The Untold

Paddy Davison is 77 years old and possibly the oldest rowing coxswain in the country. He's also never rowed a stroke in his life, and only discovered the sport five years ago. Despite the late start, he commands a crew of eight ladies at the City of Bristol Rowing Club and is desperately hoping for success at this year's Henley Women's Regatta. But this isn't really a story of a rowing race. This is a tale of recovery from grief, and how teamwork and friendship can be a powerful salve. Paddy lost his wife, Jules, nearly two years ago in sudden and unexpected circumstances. It knocked him for six. But his 'rowing girls' have been there for him, and are helping him get his life back on track.

Grace Dent presents.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

Grace Dent tells the story of a white-collar-criminal's pregnant fiancée, trying to organise their prison wedding.

When Veronica's partner - a successful businessman - was sent to prison for what is sometimes called a 'white-collar crime', she was pregnant with his child.

On her first visit to him behind bars, he proposed. At a time of such uncertainty the prospect of marriage was something that kept them united.

But they want the marriage to take place before the birth of the baby - just 9 weeks away. And they're not even sure if it's possible to get married in a prison at all.

Producer: Georgia Catt.

A headteacher's fate hangs in the balance as she awaits a visit from a school inspector.

When Sue Vermes became headteacher of struggling Rose Hill Primary School less than two years ago, she hoped to reverse its fortunes. Instead, an Ofsted inspector labelled the Oxford school 'inadequate' and placed it into so-called 'Special Measures'. Now Sue's future is in question as she awaits the verdict of a follow-up visit by Ofsted. Have Sue and her team done enough to arrest the school's decline?

Producer: Laurence Grissell.

The idea for a guest house came after Phillida and Christopher Purvis spent time travelling with charities working in the Nilgiri Hills. They had heard Indian community leader, Stan Thekaekara when he gave a guest presentation at Oxford University's Said Business School and were impressed by the work he was doing. He and his wife Mari have been alongside the Adivasi community in the Nilgiri Hills for more than three decades, working with those living in more than 300 villages and settlements stretching over a 40 mile radius. They set up a charity to help tribal villagers reclaim land and businesses to trade in tea and honey, for example. They have also overseen new community provisions, including a school and a well-regarded hospital.

As a former merchant banker Christopher already had experience of working abroad and being thrown in at the deep end. He had overseen the setting up of Warburg's Tokyo branch and it was in Japan that he and Phillida met. When he retired from banking he turned his hand to charity work, opening the Handel House Museum in London and working to help disadvantaged youngsters get into University and adjust to life there. He and Phillida decided to commit to sustained periods of volunteering in India with Stan and his community. They also thought that some of their retired friends might also like to help and the idea of the guest house was born.

The couple have put in a third of the money needed to buy the land and build the guest house and are lending a further third to the charity they've set up to oversee things. They want to raise the last £100,000 from friends and people they know, in part because it signifies a commitment and desire to join the venture. As Grace Dent hears, this will enable people with a range of skills can join together to help and it will also be fun sharing the guest house with like-minded people. There will be terraces, an area for yoga and even for Ayurveda medicine and meals will be specially prepared in the purpose built kitchens.

The unveiling of the idea to friends is met with a mixed response: on the one hand some are happy to commit to the kind of time share arrangement proposed, with £6,000 securing a month's stay every year for a decade. Others are more reluctant without visiting first and instead offer donations to help get things started. With the Monsoon fast approaching the work on clearing the land needs to start for things to be up and running on time. The rallying of the uncommitted begins in earnest and Grace Dent follows what happens

Teenagers Mohammed and Jess are both auditioning for the National Youth Theatre - with just a one in ten chance of success.

And the stakes are especially high for them, because they're a couple. Both are desperate to progress with their acting careers: Jess won a drama scholarship to her boarding school, while Mohammed attends a performing arts Academy.

Grace Dent follows their story, from the auditions to the nail-biting wait on results day.

Lister has taken redundancy, sold his home - a narrowboat - and is trying to make it as a professional poker player. His aim is to go to Las Vegas. But a run of bad luck has put him in "tilt" - the mental problem that can affect poker players when their luck goes bad and they start to play badly as a reaction. Can he get his head straight and start winning again? Maybe, with the intervention of a top poker psychologist.

Grace Dent follows 21-year-old footballer Brandon Coleman, who is hoping to get his first cap for England.

Brandon is a typical 21-year-old. He's good looking, says "like" a lot, and takes a great interest in girls, and drum and bass music. Then there's football. He loves football. Not just watching, but playing too. His coaches say he's a "freak". They've never seen anyone train as hard as him before. Grace Dent follows him in the run up to England's match against France in May - will Brandon make the grade?

It's been a long road for Brandon to get here. Four years ago, aged 17, he was in and out of work, and getting into trouble. Then, suddenly, his eye sight began to deteriorate. Six weeks later, he was blind. After trying to pretend his situation wasn't real, he eventually enrolled at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, where he learnt to play football. Just eighteen months later, he's been training with England's blind football team, and if he can make the grade, he'll be getting his first cap for England.

The team suffered a bitter defeat at the euros on their home turf last year - depriving them of a place in this year's paralympics. Brandon's first match will also be the team's first game together since then. England manager, Jonathan Pugh, has to pull the team back together again - and Brandon is part of the plan.

Producer: Polly Weston.

Grace Dent tells the story of an 82 year old sailor, forced to rebuild his life from scratch after a disaster at sea leaves him with nothing.

From the Norwegian lifeboat that had plucked him from the waves, 82 year old Julian watched his uninsured sailing boat that was his home sink to the bottom of the North Sea - with it, all of his belongings.

For most of his life he had lived conventionally - working as an architect, bringing up children - but in the back of his mind was always the feeling there was more to life.

Taking early retirement he put all his money into pursuing his dream - sailing. Living on a 26 foot boat, he circumnavigated the globe, visiting some of the wildest places of the world.

Forced back on land, with no home or belongings, Julian must pause and reflect on what he wants from life.

As he considers whether he is too old to continue the nomadic seafaring lifestyle that is his dream, he also faces up to something he has been putting off for decades - how to reconnect with the daughter he has not seen since a bitter divorce 30 years before.

Producer Georgia Catt.

Grace Dent tells the story of Deborah, a dynamic barbershop singer, in the lead up to the biggest competition of the year.

Deborah loves her family, her dog and, possibly most of all, barbershop singing.

She would drive hundreds of miles each week to sing in the best choruses in southern England. Now living in Christchurch, she sings with Wessex Harmony and music runs through the fabric of the house; her husband directs her current chorus, her daughter sings in her barbershop quartet and her desk drawers are stuffed with singing medals.

Once a year the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers holds a convention to find the country's most talented chorus. Over two thousand women in sparkling outfits and identical makeup and jewellery, are pitted against each other. And Deborah starts to plan for this wonderful weekend a year ahead.

But in May she finds a lump on her breast. It is cancer.

Grace follows her through the year, looking at what Deborah is prepared to do to compete, the risks she wants to take, the sacrifices the family are prepared to make and asks what happens if she doesn't get there.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Grace Dent follows the story of a fourth generation Herefordshire beef farmer during his most stressful time: the TB Test. Matthew Oliver wants to sell around fifteen cattle at a local market, but to do this they have to be free of TB. It's a nervy time both for Matthew and his 87 year old mother - they have failed the test before. If the TB test is positive, cattle movement is banned for 120 days, the affected animals all culled. The farm, set up by his great grandfather in 1892, is in a high-risk area and Matthew knows local farmers who have never been free of TB; one neighbour was forced to leave farming altogether. So the stakes are high for Matthew, and the future of his family farm.