When nurse and midwife Agnes Nisbett’s third baby was delivered, she was confronted by a profound need for systemic change. Agnes came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation and despite many barriers, “sheer hard work” got her to the top of her profession. However, her own hospital experience in the 1970s revealed just how flawed and uncaring the system could be. Now in her 80s, Agnes looks back on her time in the NHS, and shares with Dr Sian Williams how her personal loss inspired her to ...
Apr 10, 2024•28 min
Georgia Gabriel-Hooper is now 20, she works for a tractor dealership and enjoys bumbling around the countryside. But as a child, she was witness to a terrible event: her mother, Cheryl, was murdered in a domestic homicide. Understandably, that day had a profound impact on Georgia – who has since shown extraordinary courage and determination to use her personal testimony to raise awareness and create change around domestic abuse. Georgia tells her story to Dr Sian Williams. If you, or someone you...
Apr 03, 2024•28 min
In this special edition of Life Changing, recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival, we are catching up with Harriet Ware-Austin, who was a guest on the programme in 2021. 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. ...
Dec 26, 2023•47 min
Growing up in Newport with his mum and younger brother, Connor Allen struggled with his identity as a mixed race kid. He bottled up his feelings and as the anger and frustration built up, could not find the words to express his emotions. When his rage erupted into violence against his mum, she ended up doing the unthinkable and calling the police. He faced a prison sentence, his future at a crossroads. Connor tells his story to Dr Sian Williams in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival in ...
Nov 22, 2023•33 min
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 othe...
Nov 15, 2023•28 min
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...
Nov 08, 2023•28 min
Ambitious police officer Clodagh Dunlop, 35, was used to dealing with emergency situations - until it was her own. Whilst training to run a 6-minute mile, her journey took a terrifying turn. Clodagh found herself trapped in her own body, hearing the conversations around her but unable to communicate. Speaking with Dr Sian Williams, she explains how she found the strength to make a remarkable breakthrough.
Nov 01, 2023•28 min
Rachel Watkyn’s upbringing was a contradiction: aristocratic but impoverished. She was forced to memorise her father’s extensive family tree and was expected to behave as the 'perfect young baroness'. Despite their status, the family did not have clean clothes or heating and she was called a ‘fleabag’ by other children at school. This left Rachel isolated, never knowing where she fitted in, and feeling not good enough. Years later, when Rachel was in her 50s, her father became unwell and made a ...
Oct 25, 2023•28 min
When Will Darby left school in 2007, his peers all headed to university. But Will wanted something different – an adventure. In search of unridden waves to surf, he built himself an idyllic life in the Solomon Islands. Until the sea disappeared, and everything came crashing down… Will tells Dr Sian Williams about the turn of events that created a lifelong bond with the island and its inhabitants.
Oct 18, 2023•28 min
It is the summer of 2008, and a bride and groom have just stepped out of a carriage drawn by two white horses. The sun is out, the bridesmaids are wearing beautiful dresses, and everyone has drinks in hands. The day has gone smoothly for the wedding party. But for carriage driver Emily King – things are about to take a terrifying turn, as a chase begins. Years later, Emily tells Dr Sian Williams how she fought to survive – and why the scarring incident gave her “superpowers”. Details of help and...
Oct 11, 2023•28 min
One Monday morning, Stephen is meeting with his boss in a crowded coffee shop. Minutes later he is at the centre of a horrific and brutal crime scene — his life hanging in the balance. The events leave him deeply scarred, both mentally and physically, but it prompts Stephen to press the reset button for himself and his family. For the first time publicly, Stephen tells his story to Dr Sian Williams, in the hope that sharing his experience will help him and others too. Warning: This episode conta...
May 17, 2023•28 min
Being a TV news anchor was everything to Polly Evans until she was forced to re-evaulate her identity. Her turning point happened in the spotlight – in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands – when she felt deeply exposed and humiliated. It was caused by a physical condition called Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, but Polly’s journey since then has been one of self-knowledge and finding fulfilment in other ways, including a new career. She braves the studio for the first time to tell this st...
May 10, 2023•29 min
Hazel Ellis-Saxon was brought up in a busy household with four siblings in the village of Tiptree in Essex in the 1960s. She struggled with her school work and was often finishing assignments when the other children were enjoying playtime. One day in a quiet classroom Hazel overheard her form teacher describe her to a colleague as ‘mentally retarded’. These two words had a profound effect — leading her to believe that she must be a huge disappointment to her parents and would never enjoy a full ...
May 03, 2023•28 min
It had been a beautiful day, Jessica Williams and her two young sons had been out in the local park enjoying the Welsh sunshine. By the time they got home they were happy but weary and looking forward to some cosy time on the sofa but as Jess opened the front door she noticed a strange smell. She put the boys in the sitting room and went into the kitchen to investigate — that was when the house exploded. Jessica tells Dr Sian Williams how the family, with the help of their village, began to rebu...
Apr 26, 2023•29 min
Growing up Joe Jaquest Oteng knew very little about his Dad; they struggled to find much common ground. Joe’s Dad, Peter, was guarded about his early life in Ghana and the family he had left behind when he emigrated to the UK in the 1960s. When Peter died Joe was left to sort through his belongings. He discovered bundles of documents, letters and photos which revealed new and shocking information which didn’t match the life story Joe had been told. Dr Sian Williams hears how Joe set out to find ...
Apr 19, 2023•28 min
It was September 2000 when Lisa and her 10-year-old brother Gary were taken to the airport. Their Dad said they were going on holiday and that mum Tracey was going to join them later, just as soon as she could get time off work. As the children boarded the plane full of expectations for the trip they could not know how profoundly this moment would shape the rest of their lives – they were soon told Tracey had died and there was no point ever going back to England. Dr Sian Williams hears about Li...
Apr 12, 2023•28 min
Tracey knew something was wrong the moment she got to the house. The place was empty, the children were gone and so was her husband Taz. Their marriage had broken down and they were going through divorce proceedings. Then she got a text message from him: ‘Gary and Lisa say goodbye forever.’ They’d been taken to Pakistan. Tracey enlisted the police, the Foreign Office and Interpol but in the absence of an agreement between Pakistan and England about parental child abduction cases — they were powe...
Apr 05, 2023•28 min
Jason and Liz met by chance whilst travelling, they fell in love and within a year were engaged and expecting a child. 365 days after that first meeting, Jason woke up from a coma. He had suffered a devastating brain injury which meant he would have to learn to walk again just as his son was taking his first steps. As a couple, Jason and Liz Le Masurier had to navigate a new and unexpected course. They tell their story to Dr Sian Williams.
Nov 23, 2022•29 min
What do you do, if falling in love with someone becomes a matter of life or death? In 2013 Aderonke Apata found herself on a coach in the UK, heading for the airport, about to be deported to Nigeria. She’d left her home country years earlier in fear for her life. Her ‘crime’ was that she loved another woman. Same-sex couples in Nigeria face jail time from the courts and, in Aderonke's situation, the threat of deadly violence at the hands of mobs. As she got on the coach the documents that Aderon...
Nov 16, 2022•34 min
Electra Rhodes is walking down a busy London street when she sees a man collapse. She’s recently completed a first aid course and in the absence of anyone else she steps up and starts CPR. When the ambulance arrives and takes the man to hospital she makes a comment to his friend. Her words trigger a chain of events that will dramatically change the course of four lives. Electra tells Dr Sian Williams her story.
Nov 09, 2022•28 min
It’s 2011 and Nicola Shaughnessy is on her way to an academic conference when she stops to buy herself some lunch. As she reaches for a sandwich she suddenly hears a familiar voice from her childhood. That moment and that voice lead to years of psychiatric care and upheaval but ultimately to answers and a better understanding of herself. Now a university professor, she tells her story to Dr Sian Williams. BBC Action Line support: Autism: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2637nQGtTK1D8YPk...
Nov 02, 2022•28 min
Steven Brosnan found himself in a bit of a rut, living at home and moving from job to job. Then, in 2012, on his 22nd birthday catastrophic events take place; rather than enjoying a pop concert with his brother he finds himself having to make apparent life-or-death decisions. Ten years later he tells Dr Sian Williams his unique story and the unexpectedly positive consequences those 48 hours had on his outlook. Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder with Edgar Maddicott
Oct 26, 2022•28 min
In the late 1950s a newspaper ran this small ad: 'Can Catholic people in London or the Home Counties offer a permanent home for an attractive baby girl aged one year who is above average intelligence?’ That girl was Teresa Weiler, who was subsequently adopted and raised in a loving family home. Twenty years later she went to read her adoption file. Alone in a room with those documents and totally unprepared, she discovered a terrible secret about her birth parents that would reverberate through ...
Oct 19, 2022•29 min
Kieran Quinlan is 17, living in Birmingham and an aspiring boxer when he is confronted by a man with a knife who tells him to empty his pockets. Kieran is given a countdown, 3…2…1… and then it happens, he is stabbed — the knife reaching his heart. In surgery, he hears himself flatline. He survives but the wound leaves scars that penetrate deep into his life. It’s in the years that follow that the fight for survival really begins. Twelve years on, he tells his story to Dr Sian Williams. Please be...
Oct 12, 2022•39 min
Life Changing returns with more extraordinary real-life stories.
Oct 05, 2022•3 min
It’s 1976, the UK is in the grip of a gruelling heatwave and fresh-faced detective, Steve Bentley is about to go undercover in a rural village in mid Wales. It’s his first undercover gig, part of a massive national operation called Operation Julie and Steve’s excited but wholly unprepared for the toll this job will take.
May 18, 2022•29 min
It’s 1988 and Steve Ellis is working on the launch of a new magazine in London, when a letter lands on his desk. It’s from his mum and the contents of that letter are about to break a 37-year silence and send Steve on a painstaking quest lasting decades. He tells Jane Garvey his story.
May 11, 2022•28 min
Mikey Allen is on a tour of duty to Afghanistan when he is caught up in a landmine blast. He is physically unharmed but witnessing the event leaves him with mental scars that look set to destroy his life. He finds a way to combat the trauma that is both majestic and unique. He tells Jane Garvey his story. 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 a...
May 04, 2022•28 min
It’s 1996 and Jill Clark has been living in Guernsey for less than a year. It’s been a glorious summer and she is looking forward to her 25th birthday. Like for most young people looks are important to her. A journey home from the pub is about to make Jill question the importance of the human face.
Apr 27, 2022•30 min
From the age of two up to 16, Sinéad Browne is in and out of children’s homes and foster care. Her one constant is school. She’s regularly told she will amount to nothing but against expectations and as an act of defiance, Sinéad just studies harder. At times she is hungry and ashamed to ask for help. Years of a complicated relationship with food develop into a serious eating disorder but in spite of all this Sinéad gets herself three A’s at A level and then a law degree and a job as a solicitor...
Apr 20, 2022•29 min
