In January 2023, reporters at the Telegraph are called into a meeting. The newspaper has got something big.

Matt Hancock’s Whatsapps from when he was the Health Secretary, during the pandemic: 100,000 messages. The reporters start digging.

Archive used in this episode from: The Sun, BBC, Channel 4, Sky News, Good Morning Britain, The Telegraph.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Investigations team looks back on the early days of the pandemic. How prepared was the government? Was lockdown inevitable? But they hit a stumbling block - they may have 100,000 messages, but there’s a gap in March.

So the team decide that if they can’t read where those key decisions were made, they’d do the next best thing: speak to people who were in the room where it happened

Archive used in this episode from: France Info, Sky News, BBC.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tens of thousands of care home residents died during the pandemic. Many people see it as the government’s biggest failure. Matt Hancock’s Whatsapp messages lifted the lid on conversations behind key decisions. But it wasn’t just the messages which were revealing… The team behind the Lockdown Files unearths new documents suggesting an unnerving offer made to care homes in Durham and Birmingham.

Archive used in this episode from: BBC, Sky News, ITV, The Telegraph.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it ever ok to scare the public?

In this episode, the reporters dig into leaked messages which show a discussion between Matt Hancock and one of his team. They say “We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain” and “When do we deploy the new variant”.

The exchanges speak to a so-called “Project Fear”, which prompts the team to ask government ministers about whether decisions made were the right ones…

We also speak to the adviser behind some of the government's messaging…

And to a mum whose children are still dealing with the fall out tells her family’s story.

Archive used in this episode from: Sky News, The Telegraph, Parliament TV, the Covid inquiry, The Sun.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the face of major disasters, it is perhaps inevitable that there will be missteps. And when the dust settles, people are asked to account for their actions.

How is history going to judge the government’s response to COVID?

In this last episode of the Lockdown Files podcast, the investigations team at the Telegraph investigates potential mistakes at the heart of the pandemic response.

Shutting schools, a lack of oversight with financial support and questions over whether lockdown would ever happen in the same way again.

Finally, the team catches up with the latest news from the public inquiry and hears from a relative of someone who died as they watch the evidence unfold.

Archive used in this episode from: BBC, The Telegraph. the Covid inquiry, Good Morning Britain.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In January 2021, the first Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines made their way into people’s arms. By mid-march, 11 million people had received the jab.

After successive lockdowns, it felt like a way out.

But now, more than two years on, storm clouds are gathering.

Today, 80 of them are preparing to sue Astrazeneca. They say that until now, no one has wanted to hear their stories. So we’re telling them.

Find out more: ‘We were told the vaccine was safe - but what happened has been life-changing’

Archive used in this episode from: BBC, Sky News, 10 Downing Street.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Jimmy Savile to Huw Edwards, the BBC has in recent years been associated with a number of high-profile cases of paedophilia. But there have also been other cases of child abuse linked to the BBC, and now the organisation is facing fresh questions about whether it has done enough to protect children by properly vetting people coming into its offices or working on its behalf.

In this special episode of The Daily T hosted by head of investigations Claire Newell, we reveal a previously untold story of child sexual abuse at the hands of someone working for the organisation and expose how the BBC contracted a convicted paedophile as a chauffeur for 30 years. A warning that some listeners may find some of the reporting upsetting.

Read: BBC paid millions to paedophile chauffeur

Reporting: Claire Newell and Daniel Foggo

Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Senior Producer: John Cadigan

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

Sound Design: Jack Boswell

Script Editor: Venetia Rainey

Studio Operators: Meghan Searle and Andy Watson

Video Editor: Luke Goodsall

Social Media Producer: Ji-Min Lee

Original music by Goss Studio

Some of the documents mentioned in this episode were originally unearthed by blogger Cathy Fox

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was one of the UK’s worst modern disasters - and yet seven years on, no one has been held accountable for the Grenfell fire. With the official inquiry’s final report set to be released, people are expecting answers. How did the London tower block catch fire so quickly in June 2017? Why did 72 people die? And who is to blame?

A police investigation is still ongoing, meaning the bereaved and survivors of Grenfell Tower will have to wait until at least 2027 before anyone can face charges. Chief Reporter Rob Mendick has been speaking to Flora and Hisam who were directly affected by the fire, Kimia Zabihyan (Advocate and Co-ordinator of Grenfell Next of Kin), and lawyer Imran Khan to hear what they think about the inquiry and what they want to see from the upcoming report into the tragedy.

Reporter: Robert Mendick

Producer: Georgia Coan

Script Editor: Venetia Rainey

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

Studio Operator: Meghan Searle

Social Media Producer: Niamh Walsh

Editor: Camilla Tominey

Original music by Goss Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.