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BBC Radio 5 Live


Seeking to separate fact from fiction, the multi award-winning series returns to investigate the divisive story of Shamima Begum.

When three London school girls went missing in 2015, they generated global headlines and the media storm that ensued continues to this day. Back then, investigative journalist Josh Baker was filming at a mosque in the girls' neighbourhood as their families came to seek help; their daughters were on the way to Syria to join the Islamic State group. But it was too late, and they disappeared inside the so-called caliphate.

For four years, their fate remained a mystery - with only occasional glimpses and sometimes conflicting reports of what they were doing with the terror group being made public. Only one of the girls emerged from the ashes of the so called caliphate - Shamima Begum.

The new series will take listeners inside Josh's attempts to figure out what really happened, unearthing new information about one of the most talked about stories of our time. He travels from Bethnal Green in East London to the depths of what was ISIS controlled Syria as he challenges Shamima Begum and investigates if the story she tells is true.

Series One - 'I'm Not A Monster: from BBC Panorama & FRONTLINE PBS'

The first series of I'm Not A Monster told the story of Sam Sally, an American mother who left behind a comfortable life and travelled to the heart of what the Islamic State group called its caliphate with her family. Her husband became an IS sniper and her 10 year-old son was forced to appear in an infamous propaganda video threatening President Trump. It's the BBC's most awarded podcast series to date, having received 16 nominations, winning 11 awards in 10 different international programme competitions including the Rose d 'Or for Best Audio series, three Golds and the Grand Jury Prize at the New York Festivals Radio Awards and Best Documentary Series at the Webbys and the inaugural Podcast Academy Awards (the Ambies) in 2021.


I'm Not a Monster

An American mother living in the heart of the ISIS caliphate. Her husband an ISIS sniper. Her 10-year-old son forced to threaten the U.S. president in a propaganda video shown around the world. She claims she was tricked into taking her young children to war-torn Syria, but where does her account end and the truth begin? 

Over four years journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems. From the depths of Raqqa’s infamous torture prison to an elk hunt in Idaho, he uncovers secrets, lies and the lasting consequences. 

“I’m Not A Monster” is the story of one family’s journey from Indiana to the Islamic State group and back.

Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan 
Composer: Sam Slater
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) for BBC Sounds.

Introducing... I’m Not A Monster

A suicide bombing in Iraq and a home video from inside the ISIS caliphate begin the search for a family trapped in Syria. A desperate plea arrives from an American woman who says she wants to escape the Islamic State group with her young children. 

This episode includes descriptions of violence and some upsetting scenes involving children.

Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan 
Composer: Sam Slater
Sound Design and Mix: 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.

Series 1: 1. I love you, I miss you

A man who says he’s a people smuggler offers to help the family, while a drive around a suburb in Indiana reveals their past. Sam’s father adds a new twist on who his daughter really is.

This episode includes descriptions of violence and some upsetting moments involving children.

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

ARCHIVE:

Fox News: ISIS uses purported American boy in latest propaganda video (August 2017)
NBC News: Boy In ISIS Propaganda Video Claims To Be 10-year-old American | TODAY (August 2017)
CBS News: ISIS claims boy in propaganda video is American (August 2017)

“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.

Series 1: 2. Read between the lines

The Islamic State group forces Sam’s son Matthew to spread its propaganda. Josh searches the woods of Idaho looking for a man on an elk hunt. Then an obscure tweet leads him to Syria to try to find the family.

If you know something that you think might help the investigation please email notamonster@bbc.com 

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

This episode includes strong language, descriptions of violence and some upsetting moments involving children.

ARCHIVE:

NBC News: Boy In ISIS Propaganda Video Claims To Be 10-year-old American | TODAY (August 2017)
Sky News: Battle for Raqqa: The uneasy alliance fighting IS. Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley reports (2017) 
France 24: Syria: Islamic state group counter-attacks in Raqqa as fierce fighting rages (2017) 
Channel 4 News: Battle for Raqqa: is Isis about to be driven out? Lindsey Hilsum reports. (2017)

“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.

Series 1: 3. My name is Yusef

A young boy in the mountains of Northern Iraq makes Josh question what he knows about Sam. Then ten days searching war-torn Syria lead to an offer of help, but can it be trusted?

This episode includes descriptions of violence and some upsetting moments involving children.

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

ARCHIVE:

CBS News: Are Yazidis facing genocide at the hands of ISIS? (August 2014)

“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.

Series 1: 4. She’s like my mother

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.

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.

Series 1: 5. We had a great life

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.

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.

Series 1: 6. Now I’m calling the shots

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

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

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

“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.

Series 1: 7. On American soil

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.

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.

Series 1: 8. I take my book back

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

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

ARCHIVE:

ABC News: President Donald Trump declares national emergency to address coronavirus outbreak

“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.

Series 1: 9. The rest be damned

Nine years to the day since Shamima Begum entered ISIS controlled Syria, she’ll find out whether she’s any closer to coming back to Britain. Josh is at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London to hear whether Begum’s lawyers have succeeded in arguing that the British government’s decision to take away her citizenship was unlawful.

After she emerged from the remnants of the Islamic State group in 2019, the British Home Secretary took away her citizenship saying she was a threat to national security. Her lawyers claim that he failed to consider whether she was victim of trafficking. 

Will her appeal succeed?

Series 2: The Court Decides

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