Episodes
Dan and James find themselves in church with their new friend, Granny. They definitely didn’t see that coming when they started the series. Oh – and they meet Hodor from Game of Thrones! His real name is Kristian Nairn. He tells them what it was like growing up gay in Northern Ireland and why he thinks things have got better for LGBTQ+ people there.
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Originally released in September 2019
Published 03/11/21
Dan and James come face to face with someone in Northern Ireland who offers “talking therapy” – what many call “gay conversion therapy” – to people who don’t want to be gay. For James, who’s gay, it’s a difficult encounter. They also hear Vicky Beeching’s story. Vicky spent years trying to change her sexuality. Doing so, she says, made her seriously ill.
Producer: From Gay to Non Gay
Originally released in September 2019
Published 03/11/21
Dan Hudson and James Barr present a podcast called ‘A Gay and a Non-Gay’. They’ve received messages from listeners asking them to travel to Northern Ireland to see what life is like for LGBTQ+ people there. So they head to Belfast where they find out why the church is a part of the story. And they discover something called ‘gay conversion therapy’.
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Originally released in September 2019
Published 03/11/21
We're in court with Yusuf as he gets his sentence. Will he be jailed or allowed to go free?
Drugs, Drill and Doing Time is a look behind the headlines, at gang crime. How people end up getting caught up in it, and what’s being done to get them out of it.
Published 12/18/20
Yusuf's mindset is changing as his court sentencing gets closer – but is it too late for him to get out? We meet Michael, who's spent years behind bars and is now out of the gang lifestyle.
Drugs, Drill and Doing Time is a look behind the headlines, at gang crime. How people end up getting caught up in it, and what’s being done to get them out of it.
Published 12/18/20
Experts at the special gangs unit in east London give us their take on drill and we return to Yusuf's story. It’s been a fortnight since we first met him – but has he changed his ways?
Drugs, Drill and Doing Time is a look behind the headlines, at gang crime. How people end up getting caught up in it, and what’s being done to get them out of it.
Published 12/18/20
We spend months with Hackney Integrated Gangs Unit and eventually get their number one gang member to speak to us.
Drugs, Drill and Doing Time is a look behind the headlines, at gang crime. How people end up getting caught up in it, and what’s being done to get them out of it.
Published 12/18/20
Raegan meets with her friends to talk about her job and how it has changed their perceptions of death.
In this episode, her friends dig deeper into what the role of a Funeral Director involves, including questions on what exactly happens to our bodies after we die, and how this changes if you donate your body to medical science.
We also hear about how Raegan’s job has impacted her romantic relationships and how she sometimes tells people she works at a bank to avoid awkward conversations!
Published 06/07/20
Raegan takes us to a mortuary and she reflects on one funeral she will never forget.
In this episode, we hear about the process of what happens when someone who has died arrives in Raegan’s care, and how a hair and beauty salon for the deceased compares with visiting a beauty hall in town.
We also hear a moving conversation Raegan has with her Godfather Stephen about what it was like to arrange a funeral for someone very important in her life. Stephen’s mother passed away suddenly but...
Published 06/07/20
Raegan visits her mum and dad to speak to them about how her career has allowed her to be there for her own family.
At home with her parents, we hear how Raegan has embalmed past family and friends of the family and how she believes this is the last thing she can do for them.
She also talks about the effect grief can have on your mental health, why talking about funerals doesn’t always have to be a glum subject, and why this job means so much to her.
Published 06/07/20
Whilst on paper Raegan’s job may sound out of the ordinary, there are many parts to her day that many listeners will be familiar with.
Raegan takes us on a tour of her office which includes meeting her twenty three year old colleague Claire, learning about unique funeral plans, and revealing some popular misconceptions about what her role entails.
Published 06/07/20
Raegan is a funeral director, and part of her job involves putting make-up on those who have passed away.
In this episode, Raegan takes us through how she got into working in funeral care, the moment she saw a deceased for the first time, and what a day in the life of a Funeral Cosmetologist is really like.
We also hear a moving conversation Raegan has with her Godfather Stephen about what it was like to arrange a funeral for someone very important in her life. Stephen's mother passed away...
Published 06/07/20
On their fourth and final day in the Highlands, the team reflect on what the challenge has meant to them.
The podcast features four people on a mission to discover what life is like without their phones on an intense digital detox in the Scottish Highlands.
With presenter Luke Franks, Twitch streamer and gaming presenter Leah aka Leahviathan, singer songwriter Connie Constance, Radio 1Xtra’s Jeremiah Asiamah and their host, outdoor expert Zeki Basan.
For each member of the team it’s all...
Published 05/03/20
On their third day in the Highlands, the team attempt another difficult trek with tired legs and opt for some ice cold refreshment in the river.
The podcast features four people on a mission to discover what life is like without their phones on an intense digital detox in the Scottish Highlands.
With presenter Luke Franks, Twitch streamer and gaming presenter Leah aka Leahviathan, singer songwriter Connie Constance, Radio 1Xtra’s Jeremiah Asiamah and their host, outdoor expert Zeki...
Published 05/03/20
On their second day in the Highlands, the team set out on their first full day trek in brutal conditions and attempt to skin rabbits for dinner with limited success.
The podcast features four people on a mission to discover what life is like without their phones on an intense digital detox in the Scottish Highlands.
With presenter Luke Franks, Twitch streamer and gaming presenter Leah aka Leahviathan, singer songwriter Connie Constance, Radio 1Xtra’s Jeremiah Asiamah and their host, outdoor...
Published 05/03/20
The team arrive in Scotland to get their challenge underway.
After meeting Zeki they hand over their phones, before roasting a deer leg in a rock oven and then heading over to a dark woodland for their first night in the Highlands.
The podcast features four people on a mission to discover what life is like without their phones on an intense digital detox in the Scottish Highlands.
With presenter Luke Franks, Twitch streamer and gaming presenter Leah aka Leahviathan, singer songwriter...
Published 05/03/20
In this first episode Luke introduces you to the team taking part and the challenge that awaits them.
The podcast features four people on a mission to discover what life is like without their phones on an intense digital detox in the Scottish Highlands.
With presenter Luke Franks, Twitch streamer and gaming presenter Leah aka Leahviathan, singer songwriter Connie Constance, Radio 1Xtra’s Jeremiah Asiamah and their host, outdoor expert Zeki Basan.
For each member of the team it’s all about...
Published 05/03/20
Erin and her fellow activists feel that the older generations are failing young people and it's more important than ever to speak up and have your voice heard as a young person.
She connects with Helena Gualinga, a 17 year old striker who grew up deep in the Amazon rainforest as part of the Sarayaku community. Then Erin also goes to Scottish parliament to meet First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to discuss her group’s demands and find out what's being done to ensure Scotland becomes carbon...
Published 04/05/20
Erin Curtis is 16, from Glasgow, and a member of the Scottish Youth Climate Strikes and UK Youth Strike 4 Climate Network.
The global strike kicks off a week of activities and Erin is exhausted. Erin's eco activism was inspired by a love of marine biology. She takes us to her favourite beach which is full of stories and discoveries. But now exams are looming and she has to make a difficult decision, so she talks to her friends and asks them for advice.
Published 04/05/20
Erin Curtis is 16, from Glasgow, and a member of the Scottish Youth Climate Strikes and UK Youth Strike 4 Climate Network.
In this first episode, Erin shares how she became part of the movement and why she feels it's so crucial to take a stand. Meanwhile, she and her fellow students are planning the biggest global climate strike ever. During the protest, Erin has to deliver a speech in front of a ten thousand strong crowd in Glasgow. She shares her fears and her approach. Can she do it?
Published 04/05/20
Rebekah speaks to the series producer of the podcast, Ben, about how he has found the experience of travelling to Texas to meet her pen-pal Charles.
In their first open and honest conversation since returning to the UK, they discuss how the process of recording Rebekah's story has changed their views on the Death Penalty, those who reach out to those in prison, and each other.
Published 03/01/20
Rebekah finds out more about those final moments for Death Row inmates.
After visiting Charles, she speaks to Michelle Lyons, a former journalist and spokesperson from The Department of Criminal Justice. They talk about the dark reality of what happens to inmates after they are given an execution date, and how her views on the Death Penalty have changed over the years.
Their meeting point for this conversation? A nearby graveyard where former inmates are buried...
Published 03/01/20
Rebekah wakes up in Livingston, Texas, on the day she is due to meet her Death Row pen-pal Charles. She is nervous about what the day holds for her and worries that others might feel her decision to visit is unfair on the families of those impacted by Charles’ crime.
After speaking to locals in the town, she makes the journey to the Polunsky Unit to meet Charles for the first time in person. After a year of sending letters back and forth across the Atlantic, will the person she has...
Published 03/01/20
Rebekah feels the pressure to make a decision on whether she should visit her pen pal Charles on Death Row in Texas.
To help her come to a decision, she speaks to Robert Dunham from the Death Penalty Information Centre, her two best friends, and someone who wrote to a Death Row inmate fifteen years ago, and attended his eventual execution...
My Death Row Pen Pal is a three-part series, with additional special bonus material via BBC Sounds.
Published 03/01/20