
11 episodes

I'm Not A Monster - from BBC Panorama & FRONTLINE PBS BBC
-
- Podcasts
-
-
4.3 • 6 Ratings
-
How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate? Over four years, journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems.
-
10. “It’s all behind me now”
Sam’s son Matthew was just seven when he was taken to Syria and the Islamic State group. He thought he’d never see America again. Now he’s back with his dad and talks of the “sweet relief” of being home.
Josh finds out how he and Sam’s other children are doing now.
This episode includes references to violence and some upsetting moments involving children.
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed by: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds -
9. “The rest be damned”
After years of insisting she’s innocent, Sam pleads guilty and Moussa’s exes reveal more about the man that led her to Syria. Sam’s team claims she was “a wife under the thumb of her violently abusive and radical husband” but the prosecution says she has “credibility issues” and tells stories that serve her personally. So how long will she spend in prison?
This episodes contains some upsetting moments involving children.
If you know something that you think might help the investigation please email notamonster@bbc.com
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed by: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds.
ARCHIVE:
ABC News: President Donald Trump declares national emergency to address coronavirus outbreak -
8. “I take my book back”
Josh retraces Sam’s steps in Syria and asks could she have been an ISIS supporter all along? He meets her old neighbours in Raqqa, visits the infamous torture prison where she says she was held and meets an Islamic State group member who knew her personally.
This episode includes references to violence.
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed by: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds. -
7. “On American soil”
As Josh starts to uncover more about the family’s past, Sam tries to explain away some of the many discrepancies in her story. Then, a connection to the FBI raises new questions about her.
If you know something that you think might help the investigation please email notamonster@bbc.com
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed by: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds.
ARCHIVE:
ITV News: Filthy and overcrowded': Islamic State families stuck in 'no man's land'
CBS News: CBS News goes inside Syrian refugee camp filled with ISIS supporters -
6. “Now I’m calling the shots”
A torture prison, buying slaves and a dramatic escape - Sam continues her account of her years in Raqqa.
This episode includes references to sexual abuse, extreme violence and some upsetting moments involving children.
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed by: Rod Farquhar
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this series, please contact support organisations in your own country.
For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds. -
5. “We had a great life”
Josh is face-to-face with Sam after a year trying to track her down. On a military base in Syria, she begins to tell her side of the story. She says it all started as a family holiday...
CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Mixed By: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic
This is an excellent podcast for anyone who wants to understand how ordinary people with comfortable lives became involved in the brief, horrific history of ISIS. Josh Baker goes further than I thought any journalist could or would be able to go to investigate and validate what he is reporting and the story he tells is insightful and utterly riveting.