I cycled across Africa for a place at my dream university
A handwritten map is all Mamadou Barry had to guide him from Guinea to Egypt.At the age of 24 he had reached a crossroads in his life. Having failed his final year secondary school exams five times in a row, he set his sights on a different type of education. Mamadou had heard about the prestigious Al Azhar University in Egypt, but could not afford a plane ticket. So he decided to set off on an epic adventure, travelling by bike, and leaving his home in Guinea with only $55, a small bag of clothes and tools, and a map he had drawn himself.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rob Wilson Translator and interpreter: Olivier Weber Voiceover artist: Gaïus KoweneArchive was from the official YouTube channel for Will Smith
11 Mars 202442min
Going cold turkey in a Bangkok prison
A life shaped by addiction.Australian Holly Deane-Johns had a complicated childhood. Her parents ran an escort agency from their home, and heroin addiction later took over the whole family. She was first given heroin by her mother, aged just 15. Holly ended up dealing to feed her habit, and in her early 30s was sentenced to 31 years in a notorious Thai prison, convicted of drug smuggling. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Mary Goodhart Editor: Rebecca VincentGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
4 Mars 202441min
The Pacific odyssey of a runaway rebel
Ruth Shaw spent years on ships and islands, trying to outrun her past.She left her home in New Zealand as a young woman, driven away by a traumatic attack that would shape her life for years to come. Ruth tried to find escape on sailing ships, in Tahitian gambling dens and in the bars and kitchens of Papua New Guinea. But ultimately she had to head home, to face up to deep adolescent scars, and to find the child she’d been forced to give up years before.Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: May Cameron Editor: Munazza KhanPhoto: ‘The Bookseller at the End of the World’
26 Feb 202440min
Fugees Family: the football team who became my life
The extraordinary coach who started a football team but built something much bigger.One day when Luma Mufleh was driving home to Atlanta, Georgia, she came across a group of barefoot boys playing football in the street, using a raggedy old ball and rocks for goalposts. They reminded her of how she played at home in Jordan and she asked to join their game. The Fugees Family football team was born. Luma Mufleh has written a book about her extraordinary story, Believe in Them: One Woman's Fight for Justice for Refugee Children.Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Helen FitzhenryGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp: 0044 330 678 2784
19 Feb 202443min
My dad was Britain's 'most wanted'
Without realising it, Nick Reynolds had been living his childhood on the run.Early one morning in 1968 he answered his front door, completely oblivious to the whirlwind about to be unleashed on his family. Most of Nick's early years had been spent carefree and happy on the shores of Mexico with his British parents. But all the while he had been growing up in the shadow of one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Eric Mugaju and Anna LaceyGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784(Photo: Nick & Bruce Reynolds. Credit: Ronnie Biggs)
12 Feb 202438min
Trapped in an icy hell: my 72 day mountain escape
After crashing high in the Andes, Nando Parrado had to go to the extreme to get out.In 1972, when the plane carrying 22 year old Uruguayan Nando Parrado and his rugby team came down deep in the Andes mountain range in South America, they were left for dead. Rescue teams called off their search after 10 days. Nando and the other survivors would spend an incredible 72 days trapped, frozen and forsaken in this icy wilderness. And in order to come out alive, they would have to do the unthinkable. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Edgar Maddicott Editor: Laura Thomas
5 Feb 202441min
A Libyan kidnapping and the words that brought us together
Lucy Sexton was making a TV series about hostages when her father Joe was abductedLucy and her father Joe Sexton are American journalists. In 2021 Lucy was working on the TV series ‘Hostages’ when her personal and professional life collided. Joe had been abducted while on a reporting trip in Libya. What followed was a surreal week of parallels as they both tried to make sense of what was happening – Joe from a cell in Libya and Lucy from a production set in Washington. Later, they turned their experience into a joint writing project that brought them closer than ever before.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: May Cameron Editor: Harry Graham Sound design: Joel Cox
29 Jan 202443min
Discovering my mother was a Vietnamese rock'n'roll star
A chance email led Hannah Ha to uncover her mother Tam’s forgotten musical legacy.Hannah knew her mother could sing. When she took the stage at karaoke, she always stole the show. But when a chance email revealed she had once been a recording artist called Phuong Tam in 1960s Saigon, she was stunned. Hannah embarked on a two-year hunt to track down her mother’s long-lost recordings – and her rock 'n' roll legacy.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Zoe Gelber
22 Jan 202439min
