The Story

Under lockdown, police have been given extraordinary new powers. What do the new rules mean for bobbies on the beat, and how will they change our relationship to the police force? 

Guest: 

John Simpso…

Donald Trump is under pressure as libertarian demonstrators insist their freedom is being infringed by lock down. Has the virus revealed the gap between the President's rhetoric and the reality of go…

How has the government fared enforcing their mantra of: 'stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives'?

Guests: 

Caroline Wheeler, Deputy political editor of The Sunday Times.

Rosamund Urwin, Senior report…

Times writer Sathnam Sanghera goes on a personal journey to find out why people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are suffering disproportionately from Covid-19.

Guest: 

Sathnam Sangher…

The waters have cleared in Venice, air pollution over China has dropped and goats have reclaimed a Welsh town. But just how sustainable are these seemingly positive side effects of the coronavirus cr…

Technology might be the answer to our problems - but could we be giving up our privacy in return for our liberty? 

Guest: 

Danny Fortson, The Sunday Times West Coast correspondent 

Host: David Aaronovit…

Last weekend's investigation by the Insight team into the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic made headlines around the world. 

We talk to them about how they researched the story and ge…

We take a break from social distancing and life in lockdown to bring you an extraordinary story from Iraq. The Sunday Times' Louise Callaghan tells Manveen the tale of Abu Laith- the zookeeper of Mos…

Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. But what if you don't have a home to stay in? Greg Hurst on the government campaign to protect the homeless.

Guests: 

Greg Hurst, Social Affairs Editor for T…

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, Homo sapiens were not alone. Tom Whipple explains how we once shared the earth with Neanderthals and even 'hobbits'. 

Guest: 

Tom Whipple, Science Editor for The Tim…

The Swedish government's approach to coronavirus has been controversial. Unlike in the UK, they have urged citizens to take personal responsibility for enforcing social distancing rather than using p…

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, is fighting extradition to the US, after seven years holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy. This week it was revealed that he secretly started a family during h…

As a number of existing therapies are being re-purposed to help patients with the most severe Covid-19 symptoms, we speak to a UK-based bioscience company about a drug they've developed and explore h…

With reading on the rise under the lockdown, the Times Literary Supplement editor Stig Abell suggests three books for a little escapism during these uncertain times. 

Guest: Stig Abell

Hosted on Acas…

We have been warned that the Easter bank holiday could see the peak of the coronavirus crisis in the UK. But are our hospitals ready?

Guest:

‏Lucy Cocker, Junior Doctor and Deputy Chair of the BMA's Ju…

It looks like the US will be badly hit by coronavirus. Could President Trump's approach be his downfall?

Guests:

Henry Zeffman, the Washington Correspondent for The Times.

Host: David Aaronovitch.

Ho…

The United States is now at the centre of the global coronavirus crisis and New York is the worst hit city in the country. What’s it like for regular New Yorkers at the centre of the pandemic?

Guests…

As Brazilian politicians argue over how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, we speak to three residents about their experience of the crisis. 

Guests:

Lucinda Elliott‏, news contributor at The T…

On Saturday Labour party members selected a new leader. Is this the end of Corbynism? And what is the role of the opposition in the time of crisis?

Guest: 

Rachel Sylvester, political columnist for Th…