The Story

What starts as a quick check of social media can quickly turn into an hour lost to scrolling. The culprit is infinite scroll, a feature once built for convenience that has become one of the most powerful tools ever created for holding our attention. In fact, it's now thought the average Brit will spend five years of their waking lives doomscrolling. So how did infinite scroll come to dominate our online lives and what is it doing to our brains?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: Fleur Britten, contributor, The Times.Producer: Dave Creasey.Further reading: I created infinite scroll. Now I regret how it damages our brainsWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: Ilustration by Jasmine lee

In December 2025, 18 year-old Henry Nowak was stabbed in the street. This week, his murderer Vickrum Digwa was given a life sentence. The case has ignited a debate about whether so-called 'two-tier policing' exists in the UK. So where does this leave our police forces?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:Matt Dathan, home affairs editor, The Times.Chris Hobbs, retired police officer.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case, Colette Fountain, Sophie McNulty.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: What happened to Henry Nowak? How the Southampton case unfoldedFurther listening: Makerfield: the by-election which could decide the next election.Clips: BT, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Sky, Daily Express, The Financial Express, Parliamentlive.tv,Photo: Adobe stock.

It’s the Makerfield by-election on June 18th and one of Keir Starmer’s key challengers - Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham - is vying for a seat. If he becomes the MP it’ll enable him to challenge Starmer for the top job. Elsewhere there’s a battle on the right as Reform and Restore Britain face off. But who's got the best chance of success, in this complicated constituency that’s more than meets the eye?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: Darryl Morris, presenter, Times Radio.Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Who are the Makerfield constituents that could choose the next PM?Further listening: Fordingbridge rape victim: “I’m the one being punished”Clips: Restore Britain / Instagram, BBC, The Guardian, Mayor of Manchester / YouTube, @andy.burnham / TikTok, Reform UK. Photo: Getty Images.

An alleged expletive-filled phone call between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu has laid bare deep tensions over the war in Lebanon. As the conflict escalates, could it derail Trump's hopes of securing a deal with Iran?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: Dr Lina Khatib, Associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House. George Grylls, Washington Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Dave Creasey and Colette Fountain.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: ‘Everybody hates Israel’, Trump allegedly tells Netanyahu in angry callFurther listening: Is Lebanon the key to peace in the Middle East?Clips: CNN.Photo: Getty Images.

A student, Henry Nowak, who had been stabbed repeatedly told police “I can’t breathe” as they handcuffed him minutes before he died, newly-released bodycam footage has revealed. His attacker, Vickrum Digwa, falsely alleged that Nowak had racially abused him and knocked his turban off, prompting police to handcuff the teenager.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: Oli Wright, policy editor, The Times.Host: John Pienaar.Producers: Sandra Mitchell, Sofia JohansonWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Police officers face death threats over Henry Nowak murder caseClips: Parliament TV, Nigel Farage, Good Morning Britain.Photo: Courtesy of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

On Monday, the government released more than a thousand documents related to Peter Mandelson’s controversial appointment as ambassador to the US. It’s one of the largest publications of secret documents to parliament in UK history. The files contain insights into how Mandelson operated and what he, and ministers, really thought of the prime minister. So what does all this mean for the embattled Keir Starmer? 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: Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Sophie McNulty. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Mandelson files release: ministers prepare for day of humiliation Further listening: When Andrew met MandelsonClips: Parliament.tv.

As AI continues to grow, its innovators have warned of its potential impact on jobs. Meanwhile, young people in the UK are facing record levels of unemployment. Fearing for his own teenage daughter’s future, one Microsoft veteran has taken matters into his own hands and used data to identify the most AI-proof jobs.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: Babith Bhoopalan, creator, AI Career Playbook.Thea Babith.Host: Luke Jones.Producers: Colette Fountain.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more:My daughter wants a career that survives AI — so I ranked them Answered by an expert, the AI career questions every parent asksPhoto: Chona Kasinger for The Times.

Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of dignity, courage and defiance after waiving her anonymity and insisting her trial — in which dozens of men were accused of raping her while she was drugged unconscious by her husband — be held in public. In a rare interview, she speaks to Jane Garvey about why she no longer wants to be defined as a victim.This episode originally aired on Off Air with Jane an Fi on 26th May 2026. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHost: Jane GarveyProducers: Dave Creasey, Eve Salusbury and Rosie Cutler.Further reading: Gisèle Pelicot: Pornography is a scourge on childhoodWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: Getty Images

Pressures of migrant parents, the shackles of family expectation, and the urge to reinvent yourself in 90s Britain - all themes that connect writer Sathnam Sanghera with George Michael. Growing up in Wolverhampton as the son of Sikh immigrants, Sanghera was a teenage Wham obsessive, later finding unexpected parallels with the pop star’s life, and his own.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: Sathnam Sanghera, contributor, The Times.Producer: Dave Creasey.Further reading: Sathnam Sanghera: how George Michael changed my lifeWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comClips: BBC, CNN, ITV. Faith - George Michael.Photo: Robert Wilson for the Times magazine.