BONUS: Last Man Standing update
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this bonus episode we're showcasing how The Story host Manveen Rana and her Times colleague Anthony Loyd are back exploring the the kidnap and disappearance of British photojournalist John Cantlie by ISIS in Syria, after a mysterious listener got in contact.
Originally released four years ago, Last Man Standing is now the inspiration for the new BBC three-part documentary series Hostage, based on reporting from our original series.
Find the full Last Man Standing series here.
Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.
Producer: Harry Stott.
Executive Producer: Will Roe.
Further reading: Anthony Loyd: my hunt for the forgotten Isis hostage John Cantlie
Watch: Hostage on BBC iPlayer.
Clips: BBC.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, it's Manveen here. In 2022, we released a podcast series, Last Man Standing, |
| 0:08.9 | which was about the British photojournalist John Cantley, who was kidnapped by ISIS in Syria. |
| 0:16.4 | Our series inspired the gripping new BBC TV documentary, Hostage, which began this week. |
| 0:23.7 | Four years on, we've also been following new leads all over the Middle East, and we've made |
| 0:29.9 | some important new discoveries. If you want to go back and listen to the full podcast series, |
| 0:35.7 | just search for Last Man Standing. It's season one in |
| 0:38.9 | the Times Investigates feed, and we'll put a link to that in the description notes of this episode. |
| 0:43.9 | Just a quick warning before we begin. This episode does contain strong language and descriptions |
| 0:49.9 | of violence. |
| 0:58.4 | In the chaos of war, |
| 0:59.4 | mysteries are born. |
| 1:01.1 | Secrets proliferate. |
| 1:04.2 | Cities are obliterated and humans vanish. |
| 1:07.1 | John Cantley was one such mystery. |
| 1:10.3 | Hello, my name is John Cantley. |
| 1:14.1 | I am a British journalist who used to work for some of the bigger newspapers and magazines in the UK. At the height of the Syrian War, the journalist John |
| 1:22.6 | Cantley, along with his friend and colleague James Foley, was dragged from a car at gunpoint and kidnapped. |
| 1:31.3 | They opened the door |
| 1:33.3 | and there was like all of them wearing masks with a kleshingof |
| 1:37.3 | and they started shooting on the ground. |
| 1:39.3 | And John, he started shouting and he says, |
| 1:42.3 | I don't want to kidnap again. |
... |
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