PODCAST
The Report
by BBC Radio 4
The current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations
Episodes
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Psychedelic Science
Jamie Bartlett asks if new research into psychedelic drugs will lead to them being accepted as mainstream medical treatment - or whether their controversial history will prove insuperable. After lying dormant for decades, scientific research into psychedelics is experiencing a renaissance....
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Dublin's Gangs
Extra armed police have been put on the streets of Dublin after two murders within just four days of each other. It's being blamed on a flare up of gang wars more akin to Sicily. The first involved gunmen carrying Ak47s disguised as police who burst into a respectable hotel packed with people.…
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Jimmy Savile and the BBC
How did Jimmy Savile get away with it when so many people appear to have known so much? Media and Arts Correspondent David Sillito tracks down former presenters, producers and BBC executives who worked with Savile. On the day that the Dame Janet Smith Review is published, some speak publicly for...
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7-Day NHS
This drive for changing the way the NHS operates has been frequently used by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the reason why a change to junior doctor and consultant contracts is needed. But what does it actually mean? John Ware explores what a seven-day NHS would look like, what evidence there is...
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Trump v the Republicans in New Hampshire: PJ O'Rourke on the campaign trail
The New Hampshire primary is the first proper vote of the American Presidential election. Finally, after all the debates, polls and bluster, voters get to choose their preferred candidate for president. This year, New Hampshire is seen by many as the moment of truth for the Republican frontrunner...
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Lord Bramall: A Failure to Investigate?
Lord Bramall, a former head of the British army, has now been told he will face no further action by the Metropolitan Police following thirteen months of investigation into allegations of paedophilia. The Met has so far refused to apologise for the way its inquiry, "Operation Midland", was…
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Tommy Robinson's Pegida Ambition
Tommy Robinson was the most high profile figure in the English Defence League. Then he apparently abandoned his hostility towards Islam and aligned himself with the counter extremism think tank Quilliam. Now he is back on the anti-Islam beat, helping to launch the UK branch of the German pressure...
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Litvinenko: The Miniature Nuclear Attack
It was a death in Britain like no other seen in living memory. The gaunt and agonised face of the former Russian security service officer, Alexander Litvinenko, stared out of television screens and newspaper front pages in November 2006 as his painful end approached in London's University College...
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Momentum
Should Labour MPs be scared of Jeremy Corbyn-supporting movement Momentum? The group says it is attempting to build on the the groundswell of support for Jeremy Corbyn. Still in its infancy it has already drawn the ire of Labour MPs and activists and sections of the press. They've been compared…
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Afghanistan: Time for Truth?
In 2014 the prime minister said that Afghan security forces were now ready to take over from NATO to secure Afghanistan. Yet 2015 was the most violent in the 14 year conflict with record numbers of civilian and Afghan security force casualties. With the official end of NATO led combat operations,...
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Changing Jihadi Minds
How do you go about trying to change a person's fundamental beliefs? And how do you decide who is in need of state intervention to do so? Public sector workers now have a legal obligation to refer suspected Islamist and far right extremists to a local body known as a Channel panel. Referees…
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A not so merry migrant Christmas in Vienna
Thousands of migrants are stuck in Vienna, their journey to Germany cut short. Will they ever realise their European dreams? Frances Stonor Saunders reports. Producer: Lucy Proctor.
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Al Qaeda in Syria
Peter Oborne investigates claims that Britain and the West embarked on an unspoken alliance of convenience with militant jihadi groups in an attempt to bring down the Assad regime. He hears how equipment supplied by the West to so called Syrian moderates has ended up in the hands of jihadis, and...
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Young, Tory and Bullied
In September, Elliot Johnson, a 21 year old member of the youth wing of the Conservative Party took his own life. He left behind a note saying that he'd been bullied by a 38 year-old Tory activist called Mark Clarke. Since then there have been almost daily reports of allegations of bullying,...
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Paris: Could it Happen Here?
David Cameron says seven terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK this year alone. Mass casualty attacks, like those seen in Paris, are on the agenda too according to the head of MI5. What is going on in the communities from which this largely "homegrown" threat has emerged? In an attempt to...
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Peter Oborne's Chilcot Report
The inquiry into the UK's involvement in the Iraq war started 6 years ago - and there's still no sign of a report. Political columnist Peter Oborne can't understand why: "Come on Sir John! It's not that difficult. I reckon I could get something together in 3 weeks." To prove his point, Peter…
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Salad v Surgery: Treating Type 2 Diabetes
In June of this year, presenter of Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Jenni Murray, underwent an operation which removed 75 per cent of her stomach. A few months later, she has lost over 4 stones in weight and her symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes have gone into remission. Once a purely cosmetic procedure,...
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The 'Pink Pill': The Female Viagra?
The 'pink pill' flibanserin has been called 'the female Viagra', but critics argue its benefits are few and side effects many. Melanie Abbott investigates how the failed anti-depressant came to be licensed in the USA, and what the future plans are to bring the drug to Europe. Presenter: Melanie...
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My Big Fat Greek Crisis
Greece's future in Europe dominated headlines throughout the summer, but can the country turn its fortunes around? While it's true that the country owes hundreds of billions of euros and is facing austerity for years to come, Frances Stonor Saunders finds that Greece has plenty going for it - and...
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The Hollywood Spy
British writer, Cedric Belfrage, avoided prosecution after passing top secret documents to Russia in World War Two. But was he acting under orders or was he a Soviet spy? Gordon Corera examines new evidence from recently declassified MI5 files, which help explain how Belfrage went from being a...
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The Ambridge Price of Milk
What has The Archers got to do with the price of milk? Lesley Curwen looks at the present crisis in dairy farming through the prism of the long-running Radio 4 soap opera, "The Archers" and talks to the man behind the agricultural storyline, Graham Harvey. Along with archive from the drama and...
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The IRA and Sexual Abuse
Máiría Cahill was Irish republican royalty. So it sent shockwaves through the republican movement when she spoke out last year about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a senior IRA operative. Cahill tells her story to BBC Northern Ireland's Jennifer O'Leary. Presenter: Jennifer O'Leary...
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E-Cigarettes: Another Puff
More than two million people in Britain are thought to have used electronic cigarettes. Whitehall civil servants think that e-cigarettes are one of the most significant public health success stories of our generation. Just last week Public Health England published an update on the best evidence...
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Tunisia on the Fault Line
The gun attack on the beach resort of Sousse that killed 38 tourists in June deterred many holidaymakers from travelling to Tunisia. But not journalist Frances Stonor Saunders. She set off for an all-inclusive holiday package to Hammamet, a nearby seaside resort. As well as deserted beaches and...
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The Corbyn Effect
Left winger Jeremy Corbyn is tipped to win Labour's leadership contest. How has he garnered so much support in a party which has spent the last two decades shaking off the vestiges of socialism? Corbyn's detractors blame far left entryism. But the far left in Britain is too small to account for…
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Kids Company: What's Going On?
The charity Kids Company and its charismatic founder Camila Batmanghelidjh have endured weeks of negative headlines. Reporter Simon Cox investigates the accusations of mismanagement. Kids Company was founded in 1996 by Camila Batmanghelidjh and has aimed to deliver practical and emotional support...
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Radicals, Rights and Hunting - The Battle for the RSPCA
Peter Marshall uncovers the real story about the fight for control of the RSPCA. This summer the charity elected its new ruling council. As members prepared to vote, stories in the national press warned that animal rights activists were fighting to gain control of the animal welfare charity and…
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Jehovah's Witnesses and Child Sexual Abuse
In June, the High Court ruled that the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation was liable for sexual abuse committed by one of its members. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain - to give the group its official name - had failed to take adequate safeguarding steps when senior members of the...
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Chemsex
Crystal Meth, GHB/GBL and Mephedrone form what some health workers call an 'un-holy trinity' of drugs that together can heighten arousal and strip away inhibitions. They've become increasingly popular on London's gay scene, and the effects can see some users taking part in weekend-long sex…
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Aid to Nepal
Aid is pouring in to Nepal in the wake of the earthquake. But in a country where corruption is endemic, will the money go where it is meant to? Simon Cox investigates. Producer: Ben Crighton Researcher: Aurelia Allen.
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Drug Resistance
Why drug resistance is now regarded by the UK government as one of the most severe threats to public safety. Peter Marshall reports. Producer: Lucy Proctor Researcher: James Melley.
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Sexism in the City
City banker, Svetlana Lokhova, is awarded a £3 million payout for sexual harassment at work. Her former employer, Sberbank CIB (UK), is appealing the amount it has to pay. An employment tribunal ordered the compensation after finding that Svetlana's line manager at the bank spread vicious lies to...
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The Satanic Cult That Wasn't
How Satanic abuse accusations in a North London suburb went global, but turned out to be untrue. Melanie Abbott investigates. It's members are, it's claimed, drawn mainly from a school and church in Hampstead. They are said to wear shoes made of baby skin, to dance with the skulls of dead babies...
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Sharia Law in Britain
Britain's sharia councils are to be reviewed by the government. Reporter Jenny Chryss investigates Islamic law in the UK and asks if sharia councils should be under any greater scrutiny than other religious tribunals. Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Reporter: Jenny Chryss.
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Are Russian sanctions dangerous for Britain?
EU sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine expire in September. Sharmini Selvarajah looks at whether it is in Britain's security and business interests to see them extended, and whether they go far enough to curb Russian aggression.
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The Murder of Meredith Kercher
Amanda Knox has been cleared for a second time of murdering British student Meredith Kercher at the cottage they shared in Italy in November 2007. The decision handed down by Italy's highest court puts an end to seven years of legal wrangling. Knox, together with her former Italian boyfriend...
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Tony Blair: Farewell to the Quartet
Tony Blair was appointed Special Representative to the Middle East peace Quartet just hours after leaving Downing Street in June 2007. The grouping, made up of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the Unites States, tasked the former Prime Minister with trying to help the economic plight of...
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Trouble at the Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph's political commentator Peter Oborne resigned in February 2015, accusing the paper of shying away from stories that might upset its advertisers. Reporter Robin Aitken asks whether the accusation is fair and traces the Telegraph's evolution from a broadsheet newspaper designed…
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The Truth About Fat
There is no link between saturated fat and heart disease, according to a recent report in a respected scientific journal. So why has official public health advice for the past decades recommended a low fat diet? Adrian Goldberg investigates. Producer: Gemma Newby Reporter: Adrian Goldberg.
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Anti-Semitism in the UK: Is It Growing?
Anti-Semitism in the UK: Simon Cox investigates the changing face of prejudice against Jewish people after recent lethal attacks in Paris, Copenhagen and Brussels. With the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for European Jews to move to Israel, we look at whether there is more...
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French, Republican and Muslim, Insha'Allah?
Ahmed Merabet was one of three police officers killed in the recent terrorist attacks in France. All were honoured as heroes, but it was Ahmed's story which captured France, and the world's attention. As a Muslim who died responding to an attack on a publication which satirised the prophet...
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Germany, Islam and the New Right
Germany's new anti-Islamisation movement, Pegida, is attracting a middle-aged, middle class following to its weekly marches around the country. The founder, Lutz Bachmann, has criminal convictions for burglary and assault. He rarely gives interviews to the media. However in this edition of The...
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CIA Torture: What Did Britain Know?
Shortly before Christmas the Intelligence Committee of the United States Senate published an extraordinary and explosive document, universally referred to as the Torture Report, accusing the CIA of brutality in its treatment of prisoners detained in what George W. Bush had called the "War on...
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Islamic State
Former jihadi Aimen Dean gives a unique insight into the workings of Islamic State. Dean left school in Saudi Arabia to fight jihad in Bosnia in the 1990s. But with the rise of al Qaeda he became disillusioned with his comrades' drift towards terrorism. He joined al Qaeda - but working undercover...
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Rape: Prosecuting Accusers
A feminist campaign group has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecuting women suspected of making false accusations of rape. Do cases like this deter women from reporting rape, or is it the best way to get justice for men who go through the ordeal of clearing their name? In this...
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Private schools and public benefit
Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt has caused controversy by arguing that private schools that don't have partnerships with their state counterparts should lose their business rates relief. But how easy is it to discover what partnerships are happening? And do they do any good? Simon Cox...
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Derby Jihadist
Suspected suicide bomber Kabir Ahmed left Derby to fight for IS. He is the second Islamist extremist in a decade to travel from the small suburb of Normanton to die abroad. Simon Cox looks at the sinister networks connecting the two men and investigates whether their leaders are still active in...
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Virgin Galactic
The fatal explosion of a Virgin Galactic space plane at the end of October 2014 was a major set-back to Sir Richard Branson's dream of a flourishing space tourism venture. Lesley Curwen tells the story behind the crash and asks whether the highly lucrative Virgin brand will survive the tragedy....
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Right to Buy
In the 1980s, Right to Buy was one of the landmark successes of Margaret Thatcher's government, enabling millions of council tenants to buy their own home at a discounted price. The policy changed the financial fortunes of a generation. Since coming to power in 2010, David Cameron's government…
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Tesco: Trouble at the Top
Tesco is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over an alleged black hole in its accounts. Simon Cox tells the story of Tesco's biggest crisis to date. Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Mark Turner Researcher: James Melley.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations
HOSTED BY
BBC Radio 4
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Report have?
The Report currently has 212 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Report about?
The current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations
How often does The Report release new episodes?
The Report publishes regularly with 212 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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The Report is created and hosted by BBC Radio 4.
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