Extraordinary Lives

In this episode we sat down with Chris Lambrianou, former gangster, who worked with the Kray twins and was involved in the murder of notorious East End gangster Jack "The Hat" McVitie. Chris told us about his childhood, his way into crime, what it was like to deal with the Krays and how the prison has completely transformed his childhood to life. This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, where we...

Dave Courtney has many titles - he has been a doorman in London's finest nightclubs, he became known as "celebrity gangster" after carrying out security for the Krays at their funeral and has been involved in some criminal activity. Dave shared with us his incredible life story and where he is now.  This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, where we speak to people with a unique life story to tel...

Ruhal Ahmed was detained without trial by the US government in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He told us about the abuse and torture he experienced, and how he was eventually flown back to the UK in 2004 and released the next day without charges.  This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, where we speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a North Korea escapee to an undercover co...

Natalie Welsh was caught at Venezuelan airport in 2001 smuggling £300,000 worth of cocaine out of the country - together with her four-year-old daughter. Natalie shares a story of how she got to that point in her life, how she found out she was facing 10 years in one of the deadliest prisons in South America and her incredible escape back to the UK.  This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, wher...

Art Forger Max Brandrett has spent most of his life forging famous paintings. He shared stories about his childhood, explained how he got into forgery and what techniques he used to age paintings, as well how he now creates Banksy replicas. This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, where we speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a North Korea escapee to an undercover cop, a Cold W...

Danny D, the UK's leading male porn star, told us about finding his way into the adult industry, his first shoots, living with more than average sized penis and what advice he would give to anyone thinking of getting into the industry. This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives, where we speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a North Korea escapee to an undercover cop, a Cold War sp...

Natacha Tormey told us about her life growing up inside 'The Children of God' cult (now known under the name ‘The Family International’). She explains how she was sexually abused, made to live in a compound with strict rules and taught to fear the outside world. Warning: this episode contains content you may find distressing. We speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a North Korea...

$10,000 a day dominatrix Eva Oh talks us through her life as a high-end dominatrix.  Eva Oh describes her journey - from working in brothels as a masseuse to escort work and finally the world of domination. We’ll hear about the most popular kinks requested by her clients, the situations that have made her feel unsafe and what kind of people can afford her extreme price point. Warning: this episode...

Nick Yarris survived 22 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. He'll take us through the circumstances that led to him being sentenced, his life inside from meeting Ted Bundy to the terrifying 'Gladiator Matches' and his accidental escape.  Hear how Nick eventually became the first prisoner death row prisoner to use DNA to prove his innocence.  This is an episode of Extraordinary Lives,...

Warning: this episode contains content you may find distressing. Kate Elysia is a survivor of gang grooming. Kate was just 18 and at college in Telford when the sexual abuse started - and changed her life forever. In this episode she shares what followed after the first horrific attack, her attempts to report the abusers, developing PTSD, and finally finding ways to break away.  This is an episode...

Former gangster Marvin Herbert talks us through his journey to becoming one of London's most notorious criminals. Marvin describes how he started his career in crime, how he was shot in the face twice by another member of the criminal underworld and what motivated him to turn his life around. Warning: this episode contains content you may find distressing. We speak to people with a unique life sto...

Shamsa Sharawe was born in Somalia, where she was subjected to female genital mutilation aged 6. Scared by this experience, Shamsa was then brought to the UK and navigated her life there, slowly realising what happened to her.  Trying to come to terms with it all, Shamsa went back to Somalia aged 17, but was forced into a marriage, which resulted in sexual and physical abuse.  Warning: this episod...

Paul Page is a former royal protection officer, who provided security to members of the Royal Family. He explains what the Royals were like and why Prince Andrew was the most difficult and unpleasant to deal with.  As well as this, Paul tells us how he became a corrupt cop during his years of service. This culminated in him being jailed for 6 years for running a £3m property investment scam to fun...

We meet Jihyun Park, an incredibly brave woman who escaped North Korea twice. Jihyun takes us through what life was really like in North Korea, how she manages to escape twice, how she ended up being sold into sex slavery in China and eventually found sanctuary in the UK.  Warning: this episode contains content you may find distressing. We speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a N...

Douglas Robertson and his family were shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean after their boat was attacked by a school of killer whales. They survived for 38 days in a dinghy with barely any food or drinking water - this is his incredible story. We speak to people with a unique life story to tell. From a North Korea escapee to an undercover cop, a Cold War spy to a shipwreck survivor. Hosted by LADbible...

 Former police officer James Bannon sat down this us to share his story of infiltrating a British football hooligan firm. James spent two and a half years undercover with the infamous hooligans of London-based football team Millwall, known as the Bushwackers, during the height of football violence in England in the late 1980s. James' story was adapted into the 1995 film 'I.D.' Warning: this episod...

Billy Billingham is a decorated military leader who served in the SAS for over 20 years. The SAS is famous for its gruelling selection process and are rightfully considered one of the best special forces in the world. After his military career, Billy became a bodyguard and looked after A-list celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. He is now Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s hit show SAS:...

Extraordinary Lives returns with more incredible stories from around the world.

In 2011, Jacob Dunne killed someone he’d never met before with a single punch.  It was a normal night out that quickly got out of hand and cost a man his life. Jacob tells us what happened that night and how meeting the victim’s parents, after his release from prison, sparked an unlikely friendship that turned his life around.    Extraordinary Lives is a podcast from the team behind LADbible’s Min...

Mustafa Al-Assam was once part of the notorious Anonymous organisation, hacking into the world’s biggest websites and databases. He then started his own hacker group, taking down the entire PlayStation network for three weeks and leaking the details of 73,000 X Factor contestants… all whilst still a teenager in school. Mustafa explains how he got away with it all for so long and the moment he was...

Jenny Radcliffe is a professional con artist - a burglar for hire, who’s paid to break into homes and business and put security measures to the test. We hear how she manipulates people to sneak into buildings and the one mistake that nearly cost Jenny her life.   Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal at nordvpn.com/minutes . Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Extraordinary Lives is a p...

David McMillan is a former international drug smuggler who was once on Interpol’s top 10 most wanted list. In his second stint in jail, in Thailand, David was given the death penalty. So he launched an audacious escape from Bangkok’s maximum security prison. David talks us through how he broke out and went on the run from the Thai police. Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicidal feeli...

Since Jonny Benjamin was a child, something wasn’t quite right. Growing up, he could hear the devil in his head and started thinking he was in The Truman Show. When Jonny reached university, and started exploring his sexuality, things got worse and he was driven to the very brink. Jonny opens up about how he was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia and his struggles with schizoaffective disorder t...

In the Cold War, David Butler was one of a few people allowed to freely roam between East and West Germany. On paper, his role was to facilitate messages between the two. In reality, David was a spy. He tells us about years of missions, gathering intelligence on the Soviets for the British security services, whilst avoiding being caught by the Stasi. Extraordinary Lives is a podcast from the team...

Jimmy Saville was one of Britain’s best-loved presenters till soon after his death when decades of sexual abuse were revealed. Mark Williams-Thomas is the private investigator who revealed Saville to be a paedophile. Ten years since his exposé, Mark blows the lid on the cover-ups that enabled one of the country’s most prolific sex offenders to get away with his crimes. Warning: this episode covers...