The Untold

Growing up, Georgia was always the fiery one. Independent, determined and committed, she was the kind of student who gave everything her all, and achieved whatever she put her mind to. When she set her sights on Oxford University she taught herself A-level Classics from the kitchen table to get there.

In just one month’s time she’ll be competing in her first Strong Man competition. She’ll be pushing her body to its limits, running with 10 stone barrels, deadlifting 18 stone bars and pulling 20 stone sleds.

But this is not just a story about getting physically strong. This is a story of pushing through mental and emotional challenges, it is about leaving the past behind and gaining strength after things go wrong.

As we follow Georgia in the lead up to the competition, we get a rare glimpse into the Strong Man world: a male-dominated world that’s starting to open its doors to women.

They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but will weightlifting really help Georgia regain control of her life?

Presented by Grace Dent

Ellie and Ollie were once a lesbian couple. Then Ollie began the process of transitioning from female to male. Grace Dent follows the story, as the couple negotiate the change.

Presented by Grace Dent

Katie is 17 and a rising star of social media, followed by thousands. She's also a grade A student but is not sure she can do both. Will this mean dropping out of A-levels in Year 12? Grace Dent presents.

Producer: JP Devlin

Laura from London visits a death row inmate in Florida to seek answers about her late father's final years.

Laura's dad John was an alcoholic. He spent the last ten years of his life writing to Michael, a man condemned to death for murder.

John confided things in Michael which he didn't share with his own daughter.

29 year old Laura enters a maximum security prison in Florida to find out what Michael knows.

Producer: Laurence Grissell

Having already helped one couple become parents by being a surrogate, Linder wants to do it again. The joy of seeing new parents hold their baby for the first time was so wonderful, she wants to give that to someone else. This time, Linder is trying to get pregnant for gay couple Nick and Karl. But although she conceives very quickly, the path ahead is fraught with difficulties. Linder records an intimate and painfully honest diary as the pregnancy continues.

In many ways Silver Street in Halifax is a street like any other. Yet it also contains a scene you probably won't find anywhere else in the country.

At the end of the street is Calderdale Women's Centre. It provides support to female victims of abuse, facing financial difficulties or suffering from health problems. Just a few yards across the road from the Centre is La Salsa, a lap dancing bar.

Representatives from the Women's Centre have decided to mount an opposition to La Salsa's licence, and they are not alone. They're being support by White Ribbon UK, an international charity committed to ending male violence against women. White Ribbon's UK headquarters are just a few miles away from Silver Street. They believe the club forms part of a culture that leads to harmful behaviour toward women and a venue such as this directly opposite a haven for vulnerable women is unacceptable.

La Salsa's owner, Eduardo, sees things differently. In his eyes he's running a legitimate business which is above the law and staffed by people who are happy and content to work there. The dancers agree, for them, its their choice.

The objection will be heard by a meeting of the local authority, where the club will either close immediately or be permitted to remain open. Both parties will have their chance to make their case, but no one can be certain of the verdict.

Produced by Sam Peach

Matt is attractive, dynamic and funny, but he has never had a girlfriend. As a blond 8-year-old, he was repeatedly abused by paedophiles and has resisted intimacy ever since. But is he now ready to date?

Grace Dent presents the story of two councillors who've quit their parties to run as independents in the local elections.

Rowan has left Labour over antisemitism, while Brian has quit the Conservatives over Brexit.

Will their gamble pay off?

Producer: Laurence Grissell

Grace Dent revisits four powerful stories recently featured in The Untold, to find out where life took them next.

Will was a victim of the Westminster Bridge attack, now tasked with putting his life back together and managing serious injuries. Kanan's life was turned upside down when the song he wrote in a Bristol flatshare was picked up by Jay-Z and became an international hit. Other stories revisited are the case of two GPs fighting to save their practice and the mother whose child was separated from her and taken to live abroad, without her consent.

Shaish Alam's restaurant was once the top rated take away and curry restaurant in Wales. He'd won loads of awards, and appeared on national telly, demonstrating his home grown approach to cooking curry. In September 2017, everything changed, when he was found to be employing four staff who did not have the right to work in in the UK. It wasn't the first time - but with unpaid fines amounting to more than £70,000, this time the authorities came down much harder.

Now, he says he can't get more staff to help in the kitchen and he would have to pay a salary of £30,000 to bring anyone over - which he says he can't afford. He comes up with another solution. He decides to slash his menu to make it possible for him to do the cooking himself. His team are up in arms - they think you can't say no to customers, and they say curry menus must be extensive because that's what British people want. Shaish says they've been catering to the public's every demand for too long, and things must change. But how will this Welsh town respond to the prospect of having their favourite curries taken away?