Rephonic
Artwork for This Is Why

This Is Why

Sky News
Donald Trump
Russia
United States
Iran
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Andy Burnham
Keir Starmer
NATO
Strait Of Hormuz
China
Labour Party
Artificial Intelligence
Jeffrey Epstein
Social Media
European Union
Immigration
Vladimir Putin
Reform UK
Oil

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 ques... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes2236Founded12 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Daily NewsNewsNews Commentary

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for This Is Why

Latest Episodes

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 staying. She managed to meet him and told Sky News how delighted he was to see her.

It ... more

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 charges – from disguised funding to misleading accounts – with possible consequences rangi... more

YouTube

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The last troops have been withdrawn, ending a process started by Joe Biden and endorsed by Donald Trump. But the tim... more

YouTube

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 in by David Cameron’s coalition government, the measure of increasing pension payments by... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Arabella Pepper
Sister-in-law of Ginny, Ranulph Fiennes' former wife
Family friend/relative
Episode: Why there are concerns over Sir Ranulph Fiennes' health
Sir David Hempleman-Adams
Fellow explorer and longtime friend of Ranulph Fiennes
Explorer
Episode: Why there are concerns over Sir Ranulph Fiennes' health
Rob Clark
Defence analyst who served in Iraq and Afghanistan
Independent Defence Analyst
Episode: Why is Trump pulling troops out of Iraq (while at war with Iran)?
John Robb
Musician, author and music journalist
Independent analyst on Ed Sheeran controversy
Episode: Why is Ed Sheeran fighting for his reputation?
Helen Brown
Culture journalist for The Telegraph
The Telegraph
Episode: Why is Diana book still on sale despite Piers Morgan mistake?
Hesham Hellyer
Senior Associate Fellow at the Defence and Security Think Tank, RUSI
RUSI
Episode: Why is Andy Burnham giving military support to Saudi Arabia?
Penny Mordaunt
Defence Secretary in the scenario, former leader in the exercise cast
UK Government
Episode: Why TV’s The Wargame exposes some uncomfortable truths
Michael Gove
Prime Minister in the scenario
UK Government
Episode: Why TV’s The Wargame exposes some uncomfortable truths
Nicola Sturgeon
Deputy Prime Minister in the scenario
Scottish Government
Episode: Why TV’s The Wargame exposes some uncomfortable truths

Hosts

Niall Paterson
Host of the show and interviewer, with a focus on skywatching and broader world affairs.
Mhari Aurora
Host of the episode and guide for interviews, with Sky News affiliation.

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars from 968 ratings
  • Infuriatingly biased

    I expect a balanced view and proper measured journalism from This Is Why from Sky News. Instead the Miliband episode with Jon Craig and Nial Paterson was one sided and hyperbolic. Exasperating. I really thought this show was better than this.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Ted97531
    United Kingdom3 months ago
  • Not great

    Right in the middle of a guest making a point it went to a commercial for ceiling repair. Proof this podcast has no interest in showing you the WHY of anything. Sensationalized nonsense.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    TV Food and Drink
    United States4 months ago
  • Bias

    Show regularly tilts one side of the story with deliberately weak evidence or comparisons. The type of news show for someone who likes to repeat someone else’s opinion in the office conversation to look like they are interesting. “Chat GPT, who should I vote for…..ok”

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    A.bratherton
    United Kingdom4 months ago
  • Poor Journalism

    I have been a listener to “Trump 100” ever since it started. It is a great podcast giving a professional, balanced analysis.

    On today’s edition of Trump 100 there was an advert for “This Is Why”, so I thought I would give it a go.

    The first edition I listened to this morning was

    “Why your fake fashion is funding organised crime”.

    Unfortunately I was very very unhappy about the quality of the journalism in this podcast.

    It focussed entirely on the potential for knock off product revenues to... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Diysteve345
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • One it was great and based, justened to the danish iv good god go woe

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Ogetsch
    a year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Consistently high production quality and credible guests are noted.
Listeners praise the host's professionalism and depth of analysis.
Advertisment placement occasionally criticized for interrupting flow.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#165
United States/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#17
United Kingdom/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#85
United Kingdom/News
Apple Podcasts
#143
Canada/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#63
Italy/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#69
Australia/News/Daily News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why do Man City think they can get away with it?
Q: What exactly were City found to have done wrong?
They were found to have inflated income through sham contracts and related party transactions to disguise true spending, amounting to hundreds of millions in untaxed or misrepresented revenue.
Why is Ed Sheeran fighting for his reputation?
Q: Not just an apology. What did you make of it?
The guest suggests the apology seemed genuine despite skepticism about whether it was to save his career, and notes the complexity of the issue and the onstage context.
Chief of Defence Staff: Why this is the UK’s ‘most dangerous moment’
Q: What does constantly getting saluted do to your ego?
Knighton explains that salutes are a duty to the Crown and not about the individual; the symbolism should not inflate ego, as service is about representing the country and its institutions.
Why TV’s The Wargame exposes some uncomfortable truths
Q: What exactly is a war game and how did this one work?
A war game is an operational exercise run behind the scenes to simulate a crisis; this one collapsed into a fast-paced scenario where Britain faced an attack, with real-time information flowing to senior politicians and advisors to drive decisions.
Three reasons AI could ‘save us all’: This is why
Q: What do you want AI to actually do, and how should we design it to solve real problems?
Focus on targeted, well-defined tasks where AI can provide tangible benefits—like speeding up drug discovery or optimizing public services—while ensuring robust safety, transparency, and human oversight to prevent unintended consequences.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Is Why

What is This Is Why about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This daily news podcast explains one timely story each weekday with clear, accessible context from Sky News' reporting team and expert guests. Episodes cover a broad range of topics—from higher education funding and immigration policy to AI, international diplomacy, climate risks, and technology—always tying back to why it matters for listeners. A notable strength is bringing together newsroom reporting, policy analysis, and expert explanations in compact, actionable segments that help non-specialist audiences understand complex issues. The show is likely to appeal to curious, time-conscious professionals who want reliable perspective and practical implications in under 20–30 minutes per day.

Where can I find podcast stats for This Is Why?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for This Is Why. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to This Is Why and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does This Is Why get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for This Is Why, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for This Is Why?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for This Is Why, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does This Is Why have?

To see how many followers or subscribers This Is Why has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to This Is Why?

These podcasts share a similar audience with This Is Why:

1. TRUMP100
2. Cheat Sheet with Ridge & Frost
3. Politics At Sam and Anne's
4. Stuff Matters with Ed Conway
5. Electoral Dysfunction

How many episodes of This Is Why are there?

This Is Why launched 12 years ago and published 2236 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact This Is Why?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for This Is Why?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for This Is Why from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for This Is Why?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of This Is Why. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on This Is Why?

Recent guests on This Is Why include:

1. Arabella Pepper
2. Sir David Hempleman-Adams
3. Rob Clark
4. John Robb
5. Helen Brown
6. Hesham Hellyer
7. Penny Mordaunt
8. Michael Gove

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days