 'City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death, and the Search for Truth in Tehran', and host of 'The Line of Fire' podcast.Host: Manveen RanaProducer: Olivia Case.Clips: CBS News, WION, BBC News, France 24, Radio Farda, Sky News, NBC, ITN archive, TRT World, BBC Farsi, Middle East Matters.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After nine days of political pressure, chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has u-turned on the government’s plan to abolish the top rate of income tax, saying he felt ‘humility and contrition’. So, what was the mood at the Conservative party conference as Kwarteng addressed his party? Plus, we learn more about the chancellor driving the policy formerly known as ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’.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: - Henry Zeffman, Associate Political Editor, The Times. - Rachel Sylvester, Columnist, The Times.  Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: BBC, DW News, STV, Times Radio. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an international manhunt, the FBI and Interpol say they have found a man wanted on multiple charges in four US states, who faked his death before fleeing America for Scotland. But the Glasgow resident at the centre of the case insists he is the victim of a "monstrous" miscarriage of justice – that he is not Nicholas Rossi, but is Arthur Knight, an Irish-born orphan who has never visited the United States. Our reporter investigates.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: Marc Horne, news reporter, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the World Wide Web was launched in 1991, hopes for it were high. But three decades later, the internet seems to be defined not by interconnectivity and liberation, but by scandal, abuse and polarisation. Political journalist Marie Le Conte remembers a different internet -- from those early days. An internet that was fun, freeing and joyful. The 'good' internet.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: Marie Le Conte, political journalistHost: Manveen Rana. Clips: CBSN, BBC, Sky News, Parliament TV, "Panic Attack " (C), The Paddingtons / Mercury Records.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Christmas Day three years ago British businessman Marc Bennett was found dead in his four star hotel room in Qatar. He'd been successfully working on the country’s tourism industry but died in unexplained circumstances after being arrested and allegedly tortured by the country’s police. A British coroner ruled there was no evidence of suicidal intent. So what happened?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: Sean O’Neill, Senior Writer, The Times.Nancy Bennett, Marc's widow.Tony Bennett & Micki Bennett Marc’s parents.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Breaking Travel News, Visit Qatar, BeIN SPORTS USA, Doha News Official, BBC, CNBC.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leicester has always been held up as a beacon of multicultural Britain. But for more than two weeks, the city has witnessed religious clashes between young men from the Hindu and Muslim communities. The violence flared up after a cricket match, but is there more to this story than meets the eye? Has fake news stoked tensions? And could the Hindu nationalist ideology of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have had an influence?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: Fiona Hamilton, Crime and Security Editor, The Times.Barnie Choudhury, Editor-at-large, Eastern Eye newspaper. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Leicestershire Police, Channel 4, Al Jazeera, One India News, Reuters, DW News, NDTV.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Squid Game to K-pop to kimchi, South Korea has taken the planet by storm. How did a once-impoverished country turn its fortunes around? And what has it done for South Korea's standing abroad?'Hallyu! The Korean Wave' is on at the V&A in South Kensington until June 2023: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/hallyu-the-korean-wave 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: Josh Glancy, Special Correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Jenny Kleeman. Clips: BBC News, Deutsche Welle, Oscars, ABC News, Blackpink, The White House.Film and music excerpts:Crash Landing on You, dir. Lee Jeong-hyo, NetflixI Know, Seo Taiji and Boys, Genie MusicInto the New World, Girls Generation, SM EntertainmentGangnam Style, Psy, YG EntertainmentButter, BTS, Hybe Corporation/Big Hit MusicBoombayah, BLACKPINK, YG EntertainmentParasite, dir. Bong Joon Ho, CJ EntertainmentSquid Game, dir. Hwang Dong-hyuk, NetflixThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Labour Party meets in Liverpool for its annual conference, the dividing lines between the two biggest parties have rarely been more stark. Ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s speech tomorrow, what might we learn about his plans for the party and the country?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: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, Parliament, The Labour Party, BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hard right is on the rise in Italy. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is tipped to win Sunday’s general election. If it does, she’ll become Italy’s first female prime minister - and the first hard right leader since the Second World War. So who is she? And what does her popularity tell us about the legacy of Italy’s fascist 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: Tom Kington, Italy Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia CaseClips: Al Jazeera, CNBC, France 24, Fox news, Pepper Pig, PBS Newshour, Channel 4, CNN, Goffredo Mameli and Michele Novaro, Euronews, CriticalPast, AP.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.