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BBC World Service


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.


Lives Less Ordinary

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

After doomsday: I outgrew a cult and became a professor

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

The bullet that ended our friendship

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)

The cricket star who learned to fly

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

The journalist who took down a billion-dollar company

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)

The long climb back

Enter other people’s worlds. Welcome to the new weekly podcast from the Outlook radio team, finding amazing personal stories from around the world. Premieres on 25 April.

With Emily Webb, Mobeen Azhar and Jo Fidgen.

Introducing Lives Less Ordinary

Astonishing true stories, jaw-dropping twists. Why would an Olympic hopeful rob a bank? How does someone keep their double life a secret? From the team behind Outlook, incredible personal stories from around the world, to show you just how surprising and extraordinary humans can be.

With Emily Webb, Mobeen Azhar and Jo Fidgen. 

Premieres on 25 April.

The trailer

Olympic hopeful to audacious thief – the cyclist who turned to crime.
 
Movies influenced Tom’s biggest life decisions. Slacker film Reality Bites made him give up becoming an Olympic cyclist, and heist film Heat ‘inspired’ him to make the bizarre leap from fiction to reality. But there are only so many banks you can rob before your ego, and the FBI, start catching up with you.

Film clips: Reality Bites/Ben Stiller/Jersey Films
Heat/Michael Mann/Regency Enterprises and Forward Pass

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar 
Producer: Louise Morris

Bike-riding bank robber, part 1

The FBI close in. “It’s a wake-up call when police are trying to shoot you.” Tom Justice’s fantasy is fading, he’s now robbing banks to fund his addiction and things are about to get a lot worse.

Film clips: Heat/Michael Mann/Regency Enterprises and Forward Pass

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Louise Morris

Bike-riding bank robber, part 2

Anne's village thought her disability made her worthless. She had other ideas. Now a graduate and a Paralympian who's represented Kenya and the UK, this is the story of how Anne Wafula Strike forgave the unforgiveable and made her return.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen 
Producer: Louise Morris

You wanted me dead, but look at me now

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence

JP Bimeni risked his life to save a book of his verse. He started composing poetry to impress a girl, but was soon writing to address the ethnic tensions which threatened to tear his country apart. When violence did break out he dodged machete-wielding mobs to make it to safety. The mission to rescue his poetry almost cost him everything.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Louise Morris

A poet in a Burundi war zone, part 1

A poet in a Burundi war zone, part 1

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