The Story

Today we look back on one of our favourite episodes from the past few months: a deep dive into the economics of beauty, with Tom Whipple.Do looks matter? Pulchronomics, the study of economics and beauty, says they do. But just how much impact does being attractive have on your love life, career and happiness? Are our fortunes really determined by our looks? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.com/subscribeGuest: Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times. Host: Luke Jones. Times Poll: How attractive are you? Rate yourself out of fiveClips: Britain’s Got Talent ITV/Thames. Photo: Times Design, Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

As a bonus episode, we’re bringing listeners of The Story an episode from the Tech Podcast from The Times.The Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, joins the pod to discuss the British Government's 'AI Opportunities Action Plan' (and Elon Musk). Plus, a new guide the UK's fastest growing tech companies is revealed by The Times and Sunday Times, read all about it.

There was widespread jubilation at the announcement that a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu's government is still to formally approve the deal that would bring to an end 15 months of conflict. The deal includes the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. But how exactly will it work? And, more importantly, will it last?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: Samer Al-Atrush, Middle East Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: The Times and The Sunday Times, Reuters, Times Radio, Al Jazeera, Parliamentlive.tv, Sky, CBS, BBC, @zakisolja / X.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Analysis of a decade’s worth of sentencing data across England and Wales between 2013 and 2023 has revealed a worrying uptick in knife crime nationwide. For the first time, the contents of more than 4.7 million lines of crime and sentencing data have been used by The Times to build profiles of fatal stabbing victims and offenders convicted of knife possession.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 Woode, Crime Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.comClips: BBC 5Live, Sky News, ITV Anglia, X/@crimeLdnPhoto: Times Design.

Tulip Siddiq, Labour’s anti-corruption minister, has resigned after reporting by the Sunday Times revealed that she resided in a series of properties bought by associates of her aunt, the now deposed leader of Bangladesh, who’s accused of siphoning off billions from the country. The journalist who followed the story all the way to Dhaka speaks to The Story.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: Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Times Radio, Channel 4 News, BBC News.Photo: Getty Images. Further reading: Tulip Siddiq’s flyers found in palace of deposed Bangladesh leaderGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

As LA continues to battle its worst fires in history, the political blame game has started, with Donald Trump accusing California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, of caring more about fish than people. We’ll explain. 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: Megan Agnew, senior features writer (US), The Times.Jamie Hartman, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, CAHosts: Luke Jones and Edith RousselotClips: NBC News, NewsNation, CBS News, ABC 10, KTLA 5, The Tonight Show Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having made a multi-million dollar film together, Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are now trading muti-million dollar lawsuits over what did (or didn’t) happen on set and during the promotional tour for It Ends With Us. But what do court documents and private texts allege about Hollywood's dark arts? And like MeToo, could this be the start of another watershed moment triggered by Tinseltown?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: Keiran Southern, West Coast Correspondent (US), The Times.Andrew Billen, Features Writer, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: It Ends With Us / Justin Baldoni / Sony / Columbia Pictures / Wayfarer Studios / Blake Lively, Entertainment Tonight, MsMojo, YouTube / @TheAmalaEkpunobi, YouTube / Megyn Kelly, The Hollywood Reporter, TikTok / @lovingsingle, YouTube / TED / Justin Baldoni, TikTok / justinbaldoni. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.

The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, has combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and government cover ups into the murder of civilians during the Afghan conflict. Today, in part two, we hear about the methods used to stymie, block and obstruct the course of justice. This episode was originally published on 10 May 2024.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestoryGuests: Jonathan Calvert, Insight investigative team editor, The Sunday TimesGeorge Arbuthnott, Insight investigative team deputy editor, The Sunday Times. Read the full Insight investigationHost: Manveen Rana.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk

This week the Times revealed that ministers are considering bringing back a retired military chief to lead the armed forces amid concerns the likely frontrunner, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has been tainted by an independent inquiry into alleged unlawful activity by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan. Government sources stress that Jenkins has supported the inquiry.Last year, The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and government cover ups into the murder of civilians during the Afghan conflict. Today, in part one, we hear about the senior special forces commander, codename N1466, who blew the whistle. This episode was originally published on 9 May 2024.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestoryGuests:Jonathan Calvert, Insight investigative team editor, The Sunday Times, andGeorge Arbuthnott, Insight investigative team deputy editor, The Sunday Times. Read the full Insight investigationHost: Manveen Rana.Clips: Military.com.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk