The Story

Cyber-attacks on some of Britain's biggest companies like Marks & Spencer have cost hundreds of millions of pounds. For Jaguar Land Rover, experts estimate the cost to the company and the economy ran to billions. But most of us know almost nothing about what happens behind the scenes in the hours after a hack. Who do you call? In a bank robbery, a negotiator armed with a megaphone might turn up. But what if the loot is bitcoin, and the hostages, data? 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: James Ball, freelance writer, the Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Dave Creasey.Clips: ITV News, CNBC.Read more: Your company has been hacked. The clock is ticking. Here’s who to call.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Deep in rural Arkansas, far right YouTuber Eric Orwoll has founded 'Return to the Land', an all-white compound. Black people, gays and Jews are not allowed to live there. Sixty years after the end of segregation in America, is his community a remote collection of oddballs, or a sign of more extremism to come?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: George Grylls, Washington correspondent, The Times.  Producer: Dave Creasey.Read more: The sinister US village for white, straight Christians onlyClips: Piers Morgan Uncensored, PBS, Aarvoll.Photo: Karen Pulfer for The Times MagazineGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

The British army’s new fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles was meant to be their new jewel in the crown: high tech machines for an army of the future. But after nearly a decade, and more than five billion pounds spent, the vehicles have been withdrawn after accusations they have caused life changing injuries to crews. Today, we hear from the ex-soldier who was once the head of testing these vehicles, speaking about his experience for the first time.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: Larisa Brown, defence editor, The Times.Rob Page, ex-British Army lieutenant colonel in charge of the armoured trials and development unit, 2019-2021.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Harry Stott.Read more: Army could have avoided Ajax vehicle injuries, says whistleblowerPhoto: Joshua Bratt for The TimesGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Warner Bros. Discovery - the revered studio behind Barbie and Casablanca - is up for sale. A bidding war has emerged between Netflix and Paramount. But could either acquisition change the film industry forever? And are these bids even legal?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:Kevin Maher, chief film critic, The Times.Louisa Clarence-Smith, US business editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.  Producers: Harry Stott, Olivia Case, Shabnam Grewal.Read more: Why Trump is really getting involved with the Warner Bros sagaFurther listening: Has Hollywood run out of ideas?Clips:  Barbie / Great Gerwig / Warner Bros, The Dark Knight / Christopher Nolan / Warner Bros, Casablanca / Michael Curtiz / Warner Bros, Hamnet / Chloe Zhao / Universal Pictures, The Searchers / John Ford / Warner Bros, Dune / Denis Villeneuve / Warner Bros, Joker / Tod Phillips / Warner Bros, Beasts of No Nation / Cary Joji Fukunaga / Netflix, Warner bros intro / Max Steiner, House of Cards / Netflix, Sex Education / Netflix, WSJ, NBC.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

From today, under-16s in Australia will be banned from using social media platforms, a world-first. The ban has caused uproar among teenagers and a court case brought by two fifteen year olds is challenging the policy. Will the ban work? And could other countries follow suit? 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: Bernard Lagan, Australia correspondent, The Times. Poppy, teenager in Australia.Jo Gaeney, parent and teacher in Australia.John Ruddick, Libertarian MP for New South Wales. Host: Manveen Rana.  Producer: Micaela Arneson. Read more: Less than a third of Australian parents will enforce under-16s social media banFurther listening: The AI that could block kids from social mediaClips: 10 News, AFP, 7 News, Sky News Australia. Photo: Adobe Stock.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

From former officials jailed after taking bribes to push pro-Putin propaganda, through to local councillors being expelled for offensive tweets, and leader Nigel Farage being accused of high school racism, Reform UK is struggling to stay scandal free. Will the party be able to weather the storm? Or will the waves of allegations start to shift the polls? 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: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Shabnam Grewal, Harry Stott.Read more: Nigel Farage referred to police over Clacton campaign expensesFurther listening: Is Reform ready for power?Clips: BBC, Sky, GB News, LBC, ITV.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

When Nikolai’s assault unit was told to advance on a Ukrainian position, he decided he’d rather blow up his own arm than continue to fight. Nikolai and two other former Russian soldiers tell The Times about their harrowing experiences at war– and why they decided to flee. 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: Jack Clover, assistant foreign news editor, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Luke Jones.  Producer: Micaela Arneson. Read more: ‘I took a grenade blast to escape’: Russian deserters speak out Listen more: A new peace plan, and a critical moment for ZelenskyGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Jet engines, the neighbour's lawnmower, traffic noise - it's all terrible for our health. Yet for many years the issue has been dismissed, described as the "poor cousin” of other environmental issues such as litter, air pollution and climate change. So with prolonged noise pollution linked to nearly 1,000 premature deaths in Britain in 2017, why isn't it taken more seriously? How exactly does the daily onslaught of noise affect us? And just why is it so bad for our health?Written and read by: Ben Spencer, Science Editor, The Sunday Times.Producer and sound designer: Dave Creasey.Clips: epidemicsound, BBC.Photo: Getty Images.

A new book by New York Magazine’s former star political writer, Olivia Nuzzi, has unleashed a chaotic slew of revelations about her alleged transgressive relationships with wayward politicians — and the US is hooked. But how did this increasingly bizarre he-said she-said story of conflicting accounts unfold? And what does it tell us about the nexus between politics and journalism - between power and those who are supposed to hold it to account in modern America? Guest: Will Pavia, New York Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Dave Creasey.Read more: The Olivia Nuzzi saga is Nora Ephron’s Heartburn for our social media age Brain worms and blue eyes: the RFK love triangle shocking AmericaClips: ABC, The Hill, Siriusxm, NY Post, The Bulwark.Photo: Getty Images.