The Story

A gas platform in the North Sea is at the centre of a fierce debate that has divided the country: should the UK be expanding fossil fuel infrastructure or going all-in on renewables? The Rough Field gas facility wants to repurpose depleted gas fields to solve Britain’s chronic shortage of energy storage. But should government funding go towards securing our current energy supply, or funding a greener future?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: Jim Armitage, contributing editor, The Sunday TimesHost: Manveen RanaProducers: Micaela Arneson, Elle Scott. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more:  This rig could treble Britain’s gas reserves, so why is it closing?Further listening: War, immigration, welfare: the in-tray for Burnham and his new cabinetClips: Parliament, BBC, The Guardian, LBC, Express, Sky News. Photo: Sunday Times Photographer Richard Pohle.

Britain’s new prime minister Andy Burnham revealed his key cabinet picks yesterday; so who’s in, who’s out and what does it tell us about the direction in which he’ll take the country? And as the Iran and Ukraine wars rumble on and the cost of living continues to bite, how will the PM handle the key problems in his in-tray?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: Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Olivia Case and Elle Scott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Burnham on football, his father’s dementia and preparing for powerFurther listening: The remarkable rise of Andy BurnhamClips: Sky, Goalhanger, BBC, DWS News, Eureka UK, Global News.Photo: Getty Images.

Around Scotland, something bizarre has been happening. Men dressed in black have gathered in military-style formations. The silent parades are filmed in grainy black and white. Experts describe the imagery as unmistakably fascist. So what is this? And why is it happening now? 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: David Leask, Scotland reporter, The Times & The Sunday TimesHost: Manveen RanaProducers: Sophie McNultyWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Tensions rise over ‘fascist’ parades held across ScotlandFurther listening: Belfast on fireClips: LBC, Scottish Family Party - YouTube, Craig Houston - X, STV News.Photo: X - Craig Houston.

Lab-grown stones are booming, threatening to crush the diamond trade. So, how is the industry coping? And what does this mean for Botswana, a country whose schools, hospitals, roads, and economy have been built by the profits from diamond mining? 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: Richard Assheton, foreign features, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: Getty Images.

Ben Kawaller suddenly has the urge to have children, but he would prefer not to raise them. Luckily, there is a growing online market that can help with that.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: Ben Kawaller, reporter and essayist. Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: I’ve decided to become a father. Does anyone want my sperm?Photo: Adam Grey for The Times.

Today, Andy Burnham will be crowned Labour leader. On Monday, he'll become Prime Minister -- Britain's fifth in as many years. But questions are still lingering over the direction he’ll take the government. And more than that, people are still trying to decipher who the man really is. We turn to our man in Westminster, who has spent plenty of time with Burnham, to try to get some answers.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: Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producers: Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Andy Burnham wants to break ‘unaccountable state’Further listening: Will Burnham scrap the most expensive promise in politics?Clips: Andy Burnham / X, BBC, Coljax Parliament / Youtube, LBC, Nimrod Kamer / Youtube, Manchester Evening News, The Mirror.Photo: Getty Images.

For the first time since the war began, a Times journalist has reported from inside Iran. World Affairs editor Catherine Philp travelled there for the week-long funeral of the former ayatollah, leaving just as US strikes resumed. Amid the latest escalation, how united is the country over the war? And what do the continuing hostilities mean for the daily lives of millions of people across 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/thestoryGuest: Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Sophie McNulty, Jesse Fox.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: US blockade begins in Strait while strikes on Iran enter fifth dayFurther listening: What Iranians really think of Trump’s peace dealClips: C-Span, BBC, Fox News, The Times, DRM News. Photo: Times Photographer Jack Hill.

The England football team’s manager Thomas Tuchel has led  his squad to a World Cup semi-final against old rivals Argentina. A cerebral football obsessive, he has a tendency to self-immolate when things are going well. So is this the fate that awaits the Tuchel-England experiment? Or could the tensions between the manager and his star player Jude Bellingham actually prove the key to victory?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: Mehreen Khan, economics editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Jesse Fox, Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Thomas Tuchel’s tough love for England not without riskFurther listening: The men who made the World Cup - The Sunday StoryClips: Football Smash / Youtube, Sky News, Talk Sport, Sports Unfiltered / Youtube, BBC.Photo: Getty Images.

It’s no secret that NHS mental health care is under strain - long waiting lists, disjointed communication between providers, and patients left in limbo. So how did it end up this way? And could a treatment model from Finland be the solution? The Sunday Times went to find out.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: Roisin Kelly, journalist and commissioning editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Micaela Arneson. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: What Lapland can teach the NHS about treating psychosisFurther listening: Britain’s mental health reckoning - part oneClips: Channel 4, Nottingham Inquiry.Photo: Getty Images.