Different with Nicky Campbell

Nicky Campbell meets Elf Whisperer Bryndis Bryndis Fjóla Pètursdóttir, who describes herself as a seer and horticulturalist. She talks to Nicky about the hidden people and elves that dwell in the garden, a widespread and common belief in Iceland.

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Zak Ebrahim was 7 when his father went to prison, initially for the attempted assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane, while there it was discovered he had helped plan the 1993 World Trade Centre Bombing, alongside men like the Blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Now Zak speaks about his experiences, learning to let go of hatred and how he found peace.

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Katy Morgan-Davies was born in a nondescript house in Lambeth in London, but thirty years later the world would discover she, and the other occupants in the house, were anything but ordinary. Katy was born into a strict communist-Maoist cult, didn’t know who her parents were, wasn’t allowed to get any education, leave the house or even look out the window. She escaped in 2013 when one of the other women held there memorised the number of a charity, who arranged their release.

Katy tells Nicky how she learnt her worldview from a copy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, how she never wanted her father to go to prison and forgiveness.

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Robert Mazur was once the go-to money launderer for Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel - but it was all a ruse, Robert was undercover and it led to one of the largest money laundering prosecutions in history. He joins Nicky to talk about making friends with ruthless criminals, fear and how more money than ever before is being laundered.

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Pastor Clement Okusi, biblical scholar Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou and geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford join Nicky for a far reaching conversation. Asking questions like…where does the bible stand on evolution? Did Jesus exist? Does it matter if he did? Who gets into heaven? And what’s the meaning of life?

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Sarah Jane Downing was a victim of the now imprisoned surgeon Ian Paterson.

WARNING: this episode contains descriptions of surgery and distressing conversations about receiving a cancer diagnosis .

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Wim Hof is an extreme athlete who held the record for swimming under ice, prolonged full body contact with ice and completing a half marathon barefoot on ice and snow. Now an author, tv star and motivational speaker he encourages everyone to embrace the cold - whether it’s wild swimming, cold showers or ice baths.

He talks to Nicky’s wife Tina who’s a devoted wild swimmer, hears Nicky’s experience with a cold shower and we find out the unlikely mantra that helped him survive his barefoot marathon.

WARNING: This episode contains strong language and a conversation about losing a loved one to suicide.

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In 1984 college student Angela Samota was found dead in her Texas apartment, her murder went unsolved for more than 30 years. Nicky speaks to Angela’s friend Sheila Wysocki who pressured police into reopening the case and finally finding the killer. Sheila is now a private investigator who focuses on cold cases and unsolved murders - she tells Nicky what the police think of her, what it’s like to have lunch with a suspected murderer and why she can’t quit.

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual assault and adult themes

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Michael Scott Moore is an American journalist living and working in Berlin - in 2012 he was reporting on the court case of a group of Somali pirates being tried in Germany and planning on writing a book on piracy. He travelled to Somalia where he was taken by pirates and held for the next 2 and half years of his life. He tells Nicky about what it was like to come home, the cruelty of the pirates and why he gave up hope.

WARNING: This episode contains strong language and references suicidal feelings and descriptions of violence

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This week on Different Nicky meets Tony King, a record promoter who worked with John Lennon, the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury and remains a close friend of Elton John’s. He tells Nicky about working with the most famous people on earth, Studio 54 in its heyday and shopping with Freddy.

WARNING: This episode contains adult content and references to substance abuse.

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