Lives Less Ordinary

BBC World Service

4.7 (431)
PERSONAL JOURNALS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger and wondered, "What’s their story?" Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary stories from around the world.

2 DAYS AGO

Stolen as a baby, I called my abductor ‘Mom’

On the night of December 15th, 1997, a fire broke out in the home of Luz Cuevas and Pedro Vera, a couple living in Philadelphia with their two young sons and their ten-day-old daughter, Delimar. She was asleep upstairs. In the aftermath, the fire was declared the result of faulty wiring. No trace of baby Delimar was ever found — she was presumed dead; “completely consumed by the fire”, according to the medical examiner’s report. Naturally, her parents were devastated, but there would be no closure because this was just the start of Delimar's story. In circumstances almost too extraordinary to believe, Delimar was alive and being raised only 20 kilometres or so across town. She had been renamed Aaliyah, and lived with Carolyn, a woman she thought was her mother. Delimar has made a documentary about her extraordinary experience called Back From the Dead: Who Kidnapped Me? Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

40 min
JAN 13

Black boy joy: defying stereotypes on the London stage

Ryan Calais Cameron dreamed of being an actor, but after a careers advisor told him this was unrealistic he took a different path as a tradesman. Unhappy, Ryan took a risk with acting and eventually landed himself a lead role on one of London’s biggest stages; this opened the door to a career in theatre and on TV. But as his acting progressed, Ryan often found himself playing clichéd and typecast roles like gangsters and drug dealers. Frustrated and wanting to challenge convention, Ryan turned playwright to create stories and worlds that fulfilled him, addressing race, misogyny and masculinity in his work. Ryan’s plays Queens of Sheba and For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy have transformed him into one of Britain’s most sought-after screenwriters and playwrights. Presenter and Producer: Tommy Dixon Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

40 min
JAN 6

The long climb back

In 2017 Australian Gus Taylor lost his lower leg in a terrible climbing accident. The climbing community rallied, hauled him out of depression and got him back on the mountains again. But then in 2022 another serious accident had tragic consequences. Gus was out in the Blue Mountains with his friend Richard Mills when he dislodged a rock that struck Richard, standing below. Despite his injuries Richard held on tight to the rope that was securing Gus. Gus climbed down to help his friend and called for assistance but the weather had turned and it took hours for paramedics to arrive. Richard died on the mountain that day. It would take the love of Richard’s parents, time, therapy and ultimately climbing again, to bring Gus the beginnings of peace. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Andrea Kennedy Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784 (Photo: Gus Taylor. Credit: Slobodan Mišković)

40 min
12/30/2024

The journalist who took down a billion-dollar company

Dan McCrum investigated a story at Wirecard that had him fearing for his safety. British journalist Dan McCrum usually writes about businesses for the London-based newspaper, the Financial Times. In 2014 he got a tip off alleging there were so-called gangsters behind a much-feted German company called Wirecard. The company had started small, taking care of the technical part of processing online payments. But by the time Dan starting looking into it, it was entering the big league. And what he discovered took him into unchartered territory: of international spies, underworld deals and fraud on a massive scale. The chief executive Markus Braun was arrested in 2020 and is now on trial in Germany. He denies all charges against him and says he himself was deceived. At the request of Germany, Interpol issued a red notice for the arrest of Wirecard’s former Chief Operating Officer, Jan Marsalek. He is believed to have fled to Russia. Dan's written a book about his investigation called Money Men: A Hot Startup, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Jo Impey Editor: Munazza Khan Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

41 min
12/23/2024

The cricket star who learned to fly

Ricky Ellcock’s rollercoaster life as a fast bowler and airline pilot Barbados-born Ricky Ellcock had twin ambitions as a boy – to become a cricketer and fly airplanes. His father was, like Ricky, cricket-mad – but on the question of him becoming a pilot his answer was emphatic: black people don’t fly planes. Ricky’s talents as a fast bowler won him many plaudits and a scholarship to come to England. Before long he was playing at the top of the sport, but the stresses on his body meant he kept breaking down. When those injuries threatened to end his career completely, Ricky looked to disprove his dad and make history in the skies. Ricky's autobiography is called Balls to Fly. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Edgar Maddicott Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784 (Photo: Ricky in action for Middlesex. Credit: Middlesex CCC)

46 min
12/16/2024

The bullet that ended our friendship

Paul Rousseau was accidentally shot in the head by his best friend and flatmate. When Paul met Mark in the first year of university in the US, they quickly became close. They moved in together, and spent most of the next four years in each other's company. But Paul did not know that Mark had been keeping a collection of guns in his bedroom. In April 2017 one of Mark's guns accidentally went off, the bullet passing through two walls before striking Paul in the head. In the months and years that followed, Paul had to deal not only with his brain injury, but also the devastating impact the event had on his friendship with Mark. Presenter: Shahidha Bari Producer: Rebecca Vincent Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

40 min
12/09/2024

After doomsday: I outgrew a cult and became a professor

Jerald Walker grew up in the predominantly white, Worldwide Church of God – a doomsday cult that convinced its followers the world would end in 1972. Raised by blind, African American parents and under the cult's strict teachings, which preached racial segregation and an imminent apocalypse, Jerald’s life was dominated by fear, isolation, and the belief that his future didn’t exist. When the promised doomsday never came, Jerald and his family were left grappling with shattered beliefs. As his life unravelled, Jerald fell into addiction and crime, struggling to escape the mental and emotional grip of the cult. But through education, an extraordinary teacher and a passion for writing, he found a path to redemption. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

41 min
12/02/2024

Naked and alone: the comedian trapped in a reality TV show

Nasubi had no idea his 15-month fight to survive was being broadcast on Japanese TV. In the late 1990s aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, lived inside a small room for 15 months surviving off sweepstake competition winnings. He was naked, alone and hungry. He was also completely unaware he had become the most famous television personality in Japan, his life broadcast to millions of viewers each week. A documentary about Nasubi's experience has been made called The Contestant. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: May Cameron Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

46 min

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4.7

out of 5

431 Ratings

Great Podcast, exceptional people

04/25/2024

Beh kids

I’m so glad I can across this podcast! I’m completely hooked! Everyone’s stories are so interesting and shed light on how you never really know what someone has gone through. Recommend it to everyone!
Top 3 podcasts

02/13/2024

IlikeTriviaCrack!

I love this show so much. I don’t know where they find these extraordinary people with such harrowing, unique or gripping life stories. Even those whose titles I find a bit tepid are still great! This show always exceeds my expectations. Keep going. I look forward to hearing from you every week.
In the end the best stories are human ones

02/12/2024

justin-time

My favorite podcast by far
Captivating and enthralling, you won’t be able to put it down.

01/05/2024

jaxnb

I go thru phases of podcasts, but always come back to this one. The stories and the way they are told is beyond compare. They are happy, dark, funny, and full of life. Always coming back to being human and inspiring in the end. You won’t be disappointed.

Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger and wondered, "What’s their story?" Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary stories from around the world.