Lives Less Ordinary

How a jump changed daring parachutist Tony Osornio's life forever.Tony was Mexico's best precision skydiver and the first woman to join her country's army. She says she "belonged to the skies", and became a member of an elite team of performance skydivers called the Crazy Birds. She was prepared to sacrifice everything for her love of parachuting - until a jump went badly wrong. If you need support relating to any of the issues we've covered in this interview, you can find more information on the BBC Action line website or at Befrienders.orgPresenter: India Rakusen Producer: Louise Morris

Tony Osornio would go to dangerous extremes to keep skydiving.She was born into a conservative family, and decided to marry the first man who asked in order to escape the restrictions of home. Her husband was a Mexican military officer with access to the planes used by elite paratroopers. With his help, Tony would sneak on board too, parachute strapped to her back. In love with jumping, she decided she needed to join the Mexican army herself, something no woman had done before.Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Louise MorrisThe audio has been updated since first published for technical reasons

By 1981, Pakistani-born immigrant Tariq Mehmood had endured years of violent racism in Britain. When he heard that gangs of white skinheads – with a history of attacking Asians – were coming to his home in Bradford, Tariq and his neighbours took desperate measures to defend their community. Underpinning their actions was the principle, “self-defence is no offence.” Tariq would end up being arrested, charged with conspiracy to make explosives, and facing life imprisonment. What followed was the landmark legal case of the Bradford 12.Hand on the Sun, the novel that Tariq wrote in prison over 40 years ago, has been re-released with a new update.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producers: Maryam Maruf and Lina Chang Editor: Munazza Khan

As a Pakistani immigrant teenager in 1970s Britain, Tariq Mehmood endured homelessness and years of violent racism. He found shelter and wisdom in a library, and the strength to stand up to the racists. He co-founded the Asian Youth Movement, and their slogan “self-defence is no offence,” would galvanise an entire generation. But it’s a rationale that would see Tariq in court – facing life in prison – in the groundbreaking case of the Bradford 12. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producers: Maryam Maruf and Lina Chang Editor: Munazza Khan

Stany Nyandwi's rescued chimpanzees helped him through war and loneliness.As a young boy Stany made money selling sugarcane and worked as a 'houseboy' for families in Burundi's capital city Bujumbura. But later, a job with rescued chimpanzees became about more than just money. When ethnic conflict in Burundi escalated into civil war, Stany fled to safety with the chimps who, with histories of their own, gave him companionship and a ticket to a future without war. Stany is a chimp specialist and his behaviour should not be copied or emulated in any way. He has co-written a book called The Chimpanzee Whisperer: A Life of Love and Loss, Compassion and Conservation.Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: May Cameron Editor: Andrea Kennedy

My search for the truth about my father and Martin Luther King’s assassination.Leta McCollough Seletzky grew up knowing that her father was the ‘kneeling man’, photographed tending to the head wound of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr just moments after he was shot in April 1968. As a teenager she stumbled across an alarming detail about why her father was there on that infamous day; it plunged her into the world of conspiracy theories and family secrets. It would take her many years to dig out his true story.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rebecca Vincent

Marine engineer Chirag Bahri was trapped for eight gruelling months on a chemical tanker.Chirag loved his job working in the engine rooms of huge commercial ships. But in May 2010, while sailing through the Gulf of Aden, a group of pirates boarded the ship and held the crew to ransom off the coast of Somalia. Over the next eight months the pirates became increasingly violent, torturing the crew when their demands were not met. Despite the desperate conditions, Chirag still had his work to do. The ship was running out of fuel, and starting to malfunction.Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Rebecca Vincent Editor: Munazza Khan

Mariam and Mohammed are Yemeni filmmakers who turned the lens on their own relationship.Mariam Al-Dhubhani and Mohammed Al-Jaberi's love story started in friendship, and it didn't take long before they fell for each other. Not even living in different continents – or a civil war – could get in their way. But when a heartbreaking loss shook the foundation of their relationship for the first time, it was a video camera that helped them find their way back to one another. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Gaia Caramazza Editor: Munazza Khan

Aaron Stark now works to raise awareness around why mass attacks happen.Aaron had a chaotic and violent childhood, and by the time he was a teenager he was homeless, angry and traumatised. At his lowest point, he began to plan an appaling act of violence in a bid to punish the world around him. He wanted to get hold of a gun, but before he could, his best friend Mike changed the course of his life with a small, simple act of kindness. This episode includes themes of suicide, self harm and drug use. If you need support relating to any of the issues we've covered in this interview, you can find more information on the BBC Action line website or at Befrienders.orgPresenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Harry Graham and Emily Naylor Editor: Munazza Khan

At the age of 13 Laura Dekker fought for her right to sail solo around the world.Laura comes from a family of sailing enthusiasts, and her father taught her the ropes early. By 11 years old she was sailing unaided for weeks at a time, and at 13 she felt ready to tackle her biggest challenge yet. Her parents supported her decision, but the Dutch authorities had concerns; was it responsible to allow a child to circumnavigate the world alone? Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: May Cameron