Lives Less Ordinary

A life shaped by addiction.Australian Holly Deane-Johns had a complicated childhood. Her parents ran an escort agency from their home, and heroin addiction later took over the whole family. She was first given heroin by her mother, aged just 15. Holly ended up dealing to feed her habit, and in her early 30s was sentenced to 31 years in a notorious Thai prison, convicted of drug smuggling. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Mary Goodhart Editor: Rebecca VincentGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Follow Ruth Shaw's tumultuous journey as she escapes her past in New Zealand, navigates love and loss across the Pacific islands, and ultimately finds solace amidst tragedy. Discover her resilience, hidden secrets, and emotional reunions in this captivating tale of a runaway rebel.

The extraordinary coach who started a football team but built something much bigger.One day when Luma Mufleh was driving home to Atlanta, Georgia, she came across a group of barefoot boys playing football in the street, using a raggedy old ball and rocks for goalposts. They reminded her of how she played at home in Jordan and she asked to join their game. The Fugees Family football team was born. Luma Mufleh has written a book about her extraordinary story, Believe in Them: One Woman's Fight for Justice for Refugee Children.Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Helen FitzhenryGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp: 0044 330 678 2784

Without realising it, Nick Reynolds had been living his childhood on the run.Early one morning in 1968 he answered his front door, completely oblivious to the whirlwind about to be unleashed on his family. Most of Nick's early years had been spent carefree and happy on the shores of Mexico with his British parents. But all the while he had been growing up in the shadow of one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Eric Mugaju and Anna LaceyGet in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784(Photo: Nick & Bruce Reynolds. Credit: Ronnie Biggs)

After a plane crash in the Andes mountains, Nando Parrado and his team endured 72 days of survival in freezing conditions. They used innovative methods for water and warmth, faced starvation, and ultimately had to make desperate decisions to stay alive in a gripping tale of resilience and survival against all odds.

Lucy Sexton was making a TV series about hostages when her father Joe was abductedLucy and her father Joe Sexton are American journalists. In 2021 Lucy was working on the TV series ‘Hostages’ when her personal and professional life collided. Joe had been abducted while on a reporting trip in Libya. What followed was a surreal week of parallels as they both tried to make sense of what was happening – Joe from a cell in Libya and Lucy from a production set in Washington. Later, they turned their experience into a joint writing project that brought them closer than ever before.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: May Cameron Editor: Harry Graham Sound design: Joel Cox

A chance email led Hannah Ha to uncover her mother Tam’s forgotten musical legacy.Hannah knew her mother could sing. When she took the stage at karaoke, she always stole the show. But when a chance email revealed she had once been a recording artist called Phuong Tam in 1960s Saigon, she was stunned. Hannah embarked on a two-year hunt to track down her mother’s long-lost recordings – and her rock 'n' roll legacy.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Zoe Gelber

Explorer and protector of remote Amazonian tribes, Jair Candor, tracks down a nomadic member of the Piripkura tribe. They discuss his mission to protect their land rights, facing challenges like malaria and armed logging groups. The podcast explores reading the forest, government programs in the Amazon, resilience of young boy Zayir, forming a connection with Jaya, a medical emergency, and retirement plans.

Tasoula Hadjitofi tricked a notorious art smuggler to recover Cyprus' holiest relicsWhen war split Tasoula's home country of Cyprus in two in 1974 she had to leave home, never to return. Years later, while living in the Netherlands she was approached by a shady art dealer with news that shook her to the core: artefacts sacred to her Greek Orthodox faith had been stolen, hammered out from church walls and were now being sold on the black market. Tasoula then poured everything into righting this wrong and vowed to bring them back. She would have to plumb the depths of the criminal underworld and hatch an elaborate sting operation to catch the mastermind behind it all.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Edgar Maddicott Sound Design: Joe Munday Editor: Harry Graham

Tasoula Hadjitofi uncovered a shady network looting her country's most sacred relicsIn 1974 Tasoula's country, Cyprus, was torn in two by war. Distraught and unable to return home she ended up in the Netherlands where some years later a shadowy art dealer approached her with some astonishing news. Religious artefacts sacred to her faith that had adorned the churches she prayed in as a girl had been chiselled away, and were now being sold on the black market. And so began Tasoula's decade-long search for the stolen relics. But she would first have to learn from the criminals in order to catch them.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Edgar Maddicott Sound Design: Joe Munday Editor: Harry Graham