More Than My Past

Tony Attwood experienced addiction and served multiple prison sentences for a number of crimes before Judge Peter Ross sent him to rehab instead. Now many years into recovery, Tony has set up a vital housing charity for ex-offenders. Peter was his chair of trustees.  Tony and Peter join actor Jason Flemyng and Forward Trust director Julie Muir to retell...

In this final episode of series 2 of the More Than My Past episode, hosts Julie and Jason are joined by Forward Trust Chief Executive Mike Trace to speak about the themes covered in the series and reflect on how our approach to addiction and crime might be improved.  Guests from the series with lived experience are asked to sum up how they’d change things if they had the chance. Ideas include...

This episode is all about prison release - and the thoughts, feelings and practicalities that go along with it. Our hosts film star Jason Flemyng and Forward Trust Executive Director of Recovery Julie Muir explore the topic with a selection of guests from Series 2 who have all come out and stayed out. Leaving priaon can so often fill people with anxiety and uncertainty. Without the right support i...

Safe accommodation is a massive factor for those seeking to move on from addiction or time in prison. Without it, cycles of addiction and offending are all too easy to fall back in to.  In this episode, Jason, Julie and their guests explain how housing situations have shaped their journeys. As you’ll hear, some of them are now involved in organisations which help people with this specific iss...

Jason and Julie are again joined by our amazing cast of guests for series two, who discuss stigma surrounding a past that includes offending and/or addiction.   From dating to job applications and insurance, this episode shines a light on the struggles that societal stigma creates. It also makes the point that we are all more than just one thing, so, as Julie puts it at the close of the episo...

Actor Jason Flemyng interviews former prisoners and people in recovery with powerful stories to tell, exploring their struggle to turn their lives around and challenging the barriers and stigmas that can hold these people back. For more information and to view dozens of inspiring stories, go to  www.morethanmypast.org.uk If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this podcast and wan...

This episode continues More Than My Past's legacy of exploring the inspiring transformative experiences of everyday people which have led them into a new life of opportunity and productivity.  Jason and Julie discuss the importance of role models and supporters - how they can appear at any time in life and bring about the most unexpected changes. From miracles behind prison bars to teachers w...

Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence and abuse which some may find difficult to hear. Difficult family backgrounds are sadly common among those who fall into the grasps of addiction or offending. Family members can also provide vital sources of support for people struggling to overcome difficult pasts. In this episode, we hear from former offenders and people in recovery with a...

Our guest for this special, political edition of the More Than My Past podcast is former Conservative politician, Rory Stewart. Rory served as Minister of State for Prisons under David Cameron’s government prior to the 2019 general election. He’s also held roles as Environment Minister and Minister for International Development. You can now hearing him chatting to former More Than My Past guest Al...

Actor Jason Flemyng introduces new co-host Julie Muir along with the stars of a brand new series of the More Than My Past podcast. Taking a documentary-style approach, Jason and Julie will be speaking to a range of inspiring people in a series of thematic episodes exploring topics including family background, housing, stigma, education and work. There’s also a special interview with former Ministe...

This festive edition of MTMP was recorded at the annual Forward Trust Reunion in Central London, which offers a chance for people who have been helped by the charity to celebrate their journey towards a life free from addiction or offending. Jason was there and found himself in the company of so many brilliant people, all under one roof and all more than their pasts. He asked some of them what the...

Jason speaks to Magnus Appiah, the co-founder of ‘Squash Da Beef’. Many years ago, Magnus was put in a prison cell with a rival gang member named Nicky Harris – but instead of fighting each other to the death as the police may have hoped, Magnus and Nicky chatted things out. They realised that the power of reconciliation could help others escape the clutches of violent crime, and ‘Squash Da Beef’...

Jason's guest on this extra special edition of More Than My Past is John, who was only released from prison in February of this year. John was inside both before and during COVID-19 lockdown, when prisoners were subject to unprecedented restrictions involving being locked in their cell for more than 23 hours a day. He was also released back in May of last year, but the temporary closure of many of...

Marie-Claire O’Brien's 14-month jail sentence was a shock to her system that resulted in an emotional breakdown – but also, the beginning of a new chapter in her life. After release, Marie-Claire used her experience to set up New Leaf, a West Midlands-based social enterprise which offers support to those facing the many challenges of life after prison. Her conversation with Jason focused on her ti...

Conceptual artist Gary Mansfield was involved in crime from an early age, but wasn’t given a long prison sentence until £4.2 million worth of heroin was planted in his car by a fellow criminal. While serving his time in HMP Swaleside, he was inspired by an art teacher who ignited a passion that fueled his turnaround story. Mentored and encouraged by a host of conceptual artists including Tracey Em...

Jason's guest on this episode can boast a bestselling novel  and  a hollywood film based on the events of his life. Nico Walker grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and joined the US army aged 19 to serve in Iraq as a medic. He returned with severe PTSD, leading to opioid addiction. To fund his habit and distract him from his mental health problems, Nico began robbing banks. After 10 successful he...

Jason's interviewee on this episode was the inspiration for Helen Mirren's character in the ITV crime drama series 'Prime Suspect'. Jackie Malton joined the police force in 1970 and climbed up the ranks despite being a gay woman in a heavily male-dominated environment. She tackled robberies with the famous 'Flying Squad' branch of the Met, and acted as a whistleblower on police corruption in...

Jason speaks to journalist, broadcaster and podcaster, Sam Delaney. You might have spotted Sam's work in the pages of Heat magazine, on the airwaves of TalkSport or on the screen in one of his notorious morning TV appearances. More recently, he's turned his hand to podcasting, including the hilarious 'Top Flight Time Machine'. Sam had a slightly chaotic upbringing with drink and drugs never far aw...

In this episode, Jason speaks to a man with a true redemption story. Pastor Mick Fleming was sexually abused and learnt of the tragic death of his sister, all within the space of 48 hours. That trauma started a downward spiral that resulted in years of drug addiction, funded by criminality. As a drug runner and debt collector, Mick was arrested for murder twice, armed robbery three times and commi...

Lauren Burnett's story of addiction and recovery comes with two main lessons - the dangerous appeal of drug culture among rebellious young people looking for a tribe to join, and the amazing turnaround that seemingly 'lost' people are capable of. Lauren comes from Jersey, and started taking hard drugs in her early teens. Moving to London and crossing paths with trendy Camden icons like Amy Winehou...

Now an erudite and widely-admired writer, the early part of Erwin James's life was very different. Aged 7, Erwin lost his mother in a car crash and his father took to drink and domestic violence in his grief. Under that tragic backdrop, he began a criminal career which led to a total of 53 convictions culminating in the murder of two men in London in 1982. Erwin fled the country and joined the Fre...

Alastair Campbell earned himself a formidable reputation in British politics as part of Tony Blair's New Labour government, for which he acted as spokesperson, campaign director and press secretary. Stalking that meteoric career, though, has been an ongoing battle with depression as well as recovery from alcohol addiction which hit rock bottom in the mid-eighties. If you want to know more, check o...

Jason talks to Mandy Ogunmokun, founder of the Treasures Foundation which supports women with histories of drug abuse, offending and homelessness. Mandy's early life was blighted by trauma. The daughter and granddaughter of sex workers, she was exploited by her grandmother and made to work as a prostitute at the age of 4. At the age of 45, she began working at HMP Holloway as a Forward Trust subst...

Jason's guest on this episode is former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams MBE. Tony battled alcoholism for much of his early football career, famously crashing his car while well over the drink-driving limit in 1990 and being sentenced to four months in Chelmsford Prison (of which he served two). After a long and public recovery process, Tony went on to set up the Sporting Chance Clinic which...

Jason speaks to Lennox Rodgers - an ex-offender who suffered physical, sexual and racial abuse as a child before being groomed into gangs for whom he worked as a pimp, enforced and drug dealer. Since deciding to go straight he's become a motivational speaker, co-founded the early intervention Charity 'Refocus' and published a book, 'Breaking Better', which is available now. For more information an...