This Is Why podcast artwork
News

This Is Why

by Sky News
Daily NewsNewsNews Commentary

Not on the United States charts we track today.

If you like This Is Why, try…

Latest episodes

  • Why Melania's ceasefire will be a lifeline for besieged Ukrainians in Oleshky

    October 26, 2026 · 16 min

    People are surviving on plants, have no power and hardly any water in Oleshky, a Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since the first days of the 2022 full-scale invasion. Ukraine says Russia is using its inhabitants as a human shield to…

  • Why is Sally Rooney pulling her books from shops in the UK?

    October 23, 2026 · 12 min

    There's been a rush to buy Sally Rooney's books after she said she can no longer sell them in the UK. Rooney, known for best-selling novels Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said the decision was made with her publisher over…

  • Why web attacks show we’re all vulnerable

    October 22, 2026 · 14 min

    PHP. The three little letters few people realised were so vital for most of the websites in the world. But a vulnerability in a piece of programming virtually all of us had never heard of has affected everyone from small businesses to…

  • Why do we need new North Sea gas?

    October 21, 2026 · 19 min

    Winter is coming. So, a decision to finally allow drilling at the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea should be welcome. Well, not by environmental campaigners – who've accused the government of backtracking on its net zero…

  • Why Putin and Xi want to control the Arctic

    October 20, 2026 · 18 min

    Europe’s leaders are joining the fight for the Far North – but is it already too late? The European Union has announced a new security strategy for the Arctic. Yet Russia and China already appear to have a huge advantage in the region…

Show 7 more episodesShow fewer episodes
  • Why France protests are spreading across Europe

    October 19, 2026 · 13 min

    Violent clashes, burning buildings, widespread looting and thousands of arrests. Even for France, the scale of the current protests across the country is extreme. What started off as student demonstrations, highlighting issues like a lack…

  • Why didn’t Trump trust Katie Zacharia?

    October 16, 2026 · 17 min

    Surely, the first rule of being a press secretary is never to be the story. But it took Donald Trump's newest spokesperson just 14 minutes to put herself very much front and centre. That was how long Katie Zacharia's first - and only…

  • Why now? Burnham’s Brexit backtrack explained

    October 15, 2026 · 18 min

    Remember when Brexit meant Brexit? Well, a decade on from the referendum to leave the European Union, Andy Burnham thinks now is the right time to reopen the debate. The new prime minister is calling for a fresh look at our relationship…

  • Why tiger death won’t stop zoo visits

    October 14, 2026 · 14 min

    Donald Trump decided to mark the death of a man mauled by a tiger in a Yorkshire zoo by posting an AI-generated video of himself wrestling with a tiger. The killing of 23-year-old William Chapman has offered a stark reminder of just how…

  • Why Ukrainians are angry with Trump’s Russian diesel deal

    October 13, 2026 · 21 min

    Donald Trump just loves a long-running feud, and in recent days he’s returned to an old favourite. America’s mudslinger-in-chief is calling for Ukraine’s wartime president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced – after he criticised the US…

  • Russell Brand: On Trial – A New Podcast

    October 12, 2026 · 14 min

    In today’s episode of This Is Why, we’re introducing our new podcast – Russell Brand: On Trial Listen to Russell Brand: On Trial on your podcast app What happened on Russell Brand’s first day in court as the trial process got underway? Sky…

  • Why didn’t Christa Pike die?

    October 9, 2026 · 30 min

    A notorious killer convicted of murder more than 30 years ago has finally faced the death penalty – execution by lethal injection. Except Christa Pike didn’t die. Investigative journalist John North was one of the few people allowed…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

The world’s a pretty confusing place right now – so how do you make sense of it all? This Is Why  takes one story every day, explains how we got here and why it matters to you. Sky News’ Niall Paterson speaks to experts and correspondents from around the world, getting simple answers to some complex questions. Available every weekday afternoon. This Is Why is a Sky News podcast – if you have a question, contact us: why@sky.uk