Life Changing

Growing up, Karine Burns always knew she was adopted, and that her mother had been sent over to the UK from Ireland.

Karine had a joyous childhood, loved dearly by her Scottish parents. But after the arrival of her first child, she started to think seriously about her birth mother - about how hard it must have been to give a baby up for adoption, so far from home.

Her mammoth 20-year search for her birth parents involved passionate appeals, detective work and rejection - until a breakthrough changed everything, just in the nick of time -

Karine tells her incredible story to Life Changing's Dr Sian Williams.

Producer: Tom Alban.

Dr Sian Williams talks to a woman whose long search for her birth father ends just in time

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

Although adoptee Karine had a joyous childhood, the birth of her own baby sparked an urge to track down her birth parents – a search that took decades and almost ran out of time.

[LISTEN NOW]

When Jess Martinez was just thirteen, she was sexually abused by her sister's much older boyfriend. No charges were brought at the time, but the impact it had on Jess's life was dramatic, causing lasting damage. Many years later, when Jess discovered her abuser had been jailed for another case of child abuse, she took the courageous decision to tell her own story, waiving her right to lifelong anonymity.

Speaking to Dr Sian Williams, Jess describes the challenges of bringing an old case to court and praises the police and lawyers whose efforts provided her longed-for Life Changing moment.

Producer; Tom Alban

After 30 years, child abuse survivor Jess Martinez gets justice.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

In this powerful interview, Jess Martinez shares why she courageously spoke out about the child sexual abuse she suffered - and how justice was finally served, 30 years later.

[LISTEN NOW]

Jacqui Furneaux had enjoyed a happy marriage, bringing up two daughters and working as a nurse. Sadly, the marriage broke down, and feeling guilty, Jacqui decided to get out of people's way and go travelling. As a woman in her late 40s , the back-packing life was a novelty. But while visiting the golden city of Jaisalmer in north-western India - and preparing to take a camel tour into the nearby desert - she met a Dutch biker. It was a chance encounter, sparked by their mutual interest in motorbikes . It led to Jacqui abandoning the camel plans and joining her new companion on a short tour of the frontier desert of northern India.

With stops and starts and a few glitches on the way, Jacqui tells Dr Sian Williams how that sliding door moment turned out to be life-changing, leading to seven years on the open road and a journey of rediscovery and adventure.

Producer: Tom Alban

A spontaneous decision led Jacqui Furneaux to an unexpected adventure.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

When Jacqui Furneaux was offered a choice between a tourist camel tour and a motorbike ride with a complete stranger, she did not realise her decision would change everything.

[LISTEN NOW]

Anna Bailey had lived a busy life. An IT professional, cat breeder and national cat show judge, she was also prone to bouts of depression. But approaching her 50th birthday, she ruled out self-pity and decided that it was time to get back into shape.

A trip to a local gym seemed unremarkable enough, until she tried out the rowing machine. She was quite good at it - so good in fact, that within a year she would be travelling overseas representing her country in competitive indoor rowing competitions. Within two years she was age-group World Champion.

In a story which proves it is never too late to try something new, Anna talks to Dr Sian Williams about the profound moment she realised that she could be a world-beater.

Producer: Tom Alban

Approaching 50, Anna Bailey tried out the gym - and discovered a world-beating talent.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

Approaching 50, Anna Bailey turned to the gym to improve her physical and mental condition. But to her amazement she discovered she had the makings of a multiple world champion

[LISTEN NOW]

Growing up in a military family, it was no surprise when Rob Bugden decided to join the RAF. Despite professing that he had no head for heights, he trained to become a parachute instructor – eager to face his fears head-on.

Setting off for a routine training jump one fateful day, he had no idea that a terrifying mid-air collision would send him hurtling 900ft to the ground. Miraculously, Rob survived – but with life-changing injuries.

Armed with a fantastic family and RAF colleagues, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and an infectious sense of humour, he is facing that challenge inch by inch.

Rob talks to Dr Sian Williams about adapting to a new normal and still holding firm to the values and character that make him special.

Producer: Tom Alban

A mid-air collision plunged Rob Bugden 900ft to the ground - miraculously, he survived.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

When RAF parachute instructor Rob Bugden set off for a routine training jump, he had no idea that a collision high above the Californian desert would change his life forever.

When his parachute failed, Rob Bugden plunged to the ground - but lived to tell the tale.

[LISTEN NOW]

In an interview recorded before the recent conflict between Israel, the USA and Iran, but after the reprisals following the public protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Sian Williams talks to 19 year-old Rozhan Ghamarpoor about her flight from Tehran and subsequent journey to the UK.

At just 16, Rozhan's life changed forever when the Iranian authorities discovered that her mother was attending an underground Christian church – and her immediate family felt they had no choice but to flee for their lives.

Rozhan tells Dr Sian Williams about the heartbreak of abandoning her old life, and her terrifying journey across Europe - which almost ended in disaster aboard a terrifying small boat.

Rozhan, her sister and mother have now been granted leave to remain in the UK, and like any teenager, she is trying to pass her exams and build a new life in a land that has given her life and freedom. But the agony of watching those she has left behind, both family and friends, remains.

Producer: Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to a young woman forced to flee her Iranian home to save her life.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

Three years ago Iranian teenager Rozhan Ghamarpoor and her family were forced to flee their home when the authorities discovered her mother was attending a secret Christian Church.

[LISTEN NOW]

In the first programme of a new series of Life Changing, Emma Webber, whose son Barnaby was killed in the 2023 Nottingham attack, talks with openness and candour about the very personal anguish at the heart of this very public story.

Barnaby, his girlfriend and fellow student Grace O'Malley Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates were all victims of killer Valdo Calocane, a man who was known to be violent and who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

In a break from campaigning for an inquiry into Barnaby's death, Emma takes Dr Sian Williams inside the whirlwind that engulfed her and her family, the little gestures by members of the public in Nottingham that meant so much, and the gradual realisation that she did have the strength to challenge the system that had failed to keep her son safe.

Producer: Tom Alban

Emma Webber talks about the agony of losing Barnaby, and her campaign for an inquiry.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

Emma Webber remembers facing the very public and horrific news that her son Barnaby had been killed in the 2023 Nottingham attack, and why she fought for an inquiry into his death.

[LISTEN NOW]

When Trevor Yellon's partner Drew was diagnosed with cancer they fought the illness together. After all, Trevor was a doctor. He was uniquely equipped to deal it. But the strain on Trevor grew more and more intense.

After a series of medical emergencies, Drew collapsed on the stairs and was rushed to hospital. Trevor realised he wasn't coping. He phoned Drew's mother. What he heard from her changed everything.

Trevor tells his powerful story to Life Changing's Dr Sian Williams.

Producer: Tom Alban

GP Trevor dutifully nursed his ailing partner, but struggled to ask for help for himself.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

When GP Trevor Yellon's partner, Drew, was diagnosed with cancer, he felt uniquely equipped to deal with it - until he realised he needed to ask for help for himself.

[LISTEN NOW]

Laurie Peake loved the outdoors, provided it involved speed. She had discovered a passion for skiing in Canada, and back home in England she loved water-skiing, dancing and motorbiking. That is, until a serious motorbike crash on a wintry day in the 1980s changed everything.

Rushed to hospital, it looked as if Laurie would lose her lower leg. But a pioneering orthopaedic team thought otherwise, maintaining there was still hope. In a long battle which involved a technique only ever tried behind the iron curtain, they fought against the odds to save her leg.

Laurie tells Dr Sian Williams how, during the process, she discovered a passion for art and art history – and reveals whether the experimental Ilizarov technique really worked.

Producer: Tom Alban

A bike crash and medical trial transforms a 'speed freak'.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

When speed junkie Laurie Peake was knocked from her motorbike, it started a pioneering medical experiment and a dramatic shift to a life in the arts.

[LISTEN NOW]

As a young man, engineer Michael Ashcroft was plagued by excruciating headaches, along with neck pain and a rushing sound in his ear. Eventually scans were made revealing a tumour the size of a tangerine behind his left ear. It required twelve hours of complex surgery and left Michael with temporary deafness in one ear, a lopsided face, limited swallowing and barely any capacity for speech. Seeing his face reflected in a hospital window he was appalled and at the same time profoundly moved. Half his face was in daylight, the handsome young man who had entered the hospital a few days before. The other half, in shade, looked to him like a monster. In an instant he had an overwhelming desire to capture that image, and to do that he would become a painter – drawing comparisons to the industrial artistic genius of L.S. Lowry.

Michael talks to Dr Sian Williams about the challenges of recovery, and describes his determination to teach himself to paint.

Producer: Tom Alban

Former engineer Michael Ashcroft explains how art emerged from personal agony.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

In the aftermath of major surgery to remove a tumour from his head, engineer Michael Ashcroft turned the shock and agony into award-winning artistic creativity.

[LISTEN NOW]

When highly experienced caver George Linanne fell during an expedition in the massive Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system in Wales , he wondered whether he would ever reach the surface. With a leg broken in two places, and multiple injuries to his jaw, collar-bone, chest and internal organs, he was in excruciating pain. Some 300 cavers from across the UK took part in what became one of the longest cave rescues in UK history. George tells Dr Sian Williams about his accident, his incredible escape and why he is back caving - the sport he loves - as well as becoming a cave rescuer himself.

Producer: Tom Alban

George Linnane tells Sian how he survived a 50-hour cave rescue.

Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.

Although an experienced caver, George Linnane needed all his strength of will, character and 300 fellow cavers to survive one of the longest rescues in UK caving history.

[LISTEN NOW]

Harriet had a difficult but important story to tell, concerning the deaths of her two sisters in a plane crash in Addis Ababa in April 1972. Harriet was only eight at the time and witnessed the event. Almost 50 years on, Harriet joined us to talk about the profound and long-lasting effects it had on her family. She also wanted to see if there was anyone else out there who had a connection to East African Airways Flight 720, but was totally unprepared for the extraordinary response her interview received.

Two years later, this is the story of what happened after that interview and how it has been life-changing all over again.

You can hear Harriet's original interview here: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/m000v8w8

A live audience hears how telling us her story was another life-changing experience.

A live audience hears how sharing her story was another life-changing experience for Harriet Ware-Austin. The response was remarkable, as were the stories from other survivors.

Grace was walking through the atrium of the Stratford Westfield shopping centre when a man fell from several storeys up and landed directly on top of her. She woke up hearing screams and slowly realised they were her own. She was urgently telling those around her that she couldn't feel her legs.

Grace was left seriously injured. She spent weeks in recovery in hospital, many of those nights desperately trying to wiggle a toe, many of the days learning the new skills of navigating life in a wheelchair and coming to terms with her new reality. All the while everyone around her was full of opinions and fury about what had happened to her but Grace's reaction may surprise you.

Do you have an extraordinary story that you'd like to share? You can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Grace Spence Green about an extraordinary turning point in her life.

Tony O'Reilly is from County Carlow in the Republic of Ireland. He placed his first bet at the age of 24. It was 1998 and like many, he was watching the World Cup. He and a mate put a pound on Kluivert to score the first goal in the Netherlands - Argentina quarter final and a final result of 2-1. He won. And so began his relationship with gambling.

It started as a bit of fun at the weekend but years later, once he'd got an online account, the betting escalated rapidly and soon turned in to a full-on addiction.

On his wedding day, Tony believed he'd lost all the money that was to pay for the event. He was saved when a horse he'd backed came from nowhere to win at the Epsom Derby. And so his addiction remained a secret. Now, with mounting debts and a baby on the way, Tony started to steal from his employer in a desperate attempt to try and win and pay everything back. By the end he had stolen 1.75 million Euros. On the day the auditors arrived to check the accounts Tony went on the run.

He ended up in prison, his marriage fell apart and he lost his home but he never placed another bet. Now, a decade on, Tony is a full-time gambling addiction counsellor with Extern Problem Gambling and gives talks at secondary schools about the dangers of betting.

Details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available at BBC.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 155 947

Do you have an extraordinary story that you'd like to share? You can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Image credit: @Photocall Ireland

Jane Garvey hears from Tony O'Reilly about his addiction and the day he went on the run.

Harriet and her parents waved them goodbye from a viewing platform and watched the aeroplane taxi down the runway and briefly lift off. Tragedy struck when very soon afterwards the plane crashed down resulting in the deaths of 43 people including both of Harriet's sisters, Jane aged fourteen and Caroline who was twelve.

The family moved back to the UK and had to adapt to the silence of life without the two girls and the reluctance in society to talk openly about death and grief. The transition was a `horrible shock` and Harriet felt she had a responsibility to compensate for the loss of her siblings and to avoid making any trouble for her parents.

This event has had a profound effect on Harriet's life and the decisions she has made since. Now a human rights consultant, Harriet has recently decided to try and track down survivors and other relatives of the crash victims to find out how the course of their lives were also changed in that moment.

Is there an extraordinary turning point in your life that you'd like to share? You can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Harriet Ware-Austin about the day that reshaped her entire life.

Before that day he had lived a very comfortable, sometimes lavish lifestyle. A self-confessed workaholic, he often worked 16-hour days as a self-employed finance director in charge of multi-million-pound deals. That all came to a sudden halt when Charlie, then 44, suffered a massive stroke and woke up with no memory of who he was. He didn't recognise his wife or his children, in fact every single memory of Charlie's life up to that point was now gone.

His recovery was a slow and often frustrating process; he not only had to accept what he was being told by others about who he was, but he also had to relearn simple tasks like brushing his teeth or tying his shoelaces. Charlie rarely looks at old photo albums now, it can be frustrating looking back at a life and at people he doesn't recognise. Those memories will never come back but overall his recovery has been remarkably positive. He's returned to working in finance, now at the University of Aberdeen.

Over the last 12 years Charlie has learned techniques which help him recall what he's been told about his earlier life and how to keep hold of the new memories he's making with his family.

Charlie was given an hour to live following the stroke but now says it's a blessing to be alive and always looks to the future.

Do you have a story about a life-changing moment that you would like to share? You can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Charlie Wilson about forgetting everyone and everything in his life

He eventually tracked down his birth mother and arranged an emotional reunion. It was at this first meeting that Keith asked her about his birth father and was presented with a bundle of documents and photographs. She told him that his father had been a young Malaysian prince who had also been studying in London. They had fallen in love and started a relationship but he was forced to return to Malaysia, where he later became the Sultan of Perak, one of the country's nine royal families.

That revelation and Keith's search for answers has taken him to Malaysia and back as he attempts to piece together who he really is and what defines his identity.

In another life Keith could have been royalty, and while that knowledge has changed him he reflects that he wouldn't have had what he has now; the warmth and love of his large Welsh family and the strong relationship he built with his birth mother.

If you have a story you would like to share you can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Keith Williams about an extraordinary revelation about his parentage.

She was diagnosed with vitiligo - a skin condition where unpigmented patches appear on different parts of the body. And so the treatments began. Some were medically advised, some were recommended by friends. Most of them were unpleasant, one in particular was horribly painful. But most importantly, for Sheetal, they didn't work.

It was a lot for a girl going through puberty to handle and Sheetal's answer was to slap on a smile and ignore it. While she couldn't cover her patches, she became a master of covering up her feelings. Because of her appearance some people would ask if she had leprosy or skin cancer, others would tell her that she'd never get married or have a family.

By 22 all of her skin had turned white. She no longer resembled the rest of her family. People would look at her quizzically when she told them her Indian name. After a while she would explain by telling them she was born in the 70s and her parents had gone through a hippie phase. She'd never talk openly about her vitiligo.

Then, aged 35, Sheetal was watching a TV programme where people with vitiligo were talking about their condition. It was a turning point for her and the day she finally started to address her questions about belonging, her lost identity and the shame she'd buried for so many years.

If you would like more information on vitiligo please visit www.nhs.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Sheetal Surti about living with universal vitiligo.

At secondary school Tony was turned down for the music course he wanted to do, told he wasn't focused enough, and directed to do woodwork instead. He stuck with woodwork as he was really good at it, and left school at the age of 16 to become a carpentry apprentice. A few months in, working on a house construction, he fell from the roof arch to the ground floor where he landed on his head. Tony says he experienced the fall in slow motion and he had clear visions of unknown faces and places and saw images of himself playing an instrument. During his recovery it was that image which kept coming back to him. Tony made the decision to quit his apprenticeship and announced his intention to become a musician. He bought a saxophone and taught himself how to play by ear, before earning a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the US.

Scroll forward many years, Tony is now a highly-acclaimed jazz saxophonist and credits the fall with turning his whole life around.

Jane Garvey hears how Tony Kofi's fall from a roof led him to fall in love with jazz.

On August 2, 1990, Jon set off in his car for work as he did every day. He realised something was wrong when he was stopped as he neared the embassy. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor with a gun pointing towards him.

What happened next transformed his life. For thirty years, Jon found himself unable to speak about that time. Then in lockdown, this year, something changed and the process of opening up and sharing his experience had a remarkable impact on him.

This is the first time Jon has told his story in public and some of what you will hear is upsetting.

Details of organisations offering information and support with mental health are available at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

Jane Garvey talks to Jon Godsall about the journey to work that led him in to a nightmare.

Jemma's mum and stepdad moved to Spain in her second year of A-levels. By now the couple had two kids: Alex and Billie. Then, just as Jemma was doing her exams, her mum died, she'd been hit by a car. The children were looked after by their dad and an amazing nanny who kept everything together while he continued to drink. Jemma would visit all the time; by now she had started university, but the situation wasn't brilliant and when the nanny had to leave to look after her sick mother everything fell apart.

At the age of 23, fresh out of university with no home of her own and no job, Jemma made a life-changing split-second decision. Many of her friends and some of her family thought she was crazy but Jemma was stubborn and stuck to her guns. She tells her story to Jane Garvey.

If you have a story you would like to share you can contact the programme at Lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey talks to Jemma Bere about the moment that gave her an instant family.

Thankfully she likes walking. This year she set herself a challenge of completing 1000 miles on foot. She finished the last mile this October, raising money for the air ambulance who had come to her rescue when she was seriously injured on another country walk with Buster back in 2019. She tells Jane Garvey how that moment left her fighting for her life.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme you can email us: lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

See here for more detail on how to keep safe whilst walking near livestock: www.ramblers.org.uk/advice/safety/walking-near-livestock.aspx

Jane Garvey talks to Pip Peacock about the country walk that nearly killed her.

Confronting the experience would bring back traumatic memories from his early life and push him to a place where he contemplated suicide. He was stopped by a chance event - and then began seriously to address his mental health.

Now Michael has founded an organisation called Lived Experience Trauma Support to provide mental health training and support services to businesses.

The tragedy in 2013 was caused by a police helicopter that crashed into the roof of the Clutha Vaults in Glasgow. It claimed the lives of the pilot, his two crew members and seven customers in the pub that night.

If you are looking for details of organisations offering information and support with mental health you can find them at BBC.co.uk/actionline. To get in touch with the programme, or to share your personal story, you can email us at: lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Jane Garvey speaks to Michael Byrne about a night out in Glasgow that ended in disaster.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme you can email us: lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Reg Mead tells Jane Garvey how a chat over drinks led him on a very long treasure hunt.

Jaina is believed to be England's first blind female fitness instructor and told Jane Garvey about the transformative impact Laura has had on her life.

To get in touch with the programme, or to share your personal story, you can email us at: lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Image: Jaina Mistry & Laura the dog

Credit: Jaina Mistry

Twitter: @mistryjaina1

Instagram: mistry_jaina

Jane Garvey talks to Jaina Mistry about her deep fear of dogs and Laura, who saved her

Catherine took on a role teaching speech and drama at a Catholic school in Scotland where she met a priest called Father Michael. There was evidently an emotional connection between them but it was never openly acknowledged.

She lived and worked as a nun for 42 years then - aged 60 - she made a momentous decision. And what would become of the love that had been stifled for nearly thirty years?

To get in touch with the programme, or to share your personal story, you can email us at: lifechanging@BBC.co.uk

Image: Catherine Butler-Burns

Credit: Catherine Butler-Burns

Jane Garvey hears about Catherine Butler-Burns' turning point after 42 years as a nun.

One stormy night in 1991 they were working on the Greek cruise liner Oceanos off the South African coast when the lights went out, the PA system fell silent and the ship rolled so much that just staying upright was a challenge.

Their actions in the face of extreme danger would affect almost all of the 581 people on board. Moss Hills tells Jane Garvey his life-changing story.

Moss Hills is the ship's entertainer, but tonight he has a very different role to play.

Jane and Gilbert Taylor each face turning points which force the couple in a new direction

Please be aware this edition talks about suicide and eating disorders.

You can find details of organisations offering information and support with both these subjects:

Eating disorders: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/2DRkg4JC7SLT3B7hlrn6DKN/information-and-support-eating-disorders

Suicide / Emotional distress: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/information-and-support-suicide-emotional-distress

It is a simple but meaningful meal that is transformative in the life of Sinead Browne.

Please be aware that this interview references suicide.

If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at BBC.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066.

Mikey Allen finds a majestic way to combat the trauma of war.

Going undercover is the easy bit for Steve, it's transitioning back that's the hard part.

Please be warned there are some graphic images described in this episode and reference to suicide.

If you've been affected by anything you've heard you can find support here:

Mental health: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm

Suicide/Emotional distress: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/information-and-support-suicide-emotional-distress

Aged 17, heading for a party, Kieran Quinlan is confronted by a man with a knife

Teresa Weiler's birth parents had a shocking secret - one she didn't reveal for decades.

Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder with Edgar Maddicott

Steven Brosnan is stuck in a rut: it takes a catastrophe to show him what he's capable of.

BBC Action Line support:

Autism: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/2637nQGtTK1D8YPkCSnlyDN/information-and-support-autism

Eating disorders: https://www.BBC.co.uk/programmes/articles/2DRkg4JC7SLT3B7hlrn6DKN/information-and-support-eating-disorders

Nicola Shaughnessy is buying a sandwich when she hears a voice that sends her spiralling.

In a bustling street Electra Rhodes does her best to restart a stranger's heart.

At the eleventh hour she was given a reprieve — and so her legal training had begun. She would successfully fight her own case and find herself a new career in the process. Aderonke tells her story to Dr Sian Williams.

On a coach to be deported from the UK, time's running out and Aderonke's hope is fading.

A whirlwind romance, an accident, and a new family finding their feet.

In the next episode Sian talks to Lisa, Tracey's daughter, to hear the story from her point of view.

Her kids aren't home, then her husband sends a text: 'Gary and Lisa say goodbye forever'.

Dr Sian Williams hears about Lisa's struggles to adapt to a new life in Pakistan, trying to keep memories of home and her mum alive but falling into despair and loneliness. Meeting her Mum again and returning to England aged 17 comes with a whole new set of challenges.

This story is told from two perspectives, to hear mum Tracey's experience scroll back to the previous episode.

Six-year-old Lisa boards a flight with her dad. She won't see her mum for the next decade.

Dr Sian Williams hears how Joe set out to find the truth about Peter and how along the way made some joyful discoveries for himself.

Joe thought he knew his dad until he found a cache of documents revealing lie after lie.

Jessica gets home with her two young boys. Minutes later their house explodes.

Dr Sian Williams hears how this label shaped Hazel's decisions for decades and what it took for her to throw it off.

Eight-year-old Hazel listens in as her teachers discuss her. Their words are devastating.

She braves the studio for the first time to tell this story to Dr Sian Williams.

Polly's put everything into her profession. Then in a moment on live TV it all goes wrong.

For links to support resources go to BBC Action Line: BBC.co.uk/actionline

A coffee shop becomes a crime scene and Stephen's life hangs in the balance

The psychological impact of that summer day has been deeply scarring but has also given Emily what her son calls ‘superpowers'.

Details of support with mental health issues are available at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

A chase begins - at the reins of her horse-drawn carriage, Emily fights to survive.

Sitting at the reins of her horse-drawn carriage, Emily feels in total control. Suddenly things takes a drastic turn, leading her on a terrifying chase down a country lane.

Will is in the Solomon Islands surfing spectacular waves - then the sea disappears.

Will's 19 and, fresh from school, travels to the Solomon Islands in search of adventure and unridden waves to surf. It's paradise until one morning the sea disappears.

Years later, when Rachel was in her 50s, her father became unwell and made a startling revelation on his deathbed.

Rachel had an aristocratic but poor upbringing, then came a deathbed confession.

Rachel's upbringing was a contradiction. Aristocratic but impoverished, she was called ‘fleabag' at school. Then came a deathbed confession.

Police officer Clodagh Dunlop is used to dealing with emergency situations — until it's her own.

It's Easter Monday 2015: Clodagh Dunlop is an ambitious police officer in Northern Ireland. A fit 35-year-old, she's in training to run a 6-minute mile. But her day off takes a terrifying turn, and Clodagh finds herself trapped in her own body - hearing the conversations around her but unable to communicate. Then she finds the strength to make a remarkable breakthrough.

Police officer Clodagh is used to dealing with emergency situations \u2014 until it's her own.

Police officer Clodagh Dunlop is used to dealing with emergency situations — until it's her own. Then she finds the strength to make a remarkable breakthrough.

In August of 2006, Teresa Clark was driving five of her friends back home after a day at a music festival. Several hours into the journey she fell asleep at the wheel of their people carrier and crashed. Three passengers were killed, two others were injured as well as Teresa herself.

She was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and spent time in prison. The guilt and shame of carrying that loss of life almost destroyed her. But in the 17 years since it happened Teresa has rebuilt; she now works in the mental health and wellbeing sector trying to keep the vow she made to live her life for her friends, and do some good in their memory.

Details of support with mental health issues and bereavement are available at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

In her 20s, Teresa Clark made a fatal decision that would impact multiple lives.

When Alan and Irene met in 1959, their connection was instant. The two isolated children aged just seven and nine found warmth and kindness in each other in a children's home that was unwelcoming and strict. They would steal moments together up on Bunny Hill and talk about their lives. But the home had a rule that boys and girls could not mix. So when their friendship was discovered, a year after they first met, Alan and Irene were separated. It would take four decades for them to find each other again.

In a children's home in 1959, a unique friendship is forged \u2014 then cruelly ended.

Irene is 9 and Alan 7. Lost and lonely in a children's home they find joy in each other, until the day they are separated. It takes decades for them to find each other again.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival in May 2023.

Full of teenage fury Connor lashes out at his mum \u2014 with far-reaching consequences.

Unable to articulate his teenage fury Connor lashes out at his mum — with far-reaching consequences.

Sian Williams talks to ordinary people about an extraordinary turning point in their life.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by domestic abuse or violence, you can find details of support available on the BBC Action Line at BBC.co.uk/actionline. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999.

Just 14 when her mum is murdered, Georgia vows that she will never be forgotten.

Just 14 when her beloved mum is murdered in front of her, Georgia vows to help others escape domestic abuse – and to keep Cheryl's memory alive.

Dr Sian Williams talks to people who have lived through events that reshaped their lives.

This interview discusses the experience of stillbirth. Details of help and support with pregnancy-related issues are available through the BBC Action Line at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

As midwife Agnes's third baby is delivered, she's confronted by a profound need for change

When experienced midwife Agnes's third baby is delivered, she's confronted by a profound need for systemic change – and makes it happen.

Agnes Nisbett is a nurse and midwife whose own hospital experience in the 1970s revealed just how flawed and uncaring the system could be. Agnes came to the UK from St Kitts and Nevis as part of the Windrush generation. Her goal was to achieve as much as she could in her profession and despite the many barriers, “sheer hard work ? got her to the top. Now in her eighties and looking back on her time in the NHS, she shares how her own private and personal loss inspired her to challenge and change things for others.

As midwife Agnes' third baby is delivered, she's confronted by a profound need for change

When experienced midwife Agnes' third baby is delivered, she's confronted by a profound need for systemic change – and makes it happen.

Fundamentally unhappy as an oil trader, Dan takes a giant personal gamble.

After more than a decade working as an oil trader, Dan is well off but unhappy. Suddenly, on his daily jog, he sees something that forces him to take a giant personal gamble.

Marginalised his whole life, aged 24, Tier demands a reckoning with the education system.

Rejected and marginalised his whole life, aged 24, Tier Blundell puts on a suit, turns up for an unscheduled meeting and demands a reckoning with the education system.

Georgia has since been recognised for her bravery that day and is the recipient of the King's Gallantry Medal 2024.

Georgia and Melissa are swimming in a Mexican lagoon, when one of them is dragged under.

After travelling to Mexico for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, twins Georgia and Melissa are swimming in a lagoon, when one of them is dragged under.

In 2013 Nick Hitch found himself at the heart of a violent attack on a Gas facility in Eastern Algeria. It was later revealed that the militiamen were affiliated to Al-Qaeda. As a senior project manager Nick was deliberately targeted, threatened with execution, forced along with his colleagues to sit for hours in fear of detonating explosives to which they had been attached, and ultimately packed into a vehicle alongside a man with a crude suicide bomb on his knee.

Thirty-nine foreign workers died during the attack, several of them Nick's close colleagues.

Talking to Dr Sian Williams, he describes how the attack unfolded, how the challenges affected and continue to affect him, and how he has sought to put his horrific experience at the service of others who have faced similar trauma.

Producer: Tom Alban

Anyone affected by any of the issues described in this programme can find help and support at

www.hostageinternational.org

A hostage survivor explains why survival is the first step on a long road.

Nick Hitch, a civil engineer and experienced project manager, is caught up in a violent hostage crisis in Algeria making massive demands on his capacity to endure and survive.

[LISTEN NOW]

Sarah Fairbairns spent much of her life feeling she was a bit different. Growing up in the 1960's and 70's she had the reputation of a wild child. On a student exchange in the United States she got to dance on stage with the caste of the famous counter-culture musical Hair. In her early 20s she travelled to India with her boyfriend in search of hippy culture, tuning out, dropping out, taking drugs and becoming what was known at the time as a 'freak', a group at the extreme end of the hippy spectrum. And yet all the while she faced bouts of sadness and depression and a confusion as to why that should be.

It lead eventually to an attempted suicide and psychiatric treatment.

Things improved and stabilised. She married, had children and came to terms with her life, while never really feeling settled. She even trained and qualified as a Psychotherapist. And yet it was only towards the end of her training that she started to connect an event from her childhood with the unsettled life she'd lead and the fragility she felt.

That trauma had happened when, at the age of eleven, she had been diagnosed with lateral idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, resulting in curvature of the spine. The result was a period in an orthopaedic hospital away from her family with dramatic surgery on her back and incarceration in a restrictive plaster caste. That long, isolated hospital stay and the process she went through to stabilise her spine was ultimately deemed a success, but the girl that emerged from hospital was more than just a medical success story.

In her 70s, and with the threat of further surgery on her back, Sarah began to recognise that a failure to deal with the trauma of that childhood hospitalisation had been a key factor in her state of mind and behaviour throughout her life.

She wrote in to Life Changing and told Dr Sian Williams about her slow recognition of her buried and Life Changing childhood trauma, and why confronting and understanding it had provided belated but extraordinary relief.

Producer: Tom Alban

A grandmother's final recognition and relief from a long buried childhood trauma.

Sarah Fairbairns was a wild child of the 70s, tuning in and dropping out, and yet haunted by a buried childhood trauma that in her 70s she has finally recognised and addressed.

[LISTEN NOW]

Dan Edozie was brought up by his mother in London, moving between council accommodation and so constantly shifting from one school to another. He didn't know his father. It was a disrupted childhood that would become even more stressful when they tried to settle with Nigerian relatives in the United States. After unsuccessful trips to New York and Boston, mother and son tried a third time to settle in Los Angeles. Dan had just turned 12.

Life wasn't easy. They outstayed their Visa leading to a life on the fringes of society. Dan learned how to pan-handle, to beg for money to get extra food. They slept where they could, sometimes on public transport, sometimes in the refuges of the city's infamous Skid Row.

Fearing deportation back to the UK they set off at one point for Florida to stay with another distant relative. The journey came to a halt in El Paso when a passport check exposed their illegal status. Before leaving for the UK they returned to LA, continuing their fragile life.

Then one day, Dan had an argument with his mother. She had made plans to stay at another refuge a bus journey away. Dan was hungry and although his mother wouldn't stop for him he went ahead and got some food at a nearby refuge centre. When he caught up with her, she was on a bus. Bewildered, he watched as the bus pulled away from a nearby bus stop and headed out of town.

Although he had a good idea where she was going, Dan decided to take things into his own hands. He started to look for a place for the night. He was twelve years old, with no ID, no money and only a large black bin-bag containing his clothes. After being turned down by two refuges, a lady at a third started asking all the right questions. How old was he? Why was he on his own? She knew something needed to be done.

The next 24 hours saw Dan scooped up by the US authorities. Within days, a foster home was found, and although he and his mother were in contact, a custody hearing went against her and for the first time in his life Dan found the stability he craved.

Life was never easy in his new home, but as he puts it 'he looked after business' at school and started to excel as a Basketball player. By the age of 16 he was in the top 50 players of his age group in California. Scholarships followed and eventually he was picked up by one of the top College teams - Iowa State.

When he turned professional he decided to return to the UK and played for the Bristol Flyers for six years, before opening his own Basketball training Academy, where young people in the St Paul's area of Bristol get a chance to be inspired by a man who has worked his way up from nothing. The height of his Basketball career came when representing England in the Commonwealth Games.

He's still in touch with his mother, and he holds no malice towards her. His focus is on the future and the many things he'd like to achieve.

But he looks back on that moment in Los Angeles when a young boy took control of his destiny and in doing so, changed his life forever.

Producer: Elaina Boateng

An English boy goes from homelessness in LA's Skid Row to Basketball stardom.

Twelve-year-old boy Dan Edozie was living an itinerant life in LA's infamous Skid Row, when a chance separation from his mother, and a natural sporting ability changed everything.

Producer: Tom Alban

An English boy who goes from homelessness in LA's Skid Row to basketball stardom.

[LISTEN NOW]

On the threshold of the first COVID lockdown when people were preparing for the unknown, a mother of two young children from Leeds was given a Life Changing diagnosis. Tanja Bage had always been a keen singer and performer and so was increasingly aware of her shortness of breath. There had been several attempts to deal with it, but nothing worked. Eventually she had an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. The diagnosis was cancer, which required almost immediate surgery to remove the tumour, and with it her vocal chords. She would be losing her voice, and she had just a week to prepare herself and her family. Tanja describes that pre-Covid frenzy, the support she received and the challenges of being a mother while having to re-learn how to speak using a Stoma in her neck. Her mix of passion and stoicism meant that not only did she recover after the massively intrusive operation, but she is now involved in artistic ventures with the Laryngectomy choir and the Sound Voice project as well as being a brilliant mother to her children.

Producer: Tom Alban

A young mother faces life without her voice.

Tanja Bage was a busy working mother of two children under the age of five when a cancer diagnosis meant she had a week to prepare for the permanent loss of her voice.

[LISTEN NOW]

Dr Sian Williams talks to Paul Mason. Formally a scientist with Ordnance Survey, he's now a teaching assistant, but the journey from one career to another was impossible to anticipate when he married his German wife Isabel.

After a whirlwind romance the two were in no doubt that they wanted to start a family. It wasn't easy. But eventually that ordinary miracle happened. And yet it was a little more than ordinary, because they discovered they were to be parents to triplets.

Paul tells Sian both the joyful and harrowing Life Changing events when the children were born, and how the family have since discovered the extraordinary generosity of strangers.

Producer: Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams meets a man for whom fatherhood brought wildly contrasting emotions.

Paul Mason was a scientist and a loving husband who experienced everything marriage can give and take away, within a week.

[LISTEN NOW]

As a young man Mohammed Zaman arrived in Britain from Bangladesh with a working visa, a patron and a job lined up as a chef. On arrival all the promises of a bright future turned to ashes. His patron confiscated his documents and put him to work. It was a punishing schedule. He then discovered that his boss had tried and failed to get him a Visa extension, meaning that he was working illegally.

But at this lowest of low ebbs in his life, Mohammed decided that he needed to do something - and that something was to volunteer at an old people's community club in Lewisham, near where he was living. For three hours a week every Tuesday, he helped serve the elderly visitors. He talked to them, befriended many of them and they, in turn, started to show him that London wasn't all bad. It was a Life Changing decision and it would lead eventually to him being a volunteer at the London Olympics and a representative of London at the Paris Olympics. But clearing his name and proving to the authorities that he had done nothing wrong and was the victim of modern day slavery was a massive challenge.

Producer: Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to a victim of modern slavery who found freedom by helping others.

Mohammed Zaman tells Dr Sian Williams how his legal arrival in the UK from Bangladesh turned sour and how friendships and voluntary work in London helped him escape modern slavery.

[LISTEN NOW]

For Lisa Hover and her husband Andy, life on the Hampshire Dorset border with their family of four children seemed idyllic. Even when a routine sight test on their daughter Annabelle as she started Primary school picked up an abnormality it all seemed manageable. But the abnormality turned out to be macular degeneration and early sight loss, which itself masked a more severe and life shortening genetic condition.

The diagnosis of Batten disease changed everything. And yet, with no cure available, and physical and mental decline forecast, Annabelle lead the family in demanding everything from her limited life span. That included setting up a charity, Batten fighters forever or BFF ( battenfightersforever.com ), continuing her Girl Guiding and going skiing.

Lisa talks to Sian about the challenges, the joys and the sadness - and particularly about Annabelle's desire to have a White Christmas will all the family.

Producer; Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to Lisa Hover about a diagnosis that changed her family's life.

When Lisa Hover and her partner learned of their daughter Annabelle's life shortening genetic disorder they didn't expect she would bring so much joy to the time available to her.

[LISTEN NOW]

In 1977 Ed Stewart was a happy go lucky teenager from Worthing who had just started an engineering job. He wasn't really sure how his life and career were going to unfold but he had a girlfriend and a motorbike and life was good. When he dropped in on a friend's party not far from his home he couldn't have anticipated getting involved in a violent argument with an acquaintance who happened to be carrying a shotgun.

The impact of what happened turned Ed's life on its head. He had to learn to navigate the world in an entirely different way, and he ended up choosing a profession that has served him well for over forty years. He now tunes pianos for anyone from Jules Holland to hundreds of private clients in Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex.

But as he tells Sian, he didn't have just one but two Life Changing moments that lead him to be what he refers to as a 'glass-three-quarters-full' kind of bloke.

Producer; Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to a man whose career was defined by an argument at a party.

Ed Stewart talks to Sian about being caught up in a row at a party as a teenager and how in a blinding flash, his life and career changed for ever.

In 1977, Ed Stewart was a happy-go-lucky teenager with his whole life ahead of him. With a new engineering job, a girlfriend and a motorbike, life was good. But when he dropped in on a friend's party, a violent row with another teenager - who was carrying a shotgun - turned Ed's whole life on its head.

Ed had to learn to navigate the world in an entirely different way, but he made a success of it - becoming a piano tuner to the stars and counting Jools Holland and Brian Ferry as his customers. Despite a life of adversity, he tells Dr Sian Williams how not just one, but two Life Changing moments led him to be what he refers to as a “glass-three-quarters-full ? kind of bloke.

Ed Stewart reveals how his life and career were defined by a violent row at a teen party.

Piano tuner to the stars, Ed Stewart, reveals how his life and career changed forever in a blinding flash when a row at a teenage party turned violent.

[LISTEN NOW]

When 18-year-old Stacey Goodwin got a job at a bookies, she put a pound coin into a slot machine and won enough money for a night out with her pals. It was the trigger for a destructive gambling addiction that led to a life of shame, brutal isolation and deceit. The money she lost over an eight-year period was eye-watering – on one occasion, frittering away a £50,000 online win in a matter of days. Sometimes suicidal, and always lonely, it was the damage she did to those closest to her which hurt the most.

When her addiction saw her undermine the financial security of someone she loved, she reached a crossroads. Stacey tells Dr Sian Williams how she found the strength to ask for help - and turned her life around.

Producer: Tom Alban

Warning: This episode contains discussions around suicide. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

Dr Sian Williams talks to a woman who faced the brutal isolation of gambling addiction.

When outgoing teen Stacey Goodwin got a job at a bookies, it triggered a gambling addiction that left her a recluse. But one event forced her to break the self-destructive cycle.

[LISTEN NOW]

Larry O'brien is a long-distance lorry driver from Wexford in Ireland. It's a job that has always given him both freedom and the capacity to look after his family. But on March 6th 1987 that freedom was almost lost in the horror of the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster in which almost two hundred people lost their lives.

Larry, who could not and still cannot, swim not only survived, escaping through a porthole he went on to help over thirty people to safety, lifting them out of a hellish situation inside the stricken and flooded ferry as it lay on a sandbank outside the port.

Amidst all the anger and accusations and court cases about what had gone wrong that night, Larry's actions were a rare beacon of positivity. And he was celebrated by his own profession as well as the governments of Belgium, France and Great Britain. He was even taken over to the United States as a guest of the Daytona 500 NASCAR race. But he talks to Sian about how he came to accommodate what had happened, why he never felt like a hero, and how he went back on the road before giving up the job he loved because he loved his family more.

And then six years ago, with family grown and the freight of a lifetime of service both in local politics and to the family he loves lifted, he went back on the road.

Dr Sian Williams talks to a man who survived a ferry disaster and saved over thirty lives.

Dr Sian Williams' guest is Larry O'brien, a lorry driver who survived the 1987 Zeebrugge Ferry disaster, learning to live with the horror of that night, and his heroic response.

Husband and father, Larry O'Brien, loved the freedom his job as a long-distance lorry driver gave him. But on March 6th 1987, that freedom was almost lost in the horror of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, in which almost 200 people lost their lives. Larry – who could not swim – risked his own life to pull 30 people to safety.

Almost 40 years later, Larry tells Dr Sian Williams why he never felt like a hero, how he came to terms with what happened, and why – after a career change into local politics – he decided to return to the road.

Despite not being able to swim, Larry O'Brien saved over 30 people from a sinking ferry.

Lorry driver Larry O'Brien explains how he saved over 30 people from a sinking ferry, despite not being able to swim.

[LISTEN NOW]

Dr Sian Williams talks to people who have lived through extraordinary life-changing events

Dr Sian Williams' guest on today's edition of Life Changing takes us into the often lonely and overwhelmingly anxious world of agoraphobia.

As a bright adventurous sixteen-year-old Angela Tilley was thrilled to get a job in a busy London office. But after a year's unwanted attention from one of her co-workers, attention that today we'd call stalking, she started having panic attacks on the way to work. The attacks became a debilitating daily occurrence, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. Her courage in pushing back against her fears, forging a career and having a family came at a huge personal cost.

She talks to Sian about her challenges, and about the seemingly innocuous purchase that made a Life Changing difference, enabling her to stop her phobia defining her life.

Producer: Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to a woman who found a way through her debilitating panic attacks.

A traumatic experience at work left teenage Angela Tilley with a lifetime of agoraphobia, until she and her husband found a way to begin escaping her relentless panic attacks.

As a bright adventurous 16 year-old, Angela Tilley was thrilled to get a job in a busy London office. But after a year's unwanted attention from one of her co-workers, attention that today we would call stalking, she started having panic attacks on the way to work. The attacks became a debilitating daily occurrence, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. Her courage in pushing back against her fears, forging a career and having a family came at a huge personal cost. But one seemingly innocuous purchase was about to change her life forever.

Angela tells Dr Sian Williams about how she overcame her challenges and how she managed to stop her phobia defining her life.

Angela Tilley explains how a life-changing purchase helped her overcome agoraphobia.

[LISTEN NOW]

Robin Elsey Webb is a young and already very successful yachtsman with a dream of tackling the famous Vendee Globe, the single-handed round the world yacht race. But his plans were on hold while he and his partner Liz prepared to get married. To raise some money and for the sheer fun of it, they both took part as crew members on a boat at a regatta in Antigua.

For Robin the skilled sailor, and Liz who was fairly new to life on the ocean, it was idyllic, until walking home to the crew house on his own, Robin was attacked violently. He suffered severe head injuries. His survival depended on swift and bold decisions being made about his treatment. Those decisions had to be made by Liz. Robin's job was to try and stay alive.

Robin and Liz join Sian to piece together their own very different experiences of that terrifying ordeal, which changed so many things for both of them.

Producer: Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to a yachtsman and his wife who faced life-or-death decisions.

When yachtsman Robin Elsey Webb was violently attacked during a regatta in Antigua, life-or-death decisions had to be made by his partner, Liz. They join Sian to tell their story.

Robin Elsey Webb is a young and already very successful yachtsman with a dream of tackling the famous Vendee Globe, the single-handed round the world yacht race. But his plans were shattered during a trip to Antigua, when he was violently attacked and suffered severe head injuries. With his life hanging in the balance, it fell to his partner Liz to make swift and bold decisions about his treatment. Robin's job was to try and stay alive.

Robin and Liz join Dr Sian Williams to piece together their own very different experiences of that terrifying ordeal, which changed so many things for both of them.

When yachtsman Robin was violently attacked, a life-or-death decision had to be made.

[LISTEN NOW]

When 18-year-old Stacey Goodwin got a job at a bookies, she put a pound coin into a slot machine and won enough money for a night out with her pals. It was the trigger for a destructive gambling addiction that led to a life of shame, brutal isolation and deceit. The money she lost over an eight-year period was eye-watering – on one occasion, frittering away a £50,000 online win in a matter of days. Sometimes suicidal, and always lonely, it was the damage she did to those closest to her which hurt the most.

When her addiction saw her undermine the financial security of someone she loved, she reached a crossroads. Stacey tells Dr Sian Williams how she found the strength to ask for help - and turned her life around.

Producer: Tom Alban

Warning: This episode contains discussions around suicide. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at BBC.co.uk/actionline.

When Stacey Goodwin got a new job, it triggered a destructive gambling addiction.

When outgoing teen Stacey Goodwin got a job at a bookies, it triggered a gambling addiction that left her a recluse. But one event forced her to break the self-destructive cycle.

[LISTEN NOW]

Phillip Browne was born into a large and loving Windrush generation family in Birmingham. Church and singing were an important part of his upbringing, and when he struggled at school it was singing that gave him an escape and a status. But just as he was beginning to show signs of real potential, a devastating ear infection robbed him of his hearing completely in one ear - and Phillip was told by a doctor that a singing career was out of the question. Phillip's struggle in the aftermath of his illness and his need to find a job resulted in him becoming a London bus driver. He knew the security of employment was a relief to his father who had spent a lifetime working on the railways, but it seemed to be leading him further and further away from his dream. Until a chance meeting with an old college friend turned his life in an extraordinary new direction.

Phillip tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing moment - and his incredible journey to the bright lights of the West End stage.

Producer: Tom Alban

Phillip Browne shares his incredible journey from London bus driving to West End stardom.

When Phillip Browne lost his hearing in one ear, he thought his singing career was over. He became a bus driver instead, but a chance meeting was about to change his life forever.

Phillip Browne was born into a large and loving Windrush generation family in Birmingham. Church and singing were an important part of his upbringing, and when he struggled at school it was singing that gave him an escape and a status. But just as he was beginning to show signs of real potential an ear infection rocked his world. He lost hearing completely in one ear and was told by a doctor that a singing career was out of the question.

Then came a chance meeting with an old college friend who told him - 'remember who you are' and how good your voice is, lead him to take part in a massive open audition for one of the biggest shows in London's west end.

Phillip tells Sian about that moment and the extraordinary journey that followed.

Dr Sian Williams talks to the London bus driver who drove himself to West End stardom.

Phillip Browne tells Sian about his journey from driver of a London Routemaster bus to the bright lights of the west end stage.

[LISTEN NOW]

In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great. Not long after, life took her in a completely different direction. Shortly after her 70th birthday, while thinking of names for a grandson to be, she remembered Benedict. Where was he now? After a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned.

Carol tells Dr Sian Williams about the emotional moment they reunited, after almost half a century.

Producer; Tom Alban

Dr Sian Williams talks to Carol Cairns, who rediscovered a lost love in her 70s.

Carol Cairns thought a wild fling in 1960s Dublin was lost in the past. Now in her 70s, and after a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned.

Dr Sian Williams talks to people who have lived through extraordinary life-changing events

[LISTEN NOW]

Like so many who serve, Falklands veteran Geoff Stear took trauma away with him - in his case a very particular reaction to the smell of meat. It was so powerful and debilitating that it made his life almost impossible, leading him to injure himself and endanger others as he tried to get away from the perceived danger. On several occasions it left him hospitalised – once with a broken neck - with no recollection of how he had got there. His life hit rock-bottom, until a chance meeting with a stranger changed everything.

In this heartwarming episode, Geoff introduces Dr Sian Williams to his unlikely saviour Charlie, whose capacity to intervene when danger threatens has given Geoff back his freedom and sense of worth.

Producer: Tom Alban

Veteran Geoff was plagued by PTSD - but an unusual partnership restored his independence.

Former soldier Geoff Stear was plagued by PTSD, triggered by the smell of meat. It threatened his life, until a miraculous partnership gave him back his independence.

[LISTEN NOW]

In 1975, Richard Dailey was the victim of a freak wave that swept him overboard from the vessel he was working on in the North Sea. His daughter Angie was just five years old - and the news of his death was one of her first memories. Although they were compensated financially, the impact of that loss was difficult to understand and over the years it caused tension between Angie and her mother. Angie inherited a treasured box of old letters and photographs from her father, but felt unable to open it.

Angie wrote in to Life Changing to tell Dr Sian Williams how a decision to mark his life, on the 50th anniversary of his death, helped her finally know her father and understand her part in his life.

Producer: Tom Alban

A woman whose father died at sea finds a transformative way to remember him.

Angie Weatherhead was just five when her father was killed working in North Sea Oil production in 1975. Years later, a chance to mark his death with dignity was life-changing.

[LISTEN NOW]

It was a summer evening in 2014, when four men barged into Paul Kohler's family home and began a savage assault on him. They believed erroneously that he had a large amount of money hidden there. The speed of the police response meant that Paul was saved from almost certain death, and the four men were later arrested, charged and imprisoned. Although he felt vindicated by the sentencing, Paul's worldview was changed forever when he and his family were invited to visit one of the attackers in prison, as part of a Restorative Justice scheme.

In an episode recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival, Paul tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing confrontation, and how frustration with the way his ordeal was reported led to him into politics.

Producer: Tom Alban

Sian Williams talks to Paul Kohler about the brutal assault that led him to seek answers.

MP Paul Kohler, the victim of a savage assault in his home, describes how his worldview changed by facing his attackers in prison, as part of a restorative justice programme.

[LISTEN NOW]