Shows / This Is Why
This Is Why
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
Episodes
This Is WhyWhy your council tax band dates back to 1991
Prime Minister Andy Burnham joked on TikTok that demand from people trying to find out their council tax band crashed the government website. They wanted to…
This Is WhyIsrael’s ‘AI Election’
The World and This Is Why join forces for a special episode on Israel's election - a contest that could have significant consequences for the Middle East and…
This Is WhyWhy leaving Spurs won Harry Kane the Ballon d'Or
Aged eight, Harry Kane risked being written off when he was released by Arsenal. But Kane persisted, and he was taken on by Tottenham Hotspur's academy. He…
This Is WhyWhy Melania's ceasefire will be a lifeline for besieged Ukrainians in Oleshky
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…
This Is WhyWhy is Sally Rooney pulling her books from shops in the UK?
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…
This Is WhyWhy web attacks show we’re all vulnerable
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…
This Is WhyWhy do we need new North Sea gas?
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…
This Is WhyWhy Putin and Xi want to control the Arctic
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…
This Is WhyWhy France protests are spreading across Europe
Violent clashes, burning buildings, widespread looting and thousands of arrests. Even for France, the scale of the current protests across the country is…
This Is WhyWhy didn’t Trump trust Katie Zacharia?
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…
This Is WhyWhy now? Burnham’s Brexit backtrack explained
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…
This Is WhyWhy tiger death won’t stop zoo visits
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…
This Is WhyWhy Ukrainians are angry with Trump’s Russian diesel deal
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…
This Is WhyRussell Brand: On Trial – A New Podcast
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…
This Is WhyWhy didn’t Christa Pike die?
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…
This Is WhyWhy the UK is in trouble if the gas gets turned off
Taking a hot shower, heating your home, cooking dinner – all things we take for granted. All at risk. Britain’s gas storage levels are at a decade-low, while…
This Is WhyWhy France’s school protests are a problem for president Macron
Imagine being tear-gassed and targeted with stun grenades – all for complaining about timetables, absent teachers and crumbling classrooms. That’s the…
This Is WhyWhy Trump is worried about Russia’s plague ‘lab leak’
In the 14th Century, the Black Death wiped out up to half the population of Europe. So, no wonder world leaders, including Donald Trump, are keeping a careful…
This Is WhyWhy Zack Polanski has been banned from Israel
Green party members have backed a motion that “Zionism is racism” at their party conference. It has exposed deep divisions within the party’s membership - with…
This Is WhyWhy there are concerns over Sir Ranulph Fiennes' health
The sister-in-law of the 82-year-old explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes travelled from her home abroad to check into a care home where his friends believed he was…
This Is WhyWhy do Man City think they can get away with it?
Guilty. The damning verdict in favour of the Premier League against one of its most successful clubs – Manchester City. The case concerned more than a hundred…
This Is WhyWhy is Trump pulling troops out of Iraq (while at war with Iran)?
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than two decades ago, the US has had a near-continuous military presence in Iraq... until now. The last troops have been…
This Is WhyWhy reforming the pension triple lock is ‘electoral suicide’
It’s long been seen as politically untouchable – but Andy Burnham has finally fired the starting gun on reforms to the state pension triple lock. First brought…
This Is WhyWhy the RAF Fairford 'plot' doesn’t add up
Who are you more likely to believe, Donald Trump or a farmer from the Cotswolds? Five UK nationals have been arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism…
This Is WhyWhy is Ed Sheeran fighting for his reputation?
Ed Sheeran is used to thousands of people singing his songs back at him. But last week, he found himself addressing his audience in a very different way. After…
This Is WhyWhy is Diana book still on sale despite Piers Morgan mistake?
Recollection may vary, but the facts do not. That’s something that was lost on Princess Diana’s brother in his new book about his sister’s life - which managed…
This Is WhyThree reasons AI could ‘save us all’: This is why
There’s nothing like the warning of an AI apocalypse to ease you out of summer - but as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Of course, we can’t rule out…
This Is WhyWhy is Andy Burnham giving military support to Saudi Arabia?
It's been a busy week already for Andy Burnham - who approved his first military intervention as prime minister just hours before his inaugural meeting with…
This Is WhyWhy TV’s The Wargame exposes some uncomfortable truths
The new Sky Original TV series The Wargame imagines a terrifying situation – and not just because Michael Gove is prime minister. Vladimir Putin and Russia…
This Is WhyWhy Diana’s brother is making bombshell claims about the King
Lots of people have fallen out with their brother-in-law over the years - but it’s perhaps never been as explosive as the row between the King and Earl…
This Is WhyWhy Canada courting the EU isn’t great news for Great Britain
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is looking for closer ties with Europe – but could an “associate” membership with the EU push the UK to the back of the…
This Is WhyChief of Defence Staff: Why this is the UK’s ‘most dangerous moment’
The country is under threat. Russian aggression, war in the Middle East and a military which has been ‘hollowed out’ for decades have all led to a crisis point…
This Is WhyWhy the Thirlwall Inquiry isn’t the last word on Lucy Letby
The case of Britain’s most prolific child killer has gripped the nation ever since Lucy Letby’s trial began in October 2022. The former neonatal nurse was…
This Is WhyWhy has Donald Trump called for Irish reunification?
It was a hole-in-one for the republican cause – the US president using a trip to his golf course in County Clare to lend his weight to the fight for a united…
This Is WhyWhy 9/11 has turned toxic for Rudy Giuliani and Zohran Mamdani
As America marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, a row has erupted between the man who led New York through its darkest moments and…
This Is WhyExperts warn AI could ‘kill us all’: This is why
Don’t worry, AI’s not preparing to wipe out humanity with a Terminator-style nuclear Armageddon – that's just not its style. But could it develop a virus that…
This Is WhyWhy does air traffic control keep failing?
Less up, up and away... more stuck on the tarmac. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded after yet another critical…
This Is WhyWhy are NHS staff targeting terror attack victims?
Imagine your child has been the victim of a terror attack. Then imagine the most intimate details of their injuries being viewed and shared without your…
This Is WhyWhy anti-migrant protests are getting more ‘professional’
We have become used to seeing protests against small boat arrivals in the UK, but the speed and size of those in Dover and Portsmouth over the weekend felt…
This Is WhyWhy Farage is courting rising star of the French far right
Lots of 30-year-olds are career-driven, ambitious types - but perhaps none more so than French far-right politician Jordan Bardella. The sharp-suited…
This Is WhyWhy driverless taxis still need a human (for now)
Most taxi drivers tell tales about who they’ve had in the back of their cab. But how would you feel about catching a cab that doesn’t have a driver in the…
This Is WhyWhy borrowing costs are Burnham’s biggest problem
Governments often tell people to live within their means - but can the new prime minister? Andy Burnham will need to try hard after the UK's long-term…
This Is WhyWhy Germany's far right is on the verge of its biggest win since WW2
The leader of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt has been called "the most dangerous man in Germany". Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old…
This Is WhyWhy Bumble's boss hopes AI is the future of dating
Could artificial intelligence provide the key to finding true love? The chief executive of Bumble certainly hopes so as she plans to introduce an AI feature to…
This Is WhyWhy Sudan's horrifying war is being ignored
Three years into Sudan's war, millions face hunger, displacement and violence. It was triggered by a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary…
This Is WhyBob Harris: Why Dolly Parton was loved by all ages
Bob Harris joins This Is Why to remember Dolly Parton. He interviewed her many times during her decades-long career and explains why she meant so much to…
This Is WhyWhy isn't there more help for teenagers leaving care?
112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died last year, according to a government-commissioned review – that's three to four times the rate of their peers. Nick Martin…
This Is WhyWhy can't TikTok just get rid of 'joyriding' videos?
The "glorification of dangerous driving for clicks and entertainment" was "utterly disgraceful" and such content should be removed, a spokesman for the prime…
This Is WhyWhy the NHS is working with ‘the world’s scariest CEO’
With his fuzz of chaotic grey hair and love of philosophy, Palantir boss Alex Karp isn’t your average tech bro. Not least because he recently published a…
This Is WhyWhy now? Inside Harry and Meghan’s UK return
Six years after stepping back from royal life to live in California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to the UK this month. After years of public…
This Is WhyWhy Trump’s split with South Korea is damaging his allies
Donald Trump is threatening to scale back US military commitments in South Korea - at the risk of wider instability across Asia. At the same time, the US…
This Is WhyWhy Russia is threatening the UK... again
"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer." This was the short and not-very-sweet response from the Russian…
This Is WhyWhy the government defended its wildfires alert
Where were you at 7pm on Friday? Wherever you were, it’s likely you heard a loud alert activated on millions of mobile phones. It was the biggest use yet of…
This Is WhyWhy we should all be worried about wildfires
If you thought wildfires were confined to the countryside, it's time to think again. Several homes have been destroyed across the West Midlands and…
This Is WhyWhy record A-Level results won’t stop universities from struggling
As envelopes were ripped open up and down the country, university vice-chancellors were as eager to find out the results as hundreds of thousands of anxious…
This Is WhyWhy early prison release is an increasing burden for Burnham
You do the crime, you do the time… or a third of it if you’re part of the early release scheme. The move has been controversial since it was first introduced…
This Is WhyWhy the eclipse has captured the country’s imagination
In what might feel like a rare break from sunshine, the UK is preparing itself for the most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation. The cosmic phenomenon…
This Is WhyWhy Netanyahu rejected Trump's Gaza peace plan
Some leaders have gone to extreme measures to save their jobs - but is allowing a deadly war to rage on indefinitely a step too far? That is what many believe…
This Is WhyWhy a British 'Silicon Valley outsider' is one of AI's biggest players
Artificial intelligence is already changing how we work, communicate and find information. But could its biggest impact be on science? Demis Hassabis is one of…
This Is WhyWhy Infantino is clinging on to power at FIFA
UEFA has said it is not lifting its boycott of the World Cup after FIFA president Gianni Infantino held a crisis meeting in Morocco. This appears to be in…