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Life Changing

Dr Sian Williams talks to people who have lived through extraordinary events that have reshaped their lives in the most unpredictable ways.

Radio 4,75 episodes

Episodes

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Turning agony into award-winning art
Former engineer Michael Ashcroft explains how art emerged from personal agony.
03 Dec 2025,28 mins
A long wait for justice
After 30 years, child abuse survivor Jess Martinez gets justice.
26 Nov 2025,28 mins
Two Days Underground
George Linnane tells Sian how he survived a 50-hour cave rescue.
19 Nov 2025,28 mins
Camel Tours and Sliding Doors
A spontaneous decision led Jacqui Furneaux to an unexpected adventure.
12 Nov 2025,28 mins
I shook hands with the man who nearly killed me
Sian Williams talks to Paul Kohler about the brutal assault that led him to seek answers.
05 Nov 2025,28 mins
Lost at sea
A woman whose father died at sea finds a transformative way to remember him.
29 Oct 2025,28 mins
A traumatised veteran’s unlikely saviour
Veteran Geoff was plagued by PTSD - but an unusual partnership restored his independence.
22 Oct 2025,28 mins
The Vicar of Bray's Daughter
Dr Sian Williams talks to Carol Cairns, who rediscovered a lost love in her 70s.
28 May 2025,28 mins
The Singing Bus Driver
Phillip Browne shares his incredible journey from London bus driving to West End stardom.
21 May 2025,29 mins
The Girl Gambler
When Stacey Goodwin got a new job, it triggered a destructive gambling addiction.
21 May 2025,28 mins
The Yachtsman Survivor
When yachtsman Robin was violently attacked, a life-or-death decision had to be made.
14 May 2025,29 mins
The Great Escape
Angela Tilley explains how a life-changing purchase helped her overcome agoraphobia.
07 May 2025,28 mins
The Reluctant Hero
Despite not being able to swim, Larry O’Brien saved over 30 people from a sinking ferry.
30 Apr 2025,28 mins
The Piano Tuner's Tale
Ed Stewart reveals how his life and career were defined by a violent row at a teen party.
16 Apr 2025,28 mins
A White Christmas for Annabelle
Lisa Hover shares the emotions of coping with her daughter’s life-limiting condition.
18 Dec 2024,28 mins
Volunteering for Freedom
MFA Zaman, a victim of modern slavery, explains how he found freedom by helping others.
11 Dec 2024,28 mins
Everything and Nothing
Dad of triplets Paul Mason explains how fatherhood brought wildly contrasting emotions.
04 Dec 2024,28 mins
Finding a New Voice
Mum-of-two Tanja Bage describes how she prepared for a life without her voice.
27 Nov 2024,28 mins
From Skid Row to Stardom
At 12, Dan Edozie and his mother were homeless - until a bus journey changed his life.
20 Nov 2024,28 mins
A Wild Child’s Buried Trauma
She had a colourful hippy life – but Sarah Fairbairns was haunted by a childhood trauma.
13 Nov 2024,28 mins
Hostage Survival
Nick Hitch describes the terrifying moment he was caught up in a violent hostage crisis.
06 Nov 2024,28 mins
Introducing the new series of Life Changing
Dr Sian Williams looks forward to another series of extraordinary stories.
05 Nov 2024,3 mins
The crocodile, the twins and the bond that saved them
Georgia and Melissa are swimming in a Mexican lagoon, when one of them is dragged under.
15 May 2024,28 mins
'I will make amends'
In 1988 experienced medical doctor Tony answers a call for help — it nearly breaks him.
08 May 2024,28 mins
Excluded
Marginalised his whole life, aged 24, Tier demands a reckoning with the education system.
01 May 2024,28 mins
Finally Meeting Mum
Su’s in a race against time to finally meet her birth mother, on the last day of her life.
24 Apr 2024,28 mins
Trading places
Fundamentally unhappy as an oil trader, Dan takes a giant personal gamble.
17 Apr 2024,28 mins
Delivering Change
As midwife Agnes’ third baby is delivered, she's confronted by a profound need for change
10 Apr 2024,28 mins
Witness
Just 14 when her mum is murdered, Georgia vows that she will never be forgotten.
03 Apr 2024,28 mins
Harriet: What Happened Next
Former guest Harriet tells a live audience how her podcast appearance changed her life.
26 Dec 2023,42 mins