Stories of our times

As the royals hit the headlines again with the release of another “tell-all” book, what’s it like reporting on ‘The Firm’? Valentine Low, The Times writer on all things royal for the past 15 years has retired, but before he left, he shared some of the highlights of his career as part of the royal press pack. 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: Valentine Low, former writer for The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: BBC News, CBS News.

This week, COP28 starts in Dubai. The conference will be chaired by Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who happens to be the head of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company. Leaked documents suggest al-Jaber might even be using the climate summit as an opportunity to strike bilateral deals on fossil fuels. So is this year’s COP a farce? Or, beneath the troubling headlines, are there actually signs of progress?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: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: COP28 UAE, BBC, Associated Press, ABC News, Forbes.

Christy Kinahan is the former Dublin taxi driver who heads the world’s most wanted international gang. John Mooney, who has been pursuing Christy and his gang for a decade, considers if the net is finally closing in.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. Read John’s Sunday Times magazine piece on the Kinahans in full. Guest: John Mooney, Investigative Reporter, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: RTE, Virgin Media News.

This weekend we're bringing you a documentary special from Times Radio's sister station, talkSPORT. British-Ukrainian journalist and reporter Andrew Todos looks at how football in Ukraine has found its feet again, even as the war continues. Featuring Ukrainian icons Andriy Shevchenko, Sergei Rebrov and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Last week, Sam Altman the CEO of OpenAI - the makers of ChatGPT - was sacked by his board. After a dramatic few days, he is back at the company along with a new board. But is it really business as usual at OpenAI?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: Danny Fortson, West Coast Correspondent, The Sunday Times.  Host: Manveen Rana.  Clips: BBC, CNBC, PBS Newshour, YouTube - SimplyAI, Invest With Pluto, Daragh Walsh, PlayAlchemist.

It’s been nearly seven weeks since 240 Israeli hostages were seized in a terrorist attack by Hamas. The attack was followed by intense retaliatory bombings of the Gaza strip by the Israeli army and thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Finally, a deal for the release of some hostages has been brokered between Hamas and Israel, and a four-day ceasefire in Gaza may begin on Friday. So what has been happening behind the scenes to bring the deal about? And what does this pivotal moment mean for the future of the conflict?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: Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Email us: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: Fox News, Sky News.

British director Sir Ridley Scott's new epic, Napoleon, is released in cinemas today. It comes as Marvel’s latest film suffered its lowest box office opening ever, raising questions about the future of superhero movies. Have audiences grown tired of the genre Scott has called "boring as shit"? Our critic gives his verdict on the new release, and assesses the state of cinema in 2023.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: Tom Shone, Sunday Times film critic and author of The Nolan Variations and Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer.Host: Luke Jones.Two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman for Times+ members: https://www.mytimesplus.co.uk/offers/two-for-one-cinema-tickets-at-everymanEmail us: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: 20th Century Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lucasfilm/Disney, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Hovis, MGM, HBO Max.

Tomorrow, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will present his Autumn Statement to the Commons. For a government down in the polls, it may offer the opportunity for giveaways - and the Prime Minister says his government “can and will” cut taxes. But, with an economic recovery precarious, and coming before a general election next year, could a future Labour government be left paying the bill?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: Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: ITV, Sky News, Reuters, BBC News, David Boothroyd.

Polling ahead of next year’s election shows a majority of Americans think Biden is too old to be president. Rambling speeches, stumbles, and his advancing years are a cause for alarm in the Democratic Party. As he turns 81 today, is it time for him to step aside for another candidate?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: Ben Hoyle, Foreign Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones.Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: NBC News, CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, C-Span, Aspen Ideas Festival.