
Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Our guests come from e... more
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 305 | Founded | 16 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Personal JournalsSociety & CultureDocumentary | |||

Fatima Whitbread grew up in a UK children’s home. She found both a mother and a coach in one person – going on to break the javelin world record and become an Olympic medallist. Fatima spent her first 14 years in a series of institutions after being ... more
When Ijeoma Uchegbu arrived back in the UK as a single mum of three young children she soon found herself living in a homeless shelter; now she is a pioneer in the field of nanoparticles in medicine.
Ijeoma Uchegbu has dedicated her career to studyi... more
Swedish youth worker Nicolas Lunabba had one strict rule: never get attached to the kids you help. Then 13-year-old Elijah moved in — and turned his mentor’s flat into a home.
In Malmö, Sweden, where poverty and violence shaped young lives, detachme... more
N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos survived betrayal and a tabloid sting.
Tulisa was born into a family of musicians in Camden, London, and says music was part of her everyday life. But her childhood was impacted by her mother's severe mental health ... more
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Interviewing different people about interesting experiences and incidents, would recommend.
Love it!
What an amazing story of how she got where she is! I love her!!
In these bleak times, I rely on Lives Less Ordinary to bring me hope. Stories about people surmounting sometimes unbelievably impossible obstacles- the one about the Indian woman whose stepmother stabbed, blinded her and left her homeless- comes to mind— and she not only persisted but learned to truly thrive. So many inspiring stories like that. A great pick-me-up when you’re feeling low
It takes you all over the globe and shares stories from peoples lives- some famous and some not- that keeps me looking forward to each and every episode.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #59 | |
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Apple Podcasts | #84 | |
Apple Podcasts | #166 | |
Apple Podcasts | #7 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Expect the unexpected in a podcast featuring incredible true stories from diverse individuals across the globe. Each episode showcases a guest who shares gripping, personal anecdotes that span a variety of themes, including survival, resilience, humor, and intrigue. With stories ranging from miraculous rescues and harrowing experiences to touching family reunions, listeners are treated to a tapestry of the human experience. Unique narratives often involve astonishing twists and uncover mysteries, captivating audiences while highlighting the profound depth of human experiences and connections.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Lives Less Ordinary. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Lives Less Ordinary and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Lives Less Ordinary, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers Lives Less Ordinary has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with Lives Less Ordinary:
1. Life Changing
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3. Witness History
4. The Inquiry
5. The Audio Long Read
Lives Less Ordinary launched 16 years ago and published 305 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Lives Less Ordinary from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Lives Less Ordinary. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on Lives Less Ordinary include:
1. Ijeoma Uchegbu
2. Jenny Evans
3. Tim Berners-Lee
4. Giulia Bacosi
5. Christiaan de Beukelaer
6. Mic Whitty
7. Adjoa Andoh
8. Sophie Parker
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.