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Lives Less Ordinary

BBC World Service
Mental Health
Avontuur
Family
Holocaust
Adoption
Comedy
BBC World Service
Family Dynamics
Covid-19
Survival
Human Rights
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Racism
Childhood Trauma
Migration
Motherhood
Tupamaros
Brazil
Personal Growth
Atlantic Ocean

Introducing a new season of five remarkable true stories in which love rises above prejudice, waits decades, crosses oceans and survives war. From India to Italy, Syria to the Bahamas, and the UK to the US, these are unforgettable stories that reveal how love can survive against the odds, heal old wounds and transform lives forever.

Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes305Founded17 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Personal JournalsDocumentarySociety & Culture

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Latest Episodes

Dan Everett travelled to the Amazon to convert the Piraha people. It didn’t go to plan. Dan was a young Christian missionary, and his talent for linguistics put him on a mission to convert a small indigenous group called the Piraha in the Brazilian A... more

It took years for Lacey Tezino to discover the truth about her parents – what she found out would upturn everything she thought she knew about her own identity.

When Lacey left her rural Texan hometown and went to university in metropolitan Houston... more

Lacey Tezino grew up in rural Texas in a white family, and was told her Hawaiian mother died when she was a baby. But none of this was true.

Lacey was born in the US city of Houston, raised by her single dad who ran a bar there, and whom she adored... more

Ex army officer Devon Harris was part of the historic Olympic bobsleigh team that inspired the film Cool Runnings, but Hollywood only got half the story.

Devon grew up in a tough area of Kingston, Jamaica, called Olympic Gardens. He dreamed of taki... more

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Recent Guests

Dan Everett
Linguist whose research focuses on the Piraha language
University of Campinas
Episode: The missionary linguist who lost his faith
Lacey Tezino
Founder of Passport Journeys, an app supporting mother-daughter relationships
Passport Journeys
Episode: Why didn't they tell me I was black? Part 2
Devon Harris
Former Jamaican bobsleigh Olympian and founder of Keep On Pushing Foundation
Keep On Pushing / Jamaican bobsleigh team
Episode: Forget Cool Runnings: Inside the real Jamaican bobsled team
Nina Blom
Storyteller and survivor of Munchausen by proxy
Episode: My mother made me ill for years until a doctor unmasked her
Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Author and creator of Mother Country Radicals podcast
Self, related projects
Episode: America’s most wanted: my family on the run, part 2
Victor Tsaran
Partner in the Karo and Victor story, co-founded a life together while navigating accessibility barriers
Private individual
Episode: Love Stories: Told by you
Hannah Johnston
Partner in the love-crossing story with Andrew in the Czech/UK context
Private individual
Episode: Love Stories: Told by you
Bart Zevenhek
Co-creator of a forest-house romance; involved in a long-running classroom love story with Nieky
Private individual
Episode: Love Stories: Told by you
Nieky Liesker
Co-creator of the forest-house romance with Bart
Private individual
Episode: Love Stories: Told by you

Hosts

Asya Fouks
Host of Lives Less Ordinary, guiding listeners through personal love stories and human-interest narratives; frequent collaborator with the BBC World Service.
Jo Fidgen
Co-host/interviewer and long-time host of the series, facilitates conversations with guests.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 2.2k ratings
  • The matchmaker

    Such a lovely episode- made me laugh out loud. Thank you

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Antigua listener
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • :)

    I’m 9. I recommend this podcast

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Paws of the cat club
    Canada3 months ago
  • Fab podcast

    Great stories, always look forward to it.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Deb290969
    United Kingdom4 months ago
  • So inspiring

    Absolutely wonderful podcast. I learn so much. Extraordinary stories and almost all of them completely absorbing.

    Love the host as well

    Thank you

    P.S we just got back from visiting Brolga et al at the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs and it was the most wonderful and special experience

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AnnaBlueStar
    New Zealand5 months ago
  • Best Podcast Ever!

    I love the variety of stories, incredible individuals and brilliant interviewers.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MJ29MO
    United Kingdom6 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the breadth of stories and find them uplifting and inspiring.
People appreciate the compassionate interviewing and global scope of guests.
Some feedback notes variable interview pacing and occasional felt-edited moments.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The missionary linguist who lost his faith
Q: When you were starting to have this crisis of faith, were you able to tell the Piraha about it? Did you discuss it with your friends there?
Everett eventually told them he no longer believed in God. They laughed and said he was now like them, because they did not believe either.
The missionary linguist who lost his faith
Q: Did you begin to try and communicate Christian ideas to them? How did that go?
Everett translated the Gospel of Mark into Piraha and recorded it, but no one converted. When the Piraha asked how he could speak about Jesus without having seen him or knowing anyone who had, they told him they liked him but did not want to hear more about Jesus.
Why didn't they tell me I was black? Part 2
Q: When your mom, when your mom died, and you're reflecting on the journey you've been on together, what was the main thing you took away, do you think?
Lacey says she learned to practice forgiveness and radical grace toward parents, while holding onto hope that strained mother-daughter relationships can become close.
Why didn't they tell me I was black? Part 2
Q: So you pick up the phone, and the first thing you hear is your mother's voice?
Yes. Her mother answered, recognized Lacey when she said she thought she was her daughter, and invited her to come to Houston that day.
Forget Cool Runnings: Inside the real Jamaican bobsled team
Q: If you were to make a film about your Olympic journey, what genre would it be?
Devon suggests it would be a gritty drama rather than a comedy, because the real-life experiences from Kingston to the Olympics were intense, challenging, and more about perseverance than laughs.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lives Less Ordinary

What is Lives Less Ordinary about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show curates intimate, real-life stories from people around the world who have endured extraordinary circumstances—war, displacement, illness, accident, and long-lost love—and finds meaning through resilience, forgiveness, and connection. Across episodes, listeners hear how love, courage, and human ingenuity pull people through decades of separation, cross-cultural challenges, and life-altering trauma, often weaving in professional work, family dynamics, and personal reinvention. A standout aspect is the global mix of guests and the emphasis on personal voice—stories range from romance across oceans to survival in war zones—delivered with compassionate interviewing and a strong human-rights sensibility.

Expect a blend of emotional, in... more

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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.

Which podcasts are similar to Lives Less Ordinary?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Lives Less Ordinary:

1. The Documentary Podcast
2. Witness History
3. World of Secrets
4. The Audio Long Read
5. The Slow Newscast

How many episodes of Lives Less Ordinary are there?

Lives Less Ordinary launched 17 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.

How do I contact Lives Less Ordinary?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Lives Less Ordinary?

Recent guests on Lives Less Ordinary include:

1. Dan Everett
2. Lacey Tezino
3. Devon Harris
4. Nina Blom
5. Zayd Ayers Dohrn
6. Victor Tsaran
7. Hannah Johnston
8. Bart Zevenhek

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.

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