The Outlook Podcast Archive

Jay Flynn worked in a pub and loved hosting pub quizzes every week. When pubs were ordered to close at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, he started his own virtual pub quiz for family and friends but he forgot to make it private and in the end, thousands of strangers across the country played along too, and have been ever since. He’s been credited with helping people’s mental health through the pandemic. Jay spent time living on the streets in London and went through his own mental health crisis. He spoke to Andrea Kennedy. Their conversation touches on the moments he contemplated suicide.If you are affected by issues raised in this programme there is confidential support on the BBC Action line website, or at Befrienders.orgGet in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Emily Webb Producer: Andrea Kennedy and May Cameron(Photo: Jay Flynn. Credit: Courtesy of Jay Flynn)

It began with drinks one Sunday when a woman told Reg Mead a story; her father was ploughing a field when he came across a pot full of ancient silver coins. He scooped up what he could and then ploughed the rest into the field. Reg is a metal detectorist and he was instantly hooked. With his friend Richard Miles they set off on a search that would last for 30 years.Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Andrea Kennedy(Photo: Richard Miles (left) and Reg Mead. Credit: Jamie Graham, JPG Digital Imaging)

Eve Wiley was 16 when she discovered she had been a sperm-donor baby. She was shocked, but also excited to meet her biological father as her own dad had died when she was young. When she met her donor father, the connection was instant - Eve started calling him ‘Dad’ and he even officiated at her wedding. But when Eve’s son became ill, she decided to look further into her medical history and find more family members by taking a home DNA test. What she discovered from her newly found half-siblings would appal her and eventually lead her to the Texas State Senate to change the law. Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Troy Holmes(Photo: Eve Wiley outside the Texas State Capitol building. Credit: Courtesy of Eve Wiley)

Ingrid Von Oelhafen grew up in Germany in the aftermath of the Second World War, and she never knew her biological parents. As she got older, she discovered that she had a different name on her official documents, Erika Matko. This remained a mystery for years, until she discovered that she'd been kidnapped by the Nazis as a baby during the war, and was entered into a sinister programme to cultivate a so-called 'master race'. Her biological family were still in Slovenia, and Ingrid was determined to track them down. Ingrid spoke to Emily Webb.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham Ingrid was voiced by Christine KavanaghGet in touch: outlook@bbc.com(Photo: Babies taken during by the Lebensborn programme. Credit: Getty Images/Keystone France)

In the Scottish Highlands at this time of the year you’ll find 150 reindeer roaming the Cairngorms National Park, and rather a lot of visitors coming to see them. These beautiful creatures are the only free-ranging herd of reindeer in the UK and they are looked after by Tilly Smith who went to spend the summer working there back in 1981... and she never left! Antonia Quirke went to meet Tilly, her daughter Fiona and some of the reindeer they look after. Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Mobeen Azhar Reporter: Antonia Quirke Producer: June Christie (Photo: Tilly Smith with reindeer. Credit: Cairngorm Reindeer Herd and photographer John Paul)

In February 2019, Nupur Gupta was teaching at a yoga retreat in Goa when she got into difficulty in the sea. A Hungarian man called Attila Bosnyak who happened to be on the same yoga retreat was passing the beach, saw her in trouble and sprang into action. A dramatic rescue followed and a strong bond was formed between Nupur and Attila. That could have been the end of the story but instead it was the start of an on-going romantic relationship.Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: June Christie and Thomas Harding Assinder(Photo: Nupur Gupta and Attila Bosnyak. Credit: Courtesy of Nupur Gupta and Attila Bosnyak)

Sicelo Mbatha grew up in the remote South African region of Kwahlabisa, on the doorstep of a game reserve. Every day, he and his friends - including his best friend Sanele - would walk many miles to get to school and back. One day, on their way home, they approached their final river crossing and children started screaming - there was a crocodile. Tragically, Sicelo witnessed a brutal attack on Sanele that day. The experience traumatised him for years. But rather than turning away from nature, and being fearful of wildlife, he was drawn to it. He wanted to understand the behaviour of wild animals, so pursued his dream to become a wilderness guide. It was by being close to the often brutal world of animals that he would finally come to terms with what had happened, and find peace after grief. Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Katy Takatsuki(Photo: Sicelo Mbatha. Credit: Bridget Pitt)

Tracey Deer is an award-winning director who grew up on a Mohawk reservation near Montreal, Canada. When she was 12-years-old, a nearby reservation became involved in a land dispute known as the Oka Crisis. Developers wanted to build a golf course on an indigenous burial ground, and the Mohawk organised a protest camp. Things escalated into an armed standoff, and the violence that ensued would deeply traumatise Tracey. Now she’s made a film, Beans, a semi-fictional account of her experiences during the crisis. Get in touch: outlook@bbc.comPresenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Harry Graham (Photo: A Mohawk man during the Oka Crisis. Credit: Getty Images/Christopher Morris-Corbis)

Alaska 5000 is one of the most successful and beloved queens to emerge from RuPaul’s Drag Race. A dry wit comedy assassin, her drag style is glitzy, absurd and profoundly shaped by a lifelong love of Catwoman. Along the way Alaska’s grappled with drugs, alcohol and the relationship-wrecking power of the 'fame monster.' She’s written a memoir called My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Maryam MarufGet in touch: outlook@bbc.com(Photo: Alaska performing live in 2016. Credit: Katja Ogrin/Getty Images)

Gerald Stratford is a British gardening enthusiast whose photos and videos of his produce have earned him the nickname ‘the undisputed king of giant veg'. The septuagenarian set up his Twitter account for his friends at first, but hundreds of thousands of people then started following him. Outlook’s Tiffany Cassidy went to find out why.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Mariana Des Forges(Photo: Gerald with his giant produce. Credit: BBC)