What happens when life pushes you to the absolute breaking point? In this special episode of Life Lesson's from Unbelievable Britain's - Victoria Derbyshire meets four people who survived the unimaginable, from a secretive British cult to a Taliban kidnapping.

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Locked inside her body, Kate could hear and see everything but could tell anyone. A worst nightmare.

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Divine Ampofo grew up in Walthamstow, sharing a cramped flat with his mum and three siblings in a neighbourhood shaped by poverty, violence and survival. By the age of thirteen he had been pulled into “the game”, a street culture where respect came through fear, drugs and violence.

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Paul Cooper is a campaigner, writer and actor whose life has followed an extraordinary and unconventional path. He is also the father of Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, and has spent decades championing children, creativity, and people on the margins.

Later in life, he found wider recognition through his role as Martin Mucklowe in This Country, a breakthrough that brought his lived experience and humanity to the screen. Long before his acting career, he was involved in child led football activism, global peace initiatives, and frontline work supporting people living with hoarding disorders, always driven by a deep belief in community and compassion.

This episode explores a life shaped by activism, setbacks, reinvention, and an unwavering commitment to doing good.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

Unbelievable Britain shares remarkable personal stories from across the country, told by the people who lived them.

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Twenty years ago, Emma Sayle launched a women-led sex club that challenged everything people thought they knew about desire, power and who gets to set the rules. Many thought she was brave, others thought she was mad and it was certainly headline grabbing.

Two decades on, Killing Kittens has grown into a global movement. Emma joins Victoria to talk about how it started, the backlash and misconceptions, what has changed for women since, and why female-led spaces around sex, confidence and choice still matter more than ever.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

Unbelievable Britain shares remarkable personal stories from across the country, told by the people who lived them.

Subscribe for new episodes every week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode of Unbelievable Britain, Victoria Derbyshire sits down with Ryan Stevens to explore the reality of living with Tourette’s. From physical tics that have caused serious injury to the invisible toll of suppressing emotion, he shares what it’s really like when your body feels out of your control.

He speaks about tic attacks that surge through his body, the pressure to stay “level” to prevent episodes, and the quiet challenge of feeling like a burden to the people he loves. He also reflects on representation, public misunderstanding, and why Tourette’s looks different for everyone.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

Subscribe for new episodes every week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Jihyun Park escaped one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet, and she did it twice. She survived famine, human trafficking, forced labour and imprisonment in North Korea before escaping across borders to rebuild her life in the UK.

She was betrayed, sold as a bride in China and later dragged back across the border to a labour camp. The second time, she risked everything to find her son and begin a journey that would finally lead to freedom.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Katy Morgan-Davies was born into one of Britain’s most secretive cults. Despite living in Brixton, one of London’s busiest neighbourhoods, she was completely cut off from the outside world and controlled by a man who called himself Comrade Bala.

For thirty years, she lived under his abusive control, knowing almost nothing beyond the walls of that house until her dramatic escape.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

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Sean Langan spent years on the frontline, chasing stories most of us would run from. He’s been shot at, threatened, and even kidnapped by the Taliban... This is his extraordinary story.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… they’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

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Britain’s Toughest Fighter Opens Up to Victoria Derbyshire.

Luke Dyson is a fighter in every sense. From care homes and a chaotic childhood to one of Britain's most prolific fighters with hundreds of boxing and MMA bouts across the country. His story is one of anger, survival, and how discipline can grow from chaos.

Victoria Derbyshire has spent decades as one of the UK's most trusted journalists, breaking major stories and leading some of the most powerful interviews on radio and television. Now with Unbelievable Britain, she'll prove the most unbelievable stories aren’t fiction… They’re happening right here. Extraordinary people with stories that reveal who we really are as a nation, surprising, inspiring, and sometimes hard to believe.

A Joy Peddler's Studios Production

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