The Story

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays. Explorer and Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative partner Steve Boyes has spent decades navigating Africa’s wild rivers. He tells Adam Vaughan how illness and resilience has reshaped his outlook and why protecting rivers, landscapes and communities has become his life’s mission.Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Guest: Steve Boyes, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer.Host: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The TimesSeries Producer: Priyanka DeladiaSound Designer: David CracklesThis podcast is advertiser funded.

Last year’s attack on a dance class in Southport killed three young girls and injured a further eight, as well as two adults. The teenager responsible, Axel Rudakubana, has since been sentenced to a minimum 52 years. But a public inquiry is still trying to understand whether it would have been possible to prevent the horrific event.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Constance Kampfner, northern correspondent, The Times. Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Edward Drummond.Read more: Axel Rudakubana’s father ‘was too scared to challenge him’Southport killer’s brother ‘feared he would kill a family member’Clips: Southport Inquiry, Times Radio, The Times.Photo: Getty Images.

Almost 700,000 people are waiting to book their driving test in the UK, a record backlog which is being exploited by scammers. Our reporter Emma Kirwan found victims across the UK have already paid out more than £134,000 this year trying to book slots which don’t exist. So, she tracked down a scammer and got him on the phone.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Emma Kirwan, reporter, Times Radio. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Times Radio.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Rachel Reeves has paved the way for potential tax rises. In a speech three weeks before the budget, the chancellor refused to commit to Labour’s manifesto promise to not raise National Insurance, income tax or VAT. With Nigel Farage also back-pedalling on tax cuts, is it time for the politicians to be more honest about the state of the economy?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Oliver Wright, policy editor, The TimesHost: Manveen Rana.Producers: Shabnam Grewal, Alula Hart.Read more: Reeves: We must all do our bit to secure Britain’s futureFurther listening: Do bond markets rule the world?Clips: Sky News, The Guardian, Parliament TV, ITV Politics.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

On Saturday evening, passengers on a train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross suddenly found themselves in the path of a man wielding a large kitchen knife. In the terrifying minutes that followed, there were scenes of horror and acts of bravery. So what happened, could the attack have been prevented, and can passenger safety be improved? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Izzy Lyons, reporter, The Sunday Times, Theo Usherwood, political reporter, Times Radio Host: Manveen RanaProducers: Micaela Arneson, Shabnam Grewal. Read more: What happened on the train in Huntingdon? How stabbing attack unfoldedClips: BBC News, BBC Breakfast, Channel 4 News, Parliament TV, Sky News, RTE News, Times Radio. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Tomorrow is election day for the mayor of New York and the frontrunner is 34-year-old Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani. But are his plans to remake America's biggest city achievable - or a pipe dream? And how might he face off against President Trump?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Will Pavia, New York correspondent, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producers: Olivia Case, Sophie McNulty, Alula Hart.Clips: nnmaddox / YouTube, @amberyeet / TikTok, NBC, C-SPAN, zohran_k_mamdani / TikTok, Fox, Mr Cardamom / YouTube, Bernie Sanders / YouTube, @subwaytakes / TikTok, Forbes.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com   

Gail Rice had given up on dating apps and was dreading old age. Then the psychologist had an idea — book a hotel room for a landmark birthday and pay a stranger to turn her on. Would it work?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryRead by: Olivia Case. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Dave Creasey. Read more: My 70th birthday treat? I hired a male escortClips: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Searchlight Pictures.Photo: Isabella Moore for The Times Magazine. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays. In Lausanne, Switzerland, neuroscientist and Rolex Awards Laureate Grégoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch have pioneered a “digital bridge” that translates brain signals into spinal stimulation, giving people with paralysis new ways to regain movement. They tell Tom Whipple about the science behind the technology, the patients leading the way and their hopes for the future of movement recovery after paralysis.Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Guest: Grégoire Courtine, Neuroscientist and co-founder of NeuroRestore.   Jocelyne Bloch, Neurosurgeon and co-founder of NeuroRestore. Suzanne Edwards, Patient at NeuroRestore. Host: Tom Whipple, Science Writer, The Times.Series Producer: Priyanka DeladiaSound Designer: David CracklesThis podcast is advertiser funded.

This episode is from The Story's sister podcast The Royals.He will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The man formerly known as Prince Andrew is being stripped of his titles and removed from his mansion, Royal Lodge, on the Windsor estate. Last month The Times obtained a copy of the leasehold agreement for Royal Lodge which showed that while the prince paid £1 million for the lease plus at least £7.5 million for refurbishments completed in 2005, he has paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year, since 2003. Andrew's links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, brought increasing public and political demands for action. It is a seismic moment in royal history – but is it enough? Presenter: Roya Nikkhah, royal editor, The Sunday Times.Contributors: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent,The Times and,George Greenwood, investigations reporter, The Times.Producers: Sophie McNulty, Priyanka Deladia, Robert Wallace, Stephen Titherington.Photo: Getty Images.Subscribe to The Royals podcast.