Lives Less Ordinary

In May 2024, 90-year-old Ed Dwight Jr. from Kansas City, Missouri travelled to the edge of space – he was an honoured guest in the Blue Origin rocket. His trip was 60 years overdue. Ed had been chosen by President John F Kennedy to be the first African-American astronaut at a time when racism was rife and segregation a reality. But JFK’s plans for Ed were scuppered – and Ed had to pick himself up and build a whole new career.Please be aware that this episode contains outdated racial language that may offend.Presenter: Jo FidgenGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Joshua created an AI simulation of his deceased fiancée to help him deal with his loss.When gaming enthusiast Joshua Barbeau met Jessica, he knew he had found his soulmate. But his happiness didn't last. Jessica died from a rare health condition aged just 23, leaving Joshua struggling to cope with his grief, and his life. Eight years later, in 2020, while playing around with a website that used AI to create bespoke chatbots, Joshua had an audacious idea. He decided to create a chatbot based on his beloved Jessica. It's an experience that he says helped him finally to find closure.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rebecca VincentGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Nemonte Nenquimo’s passion for her rainforest home, and her love for an unlikely man, propelled her to achieve an historic victory for indigenous people in Ecuador. She took the national government to court to protect 500,000 acres of rainforest from destruction by the oil industry.Nemonte and her husband Mitch Anderson have written a book together called We Will Not Be Saved: A Memoir of Hope and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: May Cameron Voiceover: Cecilia CruzGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Maxwell Smart survived the Holocaust by living in a makeshift bunker on the forest floor.Maxwell Smart was just 11 years old in 1941 when the Nazis took over his town in eastern Poland. One by one his Jewish family were disappeared or killed, but his mother implored him to run for his life just as she and his sister were being loaded onto a German truck. Using his extraordinary ingenuity he managed to survive in remote woodland for the rest of the war, mostly alone, sleeping in improvised shelters and foraging for food. He eventually met another orphaned Jewish boy in the woods, Janek, whose friendship would come to have a profound impact on Maxwell’s life.In this second episode, Maxwell describes how his life changed again after the war was brought to an end and decades later is part of a shocking reunion. A feature film based on Maxwell’s life has been released, it’s called The Boy in the Woods. Presenter: Emily Webb Producers: Edgar Maddicott and Rebecca Vincent Editor: Munazza KhanGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Maxwell Smart survived the Holocaust by living in a makeshift bunker on the forest floor.Maxwell Smart was just 11 years old in 1941 when the Nazis took over his town in eastern Poland. One by one his Jewish family were disappeared or killed, but his mother implored him to run for his life just as she and his sister were being loaded onto a German truck. Using his extraordinary ingenuity he managed to survive in remote woodland for the rest of the war, mostly alone, sleeping in improvised shelters and foraging for food. He eventually met another orphaned Jewish boy in the woods, Janek, whose friendship would come to have a profound impact on Maxwell’s life.A feature film based on Maxwell’s life has been released, it’s called The Boy in the Woods. Presenter: Emily Webb Producers: Edgar Maddicott and Rebecca Vincent Editor: Munazza KhanGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad faced down box jellyfish, cold and extreme fatigue to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage for protection, in 2013. She was 64 and had always been drawn by intense, seemingly unachievable feats of marathon swimming. It was after shooting to fame for swimming round the island of Manhattan in the 1970s that Diana first seized on an idea that had been planted in her head in childhood: she would swim the 112 miles from Cuba to Florida's Key West. Five attempts and more than thirty years later, she finally succeeded, wobbling unsteadily up the beach after nearly 53 hours in the water to tell a cheering crowd, "never, ever give up... you are never too old to chase your dreams." Archive from Diana's swimming and broadcasting careers appears courtesy of: Florida Keys TV; The Wolfson Archives, Miami Dade College; PBS; FOX Sports; ABC; Courage to Succeed (1977). This programme has been re-edited and corrected since first published.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Laura Thomas and Saskia EdwardsGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Gilbert Alaskadi grew up in the African country of Chad. His family was poor, and he spent much of his childhood hungry, with people frequently making fun of his small stature. Then, when he was a teenager, he encountered a bodybuilding pamphlet, promising quick muscle growth in a handful of weeks. He wanted the physique, but first he'd need money and calories. At the first oppurtunity he ran away from home, left the country, and jumped head-first into the world of bodybuilding. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Munazza KhanGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Osel Hita Torres was a Spanish toddler when he was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of a well-known Tibetan Buddhist monk and teacher called Lama Yeshe. As a child he was sent to a monastery in India to prepare for life as a monk and scholar. Many expected him to carry on Lama Yeshe’s work of teaching Buddhism around the world when he grew up. But Osel had other ideas. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Zoe Gelber Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784(Photo: The Little Lama Osel with Geshe Gendun Choephel (left) and Lama Zopa Rinpoche (right): Credit: Jacie Keeley)

Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan, shares his poignant journey from being a 'lost boy' separated from his family during the civil war to becoming a beacon of hope for his community. He recounts the emotional reunion with his father and how it inspired him to fight against waterborne diseases. Dut discusses the challenges of drilling for clean water in South Sudan and the transformative effects it has on local communities while emphasizing resilience and the importance of family connections in times of conflict.

Salva Dut, one of Sudan's 'Lost Boys,' shares his incredible journey of survival after being separated from his family during the civil war. He vividly recounts his harrowing escape from Sudan at age 11, facing trauma and the challenges of life in a refugee camp. Salva also reflects on the resilience of his community and the bonds formed among the boys during their ordeal. The emotional weight of isolation, longing for family, and the hope for a new life in the U.S. paints a powerful picture of perseverance and the search for connection.